The Freedom of Sprit

My collection represents a contrast. A contrast that signifies the emotions that lay behind the hard ache of war and everything it is to be free. I generated this concept by firstly looking at modern military trends. Looking at contemporary fashion didn’t inspire me. I felt as though there was something that was so much stronger in refining what inspires me when it comes to the concept ‘British Military’. The Poem ‘The Rose of Battel’ written by William Butler Yeats in the First World War truly captures everything I want to embrace through out my designs. William Butler Yeats was a young British military soldier who was in search for an escape of the world he just entered. I was drawn to the sense of expression of what such the young soldier had. Through out the poem Yeats reflects on fantasy that was once life back home. This was the concept I captured after reading such a moving piece. I used this as stepping stone and looked into various songs and photographs, which moved me to explore my form of expression through design.

The name of my collection is ‘The Freedom of Sprit’. The look is minimal, capturing the clean purity of design whilst attaining a visually pleasing contemporary aesthetic. The collection encompasses a masculine silhouette but through the use or fabrics and fabric manipulation it still embodies the beauty of the feminine. The overall appearance of the collection draws on translucent and opaque fabrics creating a contrast drawing out the carried effects to existing elements when placed together. Through the use of­ free flowing, sheer fabrics I have drawn on the concept of free spirit. The sheer fabrics chosen encompass free flowing movement, a lightweight feel and an untainted sense of beauty. When considering the drape of the sheer fabrics I was intrigued to the way the fabric varied in shape through movement rather than a still effect. I explored with pleating, tucks and different cuts to achieve the minimal yet pure aesthetic I was pursuing.

The colour palette consists of a monochromatic scheme. Using cream as a basis I have experimented with different tones whilst incorporating black and white as highlights to lift and separate the combinations of colour chosen. The use of colour in my collection is applied in a blocking technique, where a whole garment or certain sections are varied from the variations of the base colour. When considering a monochromatic scheme I didn’t just look at the colour in which each fabric attained but tested what different effects in which colour contained when a fabric is exposed to sunlight and placed up against the skin. As a whole, the colour palette is pale and reflects clean sense purity throughout my designs.

Fabrics:

Look One

- Jacket

Jacket Shell: Sayo Sago Polyester

- Dress

Dress Top: Ivory

Dress Collar, Button Stand and Cuffs: Cotton Elastane Polyester

Dress Bottom: Cream Viscoes

Look Two

- Dress One (Bottom)

Dress: Ivory

Binding: Cream Viscoes

- Dress Two (Top)

Dress: Soufflé Polyester

Binding: Soufflé Polyester

Look 3

- Dress

Dress Top: Sayo Sago Polyester

Dress Collar: Zimmer Cotton Viscoes

Dress Bottom Underlay: Chantilly Founcing

Dress Bottom: Ivory

When looking at my collection as a whole the key words that would come to mind are: light, pure, conceptual, free spirited, minimal, contemporary, soft and clean

Looking at the collection as a whole, there are two key aspects, which have been reflected throughout my design process, the contrast of translucent and opaque fabrics and the visual movement generated through fabric cut and manipulation.

This collection targets and urban tribe whom I would name “The Modern day Expressionist.” A group of people between the ages of 18-40, who wear garments that resemble their true feelings and emotions. This tribe use expression as a pastime amercing themselves in photography, art and design. Whether it be traveling on a tram or walking down the street the Modern Day Expressionist always seek creative vision. Searching for conceptual ideas in which get noted down in their scrappy leather bound notebook or captured photographically with a Polaroid camera. Art is perceived as an escape rather than a carrier. To have an appreciation for art as a raw concept is one thing, but to appreciate where art comes from is a whole different notion of thought. The urban tribe I have targeted not so much cares for the visual aesthetic of an artwork but more so the fact of discovering where it came from. The only people with conceptual views who which would embrace the meaning behind these garments would truly fully experience the values placed behind each piece. The audience targeted surround themselves in the fashion industry as an occupation whether it be, Fashion designers, stylists, patternmakers, models, buyers or merchandisers. They see dress as a form of expression and are drawn to minimally designed garments. This high daywear collection is designed specifically for Spring/Summer 2011. The Modern Day Expressionist doesn’t tend to follow trends but dress individually. They live in the inner city suburbs, in a space that is just a little too small to accommodate all their positions. The house is used as a utopia, an escape from the hectic lifestyle that surrounds them. The house is filled with little ordainments that are only noticed on the third glance. The walls are white but the rooms are full of expression.

To complete the design of this collection I had to endure a journey. As every creative journey takes you on a path I kept my options open and let my mind run free. When first analyzing current trends I felt there was something so much more potent that could be drawn out of the brief so I explored the conceptual element of the freedom of spirit. The first aspect which I considered was looking at modern contemporary fashion. I wasn’t heavily influenced by the evident trends and wanted to persuade something meaningful through my designs rather than creating a garment in order for it to be sold.

The fall and delicacy of a sheer fabric was my initial stepping stone in which I wanted to explore. The qualities that I found in a sheer fabric resembled everything I wanted to portray through the freedom of spirit, the light feel and embracement of movement.