My first sock.

I decided I wanted to include some form of knitwear in my collection but I'm not sure if i want to make a whole garment so I thought I'd have a play with socks.

OK so there is only one right now,

its rather plain and the wool is thicker than normal for a sock,

BUT its the first sock I have ever knitted and I'm exicted about it.

HERE it is. And i shall be experimenting more in the future.

21

It’s my 21st tomorrow. VERY excited yes. BUT it means I need to knuckle down and start getting this collection under my belt. When I get the money together I'm investing in CS5 and planning to work on website design and getting my final designs sorted CAD style. Then pattern cutting and final make followed by styling and a photo shoot or two. VERY exciting but also stressful times are ahead I feel. So in conclusion this weekend will be given over to celebrations but after that its work time! I promise I will keep you posted.

Then theres the deadline.

Water, ripples, jersey, stretch, tonal and well constructed.

And for the boys.

Triangles, towelling and pockets. Boys always need pockets; although these are sewn down to protect little fingers. Not quite sure how boy orientated these are, boys are hard to design for, but they are a start atleast!

Placement.

For the past week and continuing into the end of this one I have been on work placement at a company in Ashburton called the Gro company, my life has also gone mental with deadlines and jobs, hence why I haven’t posted in a while. During this placement I have been given a creative brief as well as giving general design assistance to the creative team at the company.

My time has been spent mounting wall displays and images for presentations, helping out and modelling on product photo shoots and transforming the office into a more structured and well thought out display area for the company.

In addition to this my creative brief encompasses designing a range of Gro bags (baby sleep bags) and bedding with the focus on techniques (gathers, pin-tucks, pleats and panels). I am to design for 4 options:

• Boys

• Girls

• Unisex

• Nursery coordinated bedding

Towards the end of my placement I will then have to present these on presentation boards and talk through them with other members of the team including the creative director. So all in all I feel I will have accomplished a fair amount by the end of my placement with experience in a few of the major areas of a design company and a deeper understanding of the industry requirements (safety standards) when producing garments for a specified market area, especially if that area encompasses babies or children.

Pictured are a few of my initial design ideas.

From pattern to panties.

Today I attempted to make my first pair of knickers from scratch; pattern and all. Ok so they turned out a little more like hold-em all-in Granny pants than the sexy slinky exciting pieces I am looking to create, not to mention they look rather saggy on the stand (apparently because the stand is not a lingerie shape) and some of the stitching is a little scruffy, but I feel I have conquered the basic form now. Next stop manipulation; experimenting with print, panels and fabrics.

Pattern book used: Pattern cutting for lingerie, beachwear and leisurewear (Ann Haggar)

Chachoo...bless you?

I'm going to go with Chachoo for my name, it sounds soft enough to be used in conjunction with the lingerie designs I want to produce whilst still having relevance to watersports. A Chachoo or rather a Grubby Chachoo is an aerial downwind 360 and a sail 360 fused together into one move, the sail rotation is performed mid-air. Just to keep you updated on my progress.

Names,names,names.

After thinking I had finally settled on a name for my company ( [with love] : sherry ) it doesn’t seem to sit very well with my ideology and the collections I want to create so I have been exploring other avenues such as using foreign tongues to create my name my new possibilities are below:

More aquae (fashion water in Latin) - short and neat with reference to the water influence on my business.

More maris (fashion sea in Latin) - as above also I like the appeal of having more in the title as if it is an add on to something which I suppose it would be an add on to an active lifestyle

Mare pulchra (lovely sea in Latin) - not so sure on the pulchra bit it sounds a little aggressive

Mer belle (lovely see in French) - short and sweet

Clew first (term in windsurfing) - to link the company back to watersports

Chachoo - (windsurfing trick)- see above

I think at the moment I'm torn between the first and the last on my list but let me know your thoughts, I will have to settle soon though as I need to write my business plan soon.

Preferably buttons.

Buttons have to be my favourite fastening, I'm not quite sure why, they just hold an attraction for me. These are closely followed by buckles dependant on the weight of fabric being used. Then comes  poppers, especially if they are decorated with a button. Next up are zips, as long as they concealed and fit with the lines originally created in the garment and finally Velcro...eugh Velcro, itchy-scratchy-fails-to-perform-fluff-grabbing Velcro. How I despise you Velcro. That may have seemed like an unnecessary post, but I have been finding that my choice of fastening significantly changes the design qualities and market level of a garment. I will be interested to see how this effects my final collection.

Unexpected fabric.

Knitted panels in underwear. Neoprene in coats. Air tech mesh in floaty dresses.

I want my collection this year to have a slight twist to it, it will still be in my normal style (which it seems has morphed into floaty girly girl with clean tailored lines thrown in for a sharper edge) but with unexpected fabrics mixed in to add an extra bit of interest to the line.

Left is my first set of flats on illustrator; for a set of underwear with suede and knitted panels, this may be altered in my design development process but at the moment I quite like the image I have created.

Concept.

Ok, i know its been a while, but I have been mentally busy. I have finally come up with a fully developed concept along with a mood board for my collection (designs to follow in due course). I want to create a collection with a twist using conventional fabrics alongside those you wouldn't normally expect in a fashion collection and would perhaps be more likely to crop up in performance sportswear. Knitted trousers, air tech mesh dress collars, kevlar jackets etc. All along with originally designed underwear. A mammoth task I'm sure you will agree, a collection not only encompassing a range of outfits but also outerwear and underwear and, if the possibilty arises handmade accessories.

This collection will be aimed at the 20-35 womenswear catagory with the focus on women taking part in active sports who desire a comfortable yet fashionable collection of garments to wear during their day-to-day life. I am not intending to create a high fashion collection however the style lines and finishes will show a sense of self and style meaning the wearer will feel individual whilst still being comfortable, and not at too great an expense.

On top of the collection I am in the process of writing a few articles for competitions and possible submissions to magazines. I will keep you updated on my progress and post pictures as and when i feel they are good enough!

It Smells Like Rain.

You know that smell that spring rain has? Fresh, clean, crisp and breathing new life into the air. That’s the theme for my next collection, well that and the ways in which we use water, how it reacts with different fabrics, what lives in it and how the fabrics related to it can be manipulated. I want to use a variety of unexpected fabrics to create my collection, while still producing practical wearable pieces but with a subtle twist. That is the idea at the moment, but we will see how it evolves.

A New Beginning.

This is going to be my fresh start, my own blog for my own purpose. My first blog was almost forced upon me by university (paseloen.com) full of unrelated articles and false proposals, not the image I want to present of myself to the wider world. I'm turning 21 soon and feel I should really start getting on with my life. At present I seem to be a country hopping student who can't keep still and, although I have many ideas on how to create my ideal life I am still sat writing lists that never end and not following through with them. So this here is the turning point. This year will be productive and proactive, full of job applications and creating collections. By the end of it I will be able to look back and realise I have achieved something I am proud of. I’m not saying I will stop skipping out on the country every so often, but I will get my act together as far as my career is concerned. This blog will be my proof! It will be used to upload any interesting new developments in my designs and fashion collections and also any articles I feel would make a worthwhile read. So that, hopefully, I can use this blog to help me gain the career I want. I won’t promise to post every day, only when something exciting happens, but I will keep you updated!