Trends
With my second year at university being more commercially focussed, my first module allowed me to work to a Spring/Summer 2017 trend set by WGSN. With trends being such a big influence within the textile industry I wanted to gain as much as possible from this module to aid me when I go out on an upcoming work placement but also with my future projects. From my previous single bed knit project I was surprised and fascinated at the possibilities that could be achieved using the knitting machines and I was really looking forward to being able to get designing on the double bed machines, especially the Dubied semi- industrial machine.
"Edgelands combines the urban and suburban, marrying raised exterior textures with gritty architectural patterning whilst still retaining a homely feel. A neutral palette is interrupted with bands of golden mustard, dusty mauve and chintz pink while fern green provides a balance showcasing a utilitarian look. Yarns contain a raw quality with simple twisted cottons creating an organic atmosphere whereas boucle yarns and granular wools lend themselves to the weatherworn element of the trend. Block patterns found in 1970’s architecture are emulated through areas of extreme structure while regimented ribs offset sections of delicate sophisticated stripes. Grainy exteriors are crafted using a combination of flecked yarns and denim creating a destroyed surface aesthetic through over bleaching and intense distressing. Domestic craft evokes a homely sentiment within the collection as broken and threadbare knits are repaired through darning and calculated stitching."
Being very technically minded anyway, I found learning the many techniques for the double bed knitting machine incredibly interesting and creating technical samples of each pattern enabled me to pick up the technical understanding I needed to get underway with this project. There was of course times when these sometimes unpredictable machines tested my patience but as the project developed I found that I enjoy knit far more than I originally realised. Continuing to test the machine's capabilities to work with various yarns was something I wanted to maintain throughout the project to create an interesting final collection.
Alongside my knitted fashion fabric swatches I created my trend image which completely encompassed and summarised my interpretation of the trend 'Edgelands' and which placed alongside the colour palette, fabric swatches and trend statement (see above) could showcase to anyone what 'Edgelands' is and how it translates to knitwear. When creating my trend image I found that I really developed my Photoshop skills which was something I really did want to improve on and in today's design world I think it really is an essential tool to know how to use. My final colour palette was a large selection of the colours WGSN had specified for this trend however, I did not use every colour within their full palette. With the direction that my project went in and the inspiration I had gathered, a few of the colours didn't tie in necessarily with what I was doing; so I narrowed the palette slightly and this enabled me to create a really co ordinated collection and I still displayed the full colour palette on my final boards.
On the whole, this has to have been one of my favourite projects so far, the technical understanding I gained just from the demonstrations is completely invaluable. I found more of a flow with this project and feel that the work I produced has been some of my best to date. I thought that being given a theme and colour palette from the offset would make it easier and in some respects it did as I got over that initial 'starting point' but in the end I has so many places i wanted to go with this project I found it quite challenging to reign myself back in. Regardless, I have developed a tremdous amount of skills completing this module which will only help me when I got out into the industry.