Phi Collection

So, I originally intended to do all of my illustrations in a digital format in order to keep with my theme of using technology as a visual and emotional language; however, i found that it took almost 4 times the amount of time that it would have taken me just using paper and pencil...  Which I find ironic since we are led to believe that technology has been developed to make tasks more simple or more efficient...

Anyhow, I only finished 3 of the illustrations in complete digital form and the rest are in quick sketch form.  My process had me first try and form a collection by designing each look separately, which did not yield a very cohesive collection.  After learning Drew's technique of plotting where on the body the collection is going to fall/cut/have detail, and putting the elements of my designs into the body map, the whole thing started to look more like a collection and less like someone's closet blew up.

After that, I went on to scan some of my croquis into Photoshop and Illustrator and started to draw faces.  I wanted the faces to feel soft and demure, fluid and pretty, like the gauzy material I used in the drapes of the collection.

Then I started to draw the outline of each look in Illustrator, to then transfer it into photoshop for colouring, shading etc.

The technicals I did are for the look that included the top that I draped, and the shirt skirt combo with the origami hip detail.

Phi - Illustration

I've decided to do my illustrations for Phi in a digital format to further reflect the integration of technology in society; however I've kept the drawings fairly natural in the face (as opposed to going with a "tech" style of illustration), to juxtapose the digital aspect...

Details - Shopping Trip

Phi is about defining the abstract concept of beauty through the use of mathematics and sacred geometry.  I think Phi will use a combination of smart textiles (such as conductive fibers, ThermoChromic inks) and natural fibers to further communicate my feelings about the deep integration of technology in society.  The palette will be fairly natural as a way to again, communicate the way technology is integrated into society, with the addition of gold, as Phi is considered the "golden number".  I would really like to incorporate some laser cutting into my designs because I think the way the technology cuts so that it appears or feels like the design is part of the fabric, is in line with my concept.

I also really like the idea of printing onto a sheer, nude fabric so that the printed pattern looks like it is part of your skin.  I think printing geometric shapes or a fibonacci spiral onto a sheer nude would be neat.  The shapes printed would mimic the shapes found in the body figure - triangle drawn from shoulders to waist, thin curved waves around the ribs...  further communicating how sacred geometry is so prevalent in our everyday lives, yet we don't necessarily notice or acknowledge it. 

I would like to see some softly shaped, origami details, juxtaposed with harder, crisply shaped origami.  The softer shapes would be alluding to the more abstract concept of origami, much like I am trying to communicate that there is a "formula" of sorts, to beauty.
As for seam finishes, I'd like to use french seams on the woven fabrics that are natural because it would then feel as though the fabrics were growing out of themselves into the shapes of the garments. with the Tech fabrics, I would like to see either raw edges or fabric welding, so once again, the fabric looks as though it is formed together as one.

Production would be in Greece because that is the origin of sacred geometry and Phi and so shall it be the origin of the Phi collection.  Unfortunately, production in Greece would probably be much more expensive than it would be to have this collection produced in China; however, as Greece is suffering from economic downturn, it may be possible to get a better price than it would be in a time of economic growth.  Production in Greece will affect the price point of this collection, as will the materials used.  Based on current pieces in the market, Phi will probably be priced at $300 - $800 for a top, bottoms from $500 - $900, dresses from $1000 - $3000, jackets from $2000 - $5000.

The market is looking for high end, statement pieces.  Currently, I think Balenciaga is the market leader and has saturated the market with very tech looking, structured pieces that focus on the technology of the textiles as well as the intricate pattern drafting.  I would like to have a similar approach with the thought and development behind the textiles, but with more balance between hard and soft shapes, i.e. more draping than traditionally seen at Balenciaga.

One concept that has been explored by a Berlin based design team, is using a computer program to map the body, convert the body contours into hard, geometric shapes and use those shapes as patterns to construct clothing : http://www.dezeen.com/2008/09/29/the-t-shirt-issue-by-mashallah-design-linda-kostowski/

These products pertain to my market as they are looking for their clothing to have more of a personality than just to function as cover.  My market itself, is interested in having the technology behind their clothing featured as having an aesthetic value and being showcased rather than it being a silent quality.  They probably work in a field where their position is integral, yet, their work isn't necessarily easy to spot in the finished product.

Mood Board

 I mapped out a few of the shapes that I found when examining the images. The images with the most aesthetically pleasing angles and shapes were the ones I used.

 Some of the images were arranged on the board to create relationships between themselves through geometry as at a glance, they may not appear to be related.  I thought this was a good way to translate the purpose of Phi as it is a ratio that can be used to relate somewhat dissimilar elements of geometry.

 I would like to use this gold spiral in a print.  I think it would look amazing sweeping across the body, up, over and around the shoulders...

 The tassels represent the golden section that is related to Phi.  When a segment in divided into parts that are 1.618 times longer than the last.

I chose a lot of pictures that had either an organic shape or very hard geometric lines to stay within the theme of the sacred geometry of Phi.  I put a clear sheet of plastic over top so I could get the effect of a white board when I mapped out the geometric shapes, so it was a little hard to get up close for detail shots without a blinding flash light.  Essentially the board connects some of the geometric associations that I tried to make when setting up the board, which I think is much like Phi - it connects elements of sacred geometry that were not connected prior to defining Phi.

Mainly the board focuses on structured shapes that have a swooping/spiraling paths; I've used gold in some of the notions and images to allude to the "golden ratio" that Phi is also known as.  Some of my favourite images are the organic origami ones - they look like insects from the future...

I can't wait to start designing for this collection, I think it's going to be a real challenge to juxtapose the organic and the mathematical elements so the separates work within each other and they don't look too dissimilar and more like two collections styled together...

Phi= Beauty

In my last couple of posts, and in responding to some comments, I believe I have a) found my visual language; b) narrowed my focus; and c) renamed my collection.

Phi (the Greek letter above) in mathematics is the Golden Ratio.  Several studies have been done to determine what the majority of us find to be "beautiful" and most conclude that the most "beautiful" subjects' proportions relate to each other by the value of (1.618...).  I am also personally of the opinion that beauty is best achieved when there is proportional balance between elements.  In one response to a comment, I said that I was mainly interested in relating finite concepts (such as math and science), to more abstract and infinite concepts (like beauty and love and humor) and I think that might be the way to do that...


I was first thinking that this may be too far off from my original concept of technology being deeply integrated into society, but after some thought, I liken the idea of defining beauty by way of , as somewhat of an ultra lo-mo proof commenting on the level of integration of technology in society.


I'm thinking of garments cut so that all the bottoms use 1.618 time more fabric than the tops in the collection; or any paneling done is proportioned with ratios...

Gotta re-work my inspiration board...!

beauty =

I found this article to be rather interesting... http://www.toktalk.net/2009/12/15/of-science-math-and-beauty/

Small Request:

Dear Meg Grant,

Please design an interactive "organic circuit diagram" button for my website that is as amazing as yours.

Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou,

A.

Intimacy Noir

I came across this blog while looking for inspiration shots for my Organi-Tek collection and needed to post the link.  Check out the fashion photography by Sarah Moon - they feel like a dream that is dangerously close to becoming a nightmare...

Anyways, I found the above image on Kitsch-Noir.  This is the INTIMACY Black dress designed by Anouk Wipprecht in collaboration with studio Roosegaarde, Waddinxveen, of the Netherlands. Made of smart foil, this originally black foil reacts to the proximity of a "viewer," sends a charge through the dress and it becomes more transparent as one approaches.  It's as if the garment is a physical representation of human relationships - as our relationships develop and we become closer to each other, our facade begins to transform into something more transparent; we then have an intimate knowledge of what is beneath the surface. 

I am absolutely fascinated by this technological display of a psychological phenomenon - it is essentially a sentient garment. wow.

Organi-Tek

So, I have been discussing the inspiration for a new collection, trying to suss out the WHY; exploring the fact that technology is so deeply integrated into our culture that I fear there is a need to reconnect with our roots and the roots of technologies that we consider to be so essential to our being that we barely remember a time when we did not have these tools.

By choosing to use technology with a more conscious approach (i.e. considering what research may be like without the internet; trying to connect and conduct business without a cell phone, email, etc.), I feel like the appreciation of these innovations will insight an evolved attitude towards the development of new technologies.  By remembering the roots and essentially, how technology has become so prevalent in society that we no longer question where it came from, we just know we need it to function at the level that we do, I hope we will work together as an evolving society to develop new technologies, rather than competing to do this.  I would like to call on the population to start generating ideas not as a product of ego, but rather as a means to further our society as a whole.

I have called the collection Organi-Tek to allude to the fact that technology is so deeply integrated into our daily lives that it has become part of us - I feel naked when I've forgotten my cell phone at home; I feel like I am unable to connect with the world outside of my apartment when my internet is down; I can't even begin to imagine living without a computer...  But I have also called it this to get us thinking further about treating the development of technology as an organic quality that aids in the progression of a society through the belief that it is like an organ in the societal body - without it, society would perish and thus, it is in our best interest to further its prosperity void of material gain attached to its development as this would threaten the equilibrium of the societal body.

When redesigning my collection for Laura Petites, I was inspired by the process of smelting.  The image of white hot metal, changing colour to fiery reds and golds as it's poured into a mold, sparks flying everywhere, is what I wanted to incorporate into my collection.

After doing a little research, identifying trends for Fall/Winter 2010/11 that my target market may be interested in adopting this season, I chose the following colours from Pantone's Fall Color Report 2010:

According to Million Looks.com (http://www.millionlooks.com/trends/outfits-trends/fashion-trends-fall-winter-2010-2011/), a few trends for Fall/Winter 2010/11 are high collars, quilting, and wide legged pants.  I chose these trends in particular for my collection because I feel my target market would be comfortable wearing them; especially the quilting since it's evocative of Chanel, which Laura Petites customers aspire to own (as told to me by the Pacific Centre store's manager on October 11, 2010).

As for finding evidence that this inspiration may actually be present in street fashion today, I ran into some difficulty.  I certainly saw many women in my target market wearing quilted coats and wide legged pants, but since the weather took a turn and it's been downright CHILLY, all I could really see were the coats and pants!

I found a website that is kind of a lifestyle/fashion blog for women 50+ that named metallics as a major fashion trend to follow for the Fall/Winter 2010/11 season, plus, when speaking to the Pacific Centre store's manager, she mentioned that metallics sold well during the holiday season, and the majority of their accessories in store were made of metals and chains, so I'm fairly confident that I've chosen an appropriate inspiration for my target market.

I've kept the tailoring fairly soft instead of my usual design aestetic of angular, hard tailoring, but it is still alluded to in the sharp pleats, french cuffs, funnel neck and pointed blazer hem.  I anchored metallic pieces with a neutral piece (metallic shirt and matte wool pants...) to avoid over-saturating the look with the inspiration and appearing to trendy for my target market.

Assignment 2: Laura Petites

Laura Petites - Pacific Centre

Profile: 

•  Laura petites is proportionally designed to fit a woman 5'4" and under who are sizes 2-14
• The Laura Petites woman is between 45 - 60 years old and has a career in middle management or as a executive assistant in Vancouver's downtow core
• She is concerned with appearing professional as well as stylish in order to maintain an approachable, yet mature/established role in the workplace
• Her children are grown and no longer live at home; however, she appreciates their attendance at the occasional Sunday dinner
• Her wardrobe for work is comprised of blazers and matching trousers or skirts, which are of a classic cut but have been updated with a modern textile, colour or applique detail
• She would love to own a Chanel suit
• She is going through, or has already gone through menopause and is experiencing change in her silhouette; thus, she is looking for clothing that is softly tailored, that creates the illusion of a waist with detailing or belting at the waisline, and have a longer sleeve (preferably 3/4 or full length)
• Tends to adopt fashion trends closer to the end of the specific style's life cycle (would be an adopter at the end of the peak or along the trend's decline)
• She knows what "season" she is (i.e. an Autumn is best suited to wear colours of burnt oranges, reds, browns, mossy greens...) and her clothing is purchased in accordance with this
• She wears limited accessories, usually showcasing one statement piece at a time (statement necklace paired with understated earrings, never statement necklace and statement earrings together)
• Her weekend jeans are bootcut, in a solid wash and ironed
• Buys petite because she believes that buying clothing that has been sized for her body type will communicate to others that she is a woman who takes pride in her appearance and paying attention to the details