End of year Designs

For my Final project, I used mixed cultures to come up with my design. I combine the style from the western world with that of my own culture. These are some of the images of my final design. I used African print combines with satin and lace to give it a slight change.

Final Year aspirations

I hope that in this final year I would come up with more sophisticated designs. I would like to bring other cultures into my work and also learn how to work with different fabrics. I want to go to India because I think their culture in a way is unique. I love their clothing and would like to change it slightly in my own way. I would also like to now take inspiration from architecture. Buildings have different shapes and some have patterns and line that run in different ways to make the building stand out or look sophisticated. For my final designs I want to use fabrics that are slightly different to the ones I used in my first year. I want my work to stand out and to also have a signature so that when people see the designs they would know they were made by me. My final designs are going to have a little twist to them and in order to arrive at the results I want, I have already started making some sketches from church interiors and also building shapes.

Fashion tips I learnt

I learnt that we should never be afraid to try something new. Combine different colours to give a new look but never use more that 7 colours. Colours that work best are complimentary colours. Some colours can be combined with different neutral colours. In trying different colour combinations in the clothing you wear, you help yourself create a colour palette which you can use for your project or in your next collection.

Accessories!!!

These are one of the main things I struggle with when it comes to decorating your 'collection'. Drawing the designs and making the collection are the easiest things to do. Combining the clothing with accessories is what I find hard because I do not want the model to look too much or over dressed and I get scared that I might combine the wrong set of jewellery with the outfits or the wrong shoes. This is one of my weaknesses in Fashion. I have to watch alot more fashion shows to see how the designers combine the accessories with the clothing they make.

Inspirational designers

Design by Jean Paul Gaultier

Designers I am most inspired by are Alexander McQueen, Jean Paul Gaultier, Dior and Zoe Bradley. The structure of the works makes me want to explore the different ways in which fabrics can be used. Alexander McQueen has extraordinary clothing. Jean Paul Gaultiers new collection has inspired me and made me want to take a step further to try something new. He had a collection that was inspired by the interior of churches. That was one of the most beautiful collections I have ever seen and I do intend to try it out. Dior inspires me with the stunning colours that they use in their collection and also the shape that they give to their clothing even using soft fabrics like silk, satin or chiffon. Zoe Bradley does eco-friendly clothing using recycled object. Most of her dresses are made using papers and it gives the dress a whole new look and I wish to try out some of these things in future. These designers have given me more ideas and have made my path really broad now so walking down the path wouldn't be as hard for me anymore.

Fashion Shows

There are many things I learnt about fashion shows. In order to have a perfect show there are a couple of things that must be sorted. These are a few things I learnt on my placement in California.

Firstly, make sure the theatre that is going to be used for the show is booked and set a date for it. After setting the date you have to work to meet the deadline. Select the number of clothing you are going to put out in the show and book models for them. Now you start ordering your fabrics and putting the designs together. Send out a few fabrics to get samples made, i.e toiles. When the samples are made, have a staff meeting and discuss the collection and if necessary make alterations to the designs. Select colours of the season that you are going to use. If it a charity show, make sure to portray it in the designs and show the cause. Then after the alterations are made, have another staff meeting to discuss the alterations and if they are okay send them out for the finals. Arrange a date with the models to come in for fitting and hair and accessories are essential. The fitting should be done a week to the show. Then book make up and hair artists for the show and set up the theatre where the show would be held. With these tips, one is guaranteed to have a great fashion show.

Understanding of the Fashion Industry

In the fashion industry, I realised that there are set dates that each team has to work with. The merchandisers work hand in hand with the buyers. Merchandisers edit the designs made by the designers and then select the colours for the seasons and the buyers select the clothing that would appear in their stores; the ones they think would sell best. Before the designs are moved forward there has to be a meeting on the choice of the style and why it would sell during the season. With billabong, they are sport fashion retailers. They have to come up with different sporting designs that would make the customers comfortable and they also have to select the colours that would sell best for the season. A lot of dedication has to be put into a fashion industry in order for it to run well and also time management which are the main things I learnt on my trip to billabong.

BILLABONG

This summer I went for a work placement at Billabong and I think it is the best experience I have ever had in any Fashion Industry. I worked there for two months and learnt so much about fashion industries and how they are run. Everything has a set date and has to ran according to plan and if from the first season a set of clothing items have not sold out, they would be brought forward in bits until they are all sold out. I learnt new things with Illustrator that I never knew before. I edited some of their upcoming designs for next year collection and I also modelled for the buyers. It was a fun experience and I hope to get an experience like that again.

THE BIG CHANGE!!!

I never used to be into fashion. What I wore or what I looked like never bothered me; I was okay as long as I had clothes to put on. Never thought I would be interested in fashion. I was into maths, calculations, business management. My older sister taught me how to draw. She used to put fashion illustrations all over the wall in her room and I thought her drawings were amazing and fascinating. I was 7yrs old at the time and then I took interest in Art. Then I studied her drawings closer each time I walked into her room to realise it wasn't the person she was focusing on...instead it was the clothing they were wearing. She had the greatest sense of fashion in our house and after studying her drawings I wanted to be like her. I started taking care with the clothing I put on and then at the age of 9 I had my own Fashion collection booklet. I came up with different designs and ideas just kept flowing in and everytime I had an idea I'd run and sketch it out and colour it in. After this book was filled with different designs I realised it was fashion I had more interest in. I realised how people in Ghana have no sense of style whatsoever and I wanted to change that so I too fashion seriously. I sketched at every opportunity and even tried looking for fashion schools to attend even though my parents were not so sure about the idea. I started giving people ideas on clothing combinations and before I knew it my mum told everyone that I was the next upcoming Fashion Designer and to my surprise people started telling me to make sketches for them so they can sew them and they would actually pay me. Then I knew I couldn't live without Fashion and it has become a part of my life.