Protective Armour

Creating Structural themed garments, as like armour. Repeating the layer on a hinge to create a skin-like or scales of metal, giving men that feeling of protection. Causing the wearer to feel unstoppable, feel as if they can accomplish anything when wearing their armour. 

Models imagery for experiment sourced from: http://i-donline.com/2011/09/the-new-model-army/

Architectural Structure

Kroller Muller Museum featured a architectural instillation piece, “ K-Piece” by Mark Di Suvero. The instillation looked apart of building core skeleton, giving an me the impression that its been removed from a building making that building unstable. From this architectural piece, I created a grid-like or geometric pattern styled print, to realise my idea, I’ve applied it to a menswear classic white shirt, playing with the contrast of colours.  

Model image sourced from ASOS, white shirt section:  http://www.asos.com/Men/Shirts/Cat/pgecategory.aspx?cid=3602#state=Rf-200%3D5&parentID=-1&pge=0&pgeSize=200&sort=-1

Geometric Illustrations

Experimenting with my geometric/ linear drawings and mixing them with fashion illustrations. Using these bold linear patterns creates a strong, simplistic yet masculine style of print an illustration.  

Mathematical Drawing

Thinking back to my school days and getting FREE lessons in Maths, was known as Geometric drawing! A chance to draw in maths was a god sent, drawing in a mathematical method, being geometric, linear and patterned in style and method. These styles of drawing link well with mu architectural influences, applying the style of linear drawing to menswear has given a new dimension to the classic white shirt. 

Model image sourced from ASOS, white shirt section:  http://www.asos.com/Men/Shirts/Cat/pgecategory.aspx?cid=3602#state=Rf-200%3D5&parentID=-1&pge=0&pgeSize=200&sort=-1 

Linear Skeleton

“Fashion is architecture: it is a matter of proportions.” Coco Chanel 
Stripping Architecture to its bare minimum giving a linear skeleton. The skeleton is the start of something it’s the core, my designer mind starts on, how these lines can be seam lines, paneling or stitch detailing. I have developed an illustration based on the work of Nicholas Alan Cope, using paper manipulation. The work of British architect Norman Foster shows how lines can be manipulated and changed to create new and innovative designs; there are endless possibilities with lines. 

Nick Foster film featured on sky Arts this summer (trailer only available online): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMbJ2bj2-fs   

Nick Foster website: http://www.fosterandpartners.com/   

Nicholas Alan Cope: http://cope1.com/

Architectural Linear

The photography of Vassilis Karidis, showing shadowed lines, gave me the impression of linear details towards menswear garments, these architectural line appearing as statements or cheeky surprise features. Gaining an architectural feeling from the work of Deanna Petherbridge “Meditation on Melburbia”, featured in the V&A Museum, taken July 2011. The linear details to the garments give a more masculine affect, making a man feel more “butch”. 

Menswear image sourced from Vassilis Karidis: http://www.vassiliskaridis.com/ 

Blog: http://vassiliskaridisblog.com/  

More work of Deanna Petherbridge: http://www.deannapetherbridge.com/

Blocking Access

Taking the imagery of Nicholas Alan Cope of grid style window features and combining the idea of contrasting colours, blocking and gridding. Causing an architectural approach, blocking off as in wall building and grid work for window glazing allowing you visual access. 

Nicholas Alan Cope: http://cope1.com/

Shadow Grid

Through further development of shadow features mixed with grid/checked patterns, Illustration created through the use of collage, expressing the grid styled affect. Shadow is expressed through the photography, hiding a half of the models face. Shadows can cause a moment of lost identity; all you can see is an outline or darkened surface of something, a possible method to be used in garment construction, giving it hidden elements by shadowing them off with panels, stitching etc…  

Models imagery for illustration sourced from: http://i-donline.com/2011/09/the-new-model-army/ 

Menswear image sourced from Vassilis Karidis: http://www.vassiliskaridis.com/ 

Blog: http://vassiliskaridisblog.com/

Fading Motion

The work of Nicholas Alan Cope shows imagery of shadows, and how they fade. As night draws shadows begin to disappear, if photographing the movement of shadows, showing their progression of movement from one direction to another. Also their movement from dark to light, while in fact light is actually turning to dark. This fading motion gave me inspiration to create pieces of fading motion, as if an object is moving but in fact it’s disappearing from existence. 

Model Imagery sourced from:http://i-donline.com/2011/09/the-new-model-army/

Nicholas Alan Cope: http://cope1.com/

Stretched Gradients

Keeping in mind and expanding on the theme of Gradients and fading shades, I have added blending into the mixture. How stretching an image can cause a blend of colours, causing a variety of shades and gradients. Featuring in this page is the work of Nicholas Alan Cope, website link at end of post. Cope’s photographs of shadows give a feeling of segments or sections, separated pieces of colour; this would work well by sectioning garments with contrasting colours. 

Models imagery used in photograph experiments sourced from: http://i-donline.com/2011/09/the-new-model-army/ 

Other model imagery sourced from: http://stylexy.blogspot.com/ 

Nicholas Alan Cope: http://cope1.com/

Gradient Checks

Experimenting with grid-like surfaces, things we walk past or on everyday. These features are basic visually, we don’t see them as a “wow” factor but reliable materials, they do their purpose, we as people busy working and constantly thinking of what we need to do. We never stop and look at the floor or wall often and think wow, that’s one nice bit of floor. Where walls and floors give off great colour stories, shades, gradients, textures, shapes. By looking at floor grids I developed my thoughts in thinking on checked patterns, while combining them with the gradient and different shades of colours. Eventually leading me to create my own checked pattern. 

Model Image sourced from ASOS, white shirt section:  http://www.asos.com/Men/Shirts/Cat/pgecategory.aspx?cid=3602#state=Rf-200%3D5&parentID=-1&pge=0&pgeSize=200&sort=-1

Some fading architectural images are the work of Friederike von Rauch:http://vonrauch.com/

Mechanical Connection

Kroller Muller Museum, near Amsterdam, featured the work of Eduardo Paolozzi, sculptor. Paolozzi’s work gave me the impression of explosion, as if a watch had just burst. The piece featured overlapping of mechanical shapes, each individual piece interlocking into one another, as if that burst had been frozen in time, that watches time had frozen/ stopped when it exploded; where in fact time actually continued. This method can easy of interlocking pieces can easily be adapted to clothing as fashion outfits are made to interlock to one another, this is visually, maybe experimenting physically will take it to a new dimension.

Peeling Print

Taking my "peeling paint" inspiration to a further level, expressing them as print menswear items, giving the Menswear items a worn and eroded look/ style/ feel which is suitable for trends forecasted for Autumn/ Winter 12/13. 

Model imagery sourced from: http://i-donline.com/2011/09/the-new-model-army/

Peeling Layers

Using my decaying garage door paint, I’ve generated a 6 colour palette suitable as a continuous and coherent collection theme. Studying the peelings in closer details gives me the ideas of garments or a single garments with layers that peel on and off from one another. Female imagery used featured in Dazed and Confused Autumn/ Winter 2010.

Ageing Layers

Building up from natural erosion and decay, searching more towards man made elements and sources. Studying my photographs of painted surfaces where they have decayed, starts my thought process as; Layering, no matter how many layers you apply to something the past layers will come through at some point. Eventually time shows something off for what it really is. In these pages i've experimented by applying my photographs as a fashion print.  

Model image used, sourced from: http://i-donline.com/2011/09/the-new-model-army/

Eroding Seaside

 

Erosion of the seaside at the seaside town of Porthcawl, South Wales. Giving a hard yet fragile feel to texture, while giving off quite bold colour stories. The erosion gave off an impression of natural decay, its going to erode away and there's no stoping it, showing its vulnerability of being fragile. Although the rocks are hard and bold their still breakable.

Abandoned Potential

You never know what you may find on your travels, so always have your camera! Finding this abandoned chair cushion could create so much potential, which lead me to experiment with print and applying it to menswear. Another find were the wooden cut out patterns, i found them while getting lost in the V&A Museum, London, during the summer.  

Male model image used, sourced from: http://i-donline.com/2011/09/the-new-model-army/

Classic Motoring

August 2011 saw the "Summer Classics" Motor Show in Bristol, displaying a huge variety of vintage motoring from around the world.I gained instantly a mechanical and yet polished feel, adding more texture and feel to my work. By studying and handling these vehicles, i felt a sense of originality and vintage craftsmanship. Showing how craftsmanship has developed and evolved over the years. Taking an original approach or dated method of designing and construction, and manipulating it to create for the modern design world. Learn from the old to develop and progress the new.
Model image used for creating an illustration, sourced from: http://www.hedislimane.com/fashiondiary/

Liquid Light

Through the miss use of my camera lead my photographs of the London Eye,  to capture a new dimension of light. Creating a linear yet liquid style of movement, which i feel links with Alexander McQueen pieces from "Plato's Atlantis Spring/Summer 2010 Collection. Sourced from Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty Book. The Liquid light gave a soft impression which bonds well with the work of Aqua Creations, i came across their work in the Design Museum in the summer of 2010. The museum featured the piece "Soma". Aqua Creations: http://www.aquagallery.com/

Continuous Lines

"Jardin d'email" by Jean Dubuffet 1974. Features in the Kroller-Muller Museum, Otterlo, near Amsterdam. Photographs taken July 2011 and my own drawn work from within and around the museum. The "Jardin d'email" Instillation gives the impression of a singular motion, one continuous line, never ending. Taking this in mind, and applying it to fashion: experimenting with the possibility of creating a garment through one line, a continuous movement.