Creating a look book/current trends

All big fashion sites like Topshop and River Island will have trend pages where fashion buyers choose key items (ones they think that will sell the most) and create a page of different items that follow the same trend. Often these pages will include celebs that are wearing the trend, models showing how you can wear the trend or key items that you can mix and match together to create a overall look. This is a great way for the public to know how to work a trend.

I always find missguided.co.uk very useful where I can find key trends and I always know whats in fashion in a particular season.

Here are some of the pages from the site...

Fashion Illustration combined with Adobe Illustrator

As part of my current project for my computer brief I am currently researching into fashion illustrators that use different Adobe Illustrator techniques in their work.

Kelly Smith 

'Kelly Smith lives and works in Tasmania, Australia. In 2006 she graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Tasmanian School of Art and has since gone on to pursue of a freelance career in both portrait and fashion illustration' 

Her work is consistent and mostly includes similar techniques. 

- pencil, watercolour and digital colouring.

Here are some examples of kelly's work... 

Here  I have took the idea from kelly of using artistic shapes too add detail to one of her illustrations. I have experimented with different fonts and mounted the image on a canvas. I have stylised the image with the glow effect making kelly's sketch look entirely different. This would be a good advertisement for somewhere like Alton Towers promoting a new ride. 

Discovering new techniques in illustrator...

' You will research into the uses of photoshop and illustrator by artists and designers. You will look at fashion illustration as well as graphics and fine art.'

- Brief

Whilst looking over the internet to find new techniques in illustration I came across a interesting site which showed me new ways to experiment.

http://abduzeedo.com/ You might find this site useful too!

Inspiration from Graphic designer Carol Rivello, her main interests are to work with web design, art direction and illustration.

Step one: To create a rough sketch or drawing of the image you want to create, I found this useful because then you have something to go off and digitalize.

You can then select parts of your illustration and edit them in illustrator this works well because you can experiment with different areas and adjust by using various different tools. Ancor point converter I found useful where you can select a point and turn it into a curve!
 
 
Illustrator can be useful for using a variety of differnt tools this can help your vectorizing process. A solution that Is often used is called Pattern Brush. Instead of drawing a whole flower, for example, you can make just one petal, turn that petal into a patten brush, create a shape with that outline.
 

 

 

 

Scanning images in and then editing is a new way to experiment with shapes on photoshop and illustrator I am in the process of experimenting with this a creating new shapes and learning new skills through the process.

Spec drawings for final garments...

As part of my current computer brief I have now completed spec drawings for my final garments. I have done front and back designs for all three garments. I can now take the skills I have learnt from this into my next project and in the future.

Front of design 2: Back of design 2:

Front of design 3:
Back of design 3:
Front of design 4:Back of design 4:

Four Final Designs

After finishing all my fifty designs for my final collection. I had to go through a selection process of choosing four designs that I am going to manufacture I need to consider how much time I have and weather I am choosing designs that I have the skills to create, as all four designs must be on the catwalk in June.

One task in the brief I had was too illustrate my designs using inspiration from my illustration brief I have now put this in my portfolio for university.

Design 1: Design 2:

Design 3:

Design 4:

H&M Conscious new collection!

Sustainable fashion?

Is this really such a big issue in the fashion industry?

The answer would be yes.

The fashion industry leaves behind a huge environmental footprint, from the pesticides growing cotton and the chemicals from the toxic dyes that can be incredibly dangerous to humans.

More and more stores are having to consider the waste and environmental impact there having whilst manufacturing garments in such large quantities. H&M have just released a exclusive conscious collection the whole range has be made from sustainable materials like organic cotton and hemp. The glamorous collection shows the diversity of what has become possible with greener fashion.

These yellow dresses are made of recycled polyester chiffon and have beaded detail, bringing decoration to classic design.

Zara Taylor blog inspiration

Zara Taylor is a blog I regularly look at I find her blog really interesting. She puts her own label on her blog by using photo shop to illustrate her name almost like her own trademark. Her blog is all about her vintage jewellery It's something I have never looked at before 'vintage' Vintage is very big in London and the demand for vintage jewellery and clothes is rapdily increasing in demand.

Many celebs wear Zara Taylor's jewelery from the likes of Millie Mackintosh, Caggie Dunlop, Kelly Rowland, and Jessica Jane Clement.

The jewellery designs have been featured in many fashion magazines like style, and are beginning to trend. I think Zara Taylor's blog is great inspiration for me as a designer because it gives me a sense of what fashions are trending. The price range of Zara's Jewellery is not expensive with prices ranging from £15- £50 this would definitely make her market level high street. This range of Jewellery would be good for a boutique range in Top shop or a boutique range in London.

Magazine Features...

Kelly Rowland wearing Zara Taylor's designs in her new music video.

Made In Chelsea cast trending the designs!
Jessica Jane...

First spec drawing of final garment!

I have named all my garments after Roman god's and goddesses, my first design I have named 'Flora'. As part of my final major project I need too learn key skills on Adobe Illustrator and create fashion sketches of my final garments! Here's how I got on with my first spec drawing...

Front view
Back View

Prodiga Fashion!

Blogs I look at…

-http://www.missmilliemakeup.co.uk/

‘The Made In Chelsea Star, Millie Mackintosh has fast become a fashion icon for young women. Her girlish dress sense mixed with her confidence in whatever she wears has generated a huge fashion following’ – Prodiga Fashion

Millie Mackintosh is one of my favourite celebrity fashion icons. She has a really simplistic style but stylishly carries of all the new in season trends. Millie is a star of the TV show Made In Chelsea and very in to fashion! She promotes certain boutique ranges and vintage fashion. One recent boutique range is ‘Prodiga Fashion’ Millie is the brands new ambassador. From looking at her blog posts regularly I have began to become really interested in the brand Prodiga Fashion and what its about. Prodiga specializes in luxury designer womenswear I love the style of the garments because the brands focus is hand embroided fabrics. Prodiga pitch their garments the a high end market with hand embroided fabrics being their unique selling point, this is very similar to my final major collection. I am creating simple patterns because pattern cutting is not my strongest point however I am focusing in creating stunning embellishments to make my garments stand out. Overall I feel this brand relates to me as a designer.