TRANSFORMABLE FASHION_ Hussein Chalayan, Dissolving dresses

In what was one of the most spellbinding moments of SS16, Hussein Chalayan’s Paris Fashion Week show closed with two models standing under a shower, their clothes completely dissolving. It was a spectacle that bordered on performance art, or perhaps even scientific experiment. In front of a live audience, these water soluble garments – crisp white shirt dresses – disintegrated to reveal two different designs, gowns decorated with thick black stitching and white appliqué petals embellished with Swarovski crystals.

ECO CHIC DESIGN AWARD

The eco Chic design award took place throughout the summer, the hand in date being the 15TH August. It is a sustainable fashion design competition inspiring emerging fashion designers to create clothing with minimal textile waste- Zero waste, up-cycling, reconstruction.

MUSE_

a dynamic, contemporary woman aged 25-40 with a sophisticated appreciation of style and modern Chinese aesthetics.

she enjoys considered and conscious luxury, focus given to quality, tailoring and craftsmanship.

she is conscious about wastefulness in modern living and wishes to be clothes in ways that reflect her style as much as her sentiments about sustainability. 

DESIGN_

cut waste out of fashion by using one or more of the sustainable design techniques. 

take the deeper cut by using textile waste for the up-cycling and reconstruction outfits.

show wider opportunities through being reproducible and scalable

I wasn't overly excited by the competition brief first reading. It didn't seem to conjure up any exciting prospects, and the minimal textile waste just added more difficulty. However when I decided to look further into reconstruction/up-cycling, and more specifically reconstruction of mens suits to women's tailoring. I wanted to give a minimalist approach, and focused on the structure, adding layers and ties. The Chinese aesthetics was interesting, I decided the ancient art and beautiful carvings were something I would tie in.

This competition was daunting but also exciting. It was scary to think there were thousands of people all participating for a chance to win. It also kept me in check, as its easy to become lazy over the breaks.

BESTDAYS_ halterneck tops

BESTDAYS REWORK_

An insight to the industry. I had/have the amazing opportunity to work for a vintage shop on Eld Lane, Colchester called ‘BESTDAYS VINTAGE’. My part in their shop is to rework and customise garments that perhaps need a new lease of life, in which I have my own work space in the warehouse. 

My first task was a simple project, but a massively effective one. I as using bandanas to create simple tie halter neck tops, adding beading/ lace /pom poms to the bottom. They were a hit within colchester, selling out almost instantly- I was struggling to keep up with the demand! I was producing around 20 tops a week, and as the word got around, more and more people wanted them. 

As well as the bandanas, I began to use silk scarfs to create the halter necks in the same way, but they had a classier, evening feel about them.

It was amazing to see the reaction they had and how much people liked them and wanted to get their hands on them. When I was out of an evening, I saw people wearing the tops I had created, filling me with a sense of pride and happiness- I was giving joy to these people through the means of my skills.