EVALUATION | UNIT X

In the final weeks of this project, in preparation for assessment deadline, I need to finalise my samples, mount my work and make sure that there is fluidity and order in my unit progression, and have properly addressed all learning outcomes for this unit.

In preparation for exhibiting at both New Designers and the Manchester School of Art Degree Show, I am spending the final two weeks of our studio time creating my professional portfolio, working alongside a photography student in order to create the best possible platform to showcase myself as a creative, for once I leave the safety/ comfort of the art school walls, for the external textile industry.

Alongside my own practice, I have used Unit X as a platform to enter live briefs, take part in collaborative collections, network and volunteer amongst numerous members of the current art and design industry, completed a commissioned brief, and both create and enhance my professional presence. These tasks have improved greatly upon my organisational and time management skills, I have frequently used networking connections in all manners of working (photography, glass, collaborative projects, web design) and most beneficially improved upon my knowledge and technical techniques that I intend showcasing for the fashion context.

I am in the process of applying for numerous creative opportunities for the enhancement of my creative CV, as well as a continuation of progression in the skills that I need to be successful in the fashion industry. Two companies that I would like to intern alongside in the near future are Hand& Lock and Mary Katrantzou, both of which I hope to meet at New Designers. Recently looking for live brief opportunities Hand & Lock annually host a live brief competition (http://www.handembroidery.com/ss16-collection-brief/); this year’s concept revolving around similar areas to those that I have explored over the duration of Unit X.  Very recently, I have unexpectedly been offered a placement for summer2015, which is still in the early stages of planning, that I am very excited about.

As well as applying for opportunities, I have been reading about the business behind being successful and being seen in the fashion industry. Company, Mastered HQ, offer online courses and articles from industry professionals, including freelance embroidery designer (and inspiration to myself), Karen Nicol.

https://www.mastered.com/course-listings/master-surface-embellishment/overview

Working closely with embroidery and embellishment techniques has confirmed my passions and desires to work in the fast-paced, intricate detailing for the context of fabrics for fashion, suitable for Haute Couture fashion.

COLLABORATIVE COLLECTION | WEAVE, GLASS, EMBROIDERY

Colour palette choices derived from s/s2015 WGSN forecasting; spinning dyed yarn onto cones for weaving; thinking about ways to incorporate glass into the woven fabric

Creating glass rods through the process of lamp-working; completed rods before beginning the weaving process; example of sample on the loom

Preview of collaborative collection detail

Modelling agency Nemesis to decide upon our model for photoshoot; using social media platform, Pinterest, to brainstorm our ideas for the styling of our photoshoot

To my understanding, the purpose of Unit X in previous years has been to initiate collaborative projects between cross-disciplinary subjects in the art school.

Having spoken about it for a while, myself and weave student, Eden (http://edenlysettetextiles.blogspot.co.uk/) agreed that now would be the right time to collaborate. Our intention has been to create a small collection of one-off samples, that are fit for purpose for our desired context of Haute Couture fashion fabrics; combining our individual practitioner strengths across the disciplines of weave, embroidery and glass. Doing so has been an interesting experience; working alongside team members is a task that I enjoy, and is common amongst the fashion industry. Setting roles and reaching individual deadlines in order to create a garment as a collective is the norm in Haute Couture fashion houses, with each role and opinion being as equally valuable as the next.

We each have our own individual strengths; I have an extensive knowledge of embroidery techniques in comparison to Eden and patience for laborious methodology of processes similar to those used in the production of Haute Couture collections; Eden has a remarkable methodology of weaving and a passion and eye for use of strong, bold colour combinations, something that I am not confident with.

We both have similar interests in the use of textures, embellishments and colour; as well as working for the desired context of fashion, and taking inspiration from similar starting points. It has been essential in our collaboration to equally voice our opinions in all decision-making, in order to create a collection that showcases both our individual and collaborative approaches. Our initial inspirations evolved from research into Haute Couture fashion; the concept of creating one-off garments through intricate detailing and repetitive long processes, for example beading.

Embellishment can be extremely versatile, and used to create interest in samples. The processes used by Eden and I; weaving, embroidery and glass-making; are laborious and time-consuming. Our collection of samples range from heavily embellished beadwork constructed from my glass pieces being woven into the warp, to plain weave samples machine embroidered upon- using the weave as a base fabric material to incorporate with my glass and stitch.

Contextualising our work is of extreme importance, this allows our audience to visual our collection in a Haute Couture environment. We have enlisted fashion photographer and image re-toucher, Narita Savoor, to help us to professionally and appropriately place our work into a fitting fashion context.  Talking in depth about our collection, it is decided that our samples are best suited for a beauty couture photoshoot. Our collection has a colour palette of blues, greens and purples, alongside glass and embellishment details; using a model to showcase our designs, we are currently in the process of choosing makeup, styling and set design ideas that we feel would compliment our samples. Through research, styling for Haute Couture shoots are usually fresh faced beauty, with a single characteristic to make the garment stand out. Our initial thoughts have been to use a redheaded model with a mulberry lip colour, the boldness of colour complimenting our samples. Looking at Haute Couture features across fashion platforms such as Vogue, background imagery is kept plain, drawing all attention to the garment. Styling and set design are tasks that we have never experienced before, therefore it being crucial that we work together in order to achieve the look that we first envisaged for our collection.

Our photoshoot shall be taking place on 19 May, ready to be added to our portfolios and showcased at both New Designers and The Manchester School of Art Degree Show, in which I am greatly looking forward to.

FUTURE | ONLINE PRESENCE | PORTFOLIO | NETWORKING | POST GRAD OPPORTUNITIES

For this unit, I feel that enhancing my online presence and creating a professional portfolio are both of extreme importance. I have been fortunate enough to be accepted to exhibit my work at New Designers, after our degree show. From visiting the show in previous years, I am excited to have the chance to network with a diverse amount of creative graduates, as well as gaining feedback and hopefully creating contacts with industry professionals.

We have recently had a portfolio day at the University, where ex-students showcased their professional portfolios; giving us the chance to look through their presentation techniques. I have taken away that my portfolio needs to be simplistic and straight-to-the-point. My portfolio needs to show why clients would want to hire me for a job in the fashion industry. I intend on showcasing my work through photography and mood boards featuring my colour, pattern and material choices. I have enlisted the help of a friend to photograph my samples, intending to back-up the technical embroidery skills that are showcased on my CV.

Online presence, dependent upon the platform being worked upon, is used to further showcase a designer’s portfolio, during the degree and once graduated. I regularly post photographs of my sampling and any opportunities that I have been successful in, onto platforms such as my personal Facebook/Instagram accounts, however the target audience for these posts are limited to my ‘friends’ or ‘followers’, not necessarily many people that are based across the context of fashion embroidery and embellishment that I desire.

I have, for a long time, used social media to showcase my work, personally finding that my CV and LinkedIn pages have been the most beneficial in the sense of providing links for outward facing experience. Through these two platforms, I have successfully been offered a placement with a couture wedding dress designer in London after my graduation ceremony, and I am also in the process of setting up a placement in an embroidery factory in India, amongst other possible opportunities.

Artsthread: http://www.artsthread.com/profile/laurakent/

Instagram: @laurakenttextiles

Linked In: http://linkedin.com/in/laurakenttextiles

Twitter: @laurakentmmu

Pinterest: @laurakenttextiles

Website: http://laurakenttextiles.co.uk

I feel that it is the right time to create an online presence in the format of a website; this will allow me to set up a creative space to promote my work, and allow the audience to get a sense of my style and achievements. I have recently bought my own domain, and after much research and testing of web design templates and ease of use over different design platforms, I have decided upon the use of Cargo Collective as my website platform. I feel that their hosting package allows me to create my own unique online presence. To me, I feel that the two most important parts of the creation of an online presence are simplicity and consistancy across all of my social media platforms; I strive to keep all up-to-date with information, as well as making sure each looks professional and portrays both me as a designer and my work, in the way in which I desire. 

As well as a website, once the timing is right, I shall be creating business cards for my audience to take away the information that they need to be able to get a sense of my work, as well as contact information if applicable.

I enjoy networking through voluntary opportunities as a way to both interact with audiences with the same passions as myself and create long-term professional connections. During Unit X, I have been volunteered over a range of creative opportunities with societies that I am influenced by.

I offered my time to steward at the Textiles Society’s annual Antiques Fair. In doing so, I learnt about the society as well as being surrounded by inspirational and enjoyable company. After doing so, I have now become a member of The Textiles Society. Secondly, I became an on-sight-artist at The Whitworth Art Gallery’s ‘Emerging Makers Networking’ event. I had interaction with many designers from across the North West. The day offered talks from guest speakers- all successful designers from textiles-to-glass-to-ceramics, sharing their experiences in the ‘real world of art and design’.  I feel the greatest advice that I took away from the event was that sometimes life won’t be enjoyable, but as long as you remember why you love doing what you do, and are determined to succeed, there are always opportunities out there for art and design. 

PRIMARY EUROPE | COMMISSION EVALUATION

Earlier in the year, I participated, and was accepted for an outward facing live commission opportunity with financial company, Primary Europe. Over the duration of my commission, I have had to quickly learn and understand new obstacles and ways of working; working with outward facing clients and companies (eg. framing suppliers), managing multiple deadlines alongside one another, overcoming resizing and measurement problems, using my own judgement to decide upon material and colour choices, working in the context of installation, and many other minor details that I usually would not worry about.

Left to right: original visualisation for commission pitch, installation space

I initially proposed that I would create three embroidered pieces of my drawn, circular patterns, which would replicate the calming notion that I feel when creating the pieces, inside the busy movement of the city centre. The hardest obstacle that I have had to face whilst creating these pieces has been creating the repeat pattern of my work over a larger surface scale, in comparison to my original samples. I had trouble with the temperament of the specialist machine that I was using for these pieces; however overall there was nothing that could not be fixed. One change that I needed to make involved the decision from changing the company logo from hand, to machine stitching; after trying both techniques, I felt that the machine gave a much nicer finish to the pieces.

Something that I have never experienced before is the installation process of my own work. Luckily, we were helped with our installation, only needing to supply our own fittings; something that I am told would be left solely to the artist in normal situations. Seeing the overall finished piece in situ was a strange, yet satisfying feeling. Reflecting upon when I had first visited the space and pitched my ideas, to then seeing it come to life in front of me, I felt proud. 

Overall, I have faced and overcome many struggles. It has been a challenging few months, however all experiences of both managing multiple projects and presenting/ pitching my ideas to external clients has been enjoyable. I realise that although I work for a fashion context, my work is versatile enough to be adapted for multiple contexts, including installation; however, upon reflection, I am much more comfortable in the fashion context.