WGSN Trend Forecasting

WGSN is a trend forecasting web resource allowing access to upcoming annual trends; with regards to colour, material and fashion etc. Wanting to work within a fashion context, it will be essential requirement for me to understand the current and future trends in order for my work to fit into the industry. I have recently been researching into the 2016/17 trend predictions. From my research it appears that the trends that will occur over the next three years include white-work, heavy embellishments, iridescent fabrics and the technique of cutwork- all of which I am interested in and currently working with. One forecast, entitled 'Elemental' caught my eye at first, working with the concept of drawing textile design from organic, natural surfaces, including waves and the shore line.

http://www.wgsn.com/en/

Designer Research: Karen Nicol

Selection of Works from Karen Nicol: http://www.karennicol.com/

Karen Nicol is an embroidery and mixed media textiles artist, that works across a diverse selection of contexts including fashion, interior and gallery space. Being an embroidery artist, she specialises in industrial machines including Multihead, Cornely and Irish. Karen Nicol is a large inspiration for myself and my practice, both in the sense that I work with the same embroidery machines and also feel as though my current work is able to be adapted to cross over different contexts in the textiles industry.

Live Brief Opportunity: Alice Kettle

Beginning in February 2014, I have been taking part in work experience with embroidery artist Alice Kettle, through commission and collaborative opportunities. Without sounding cliche, I have always wanted to both Alice, and work alongside her, as her embroidery work has been a large inspiration throughout my studies of textiles.

Recently, Myself and a fellow textiles student have been helping Alice with a large commission that she has recently taken on. Working with Lloyds Register, she has been asked to create a transitional embroidery piece that is able to represent the companies' move from Central London, to a larger work station in Southampton. I feel that work experience will be beneficial: learning to work the experience alongside my third year projects, giving input in an external surrounding, learning more about outward facing projects with a successful artist, and in general, learning new skills and techniques to use in embroidery.

Context Installation & Designer Research: Rachel Wingfield Loop pH

I have been spending a lot of time creating patterns from cut-work into different qualities of papers
and fabrics. Previously, I have felt that my work is most suitable for the context embellished fabrics for fashion, though thinking about my work up to now, I now feel that my work may be suited across a diverse range of contexts, as the pattern is adaptable for different spaces, both fashion and installation.

Left: My projections shown upon the Art School walls, Right: Loop pH: http://loop.ph/ 

Working upon scale, I found myself experimenting with a fellow students' wall projection, shining my layers of cut-work upon the walls of the art school, looking at the different sizes and formations of the shapes produced, as well as the way that passing students reacted to the space. All were interested as to where the patterns were coming from, as well as the difference of scale between my original pieces of work, and those produced upon the walls.

Loop pH, ran by designer Rachel Wingfield, specialises in the construction of lightweight architectural sculptures, suited for large outdoor spaces. Their aim is to create 'visionary experiences and environments that can act as an interface between the familiar and the unknown' as well as creating public involvement with their pieces. The brand intend for their sculptures to be explored, touched and handled as a way of interaction through a space. Seeing the work of Loop pH, I have realised that I should expand upon my original contextual research, and look into larger scale pieces suitable for installation, diversifying my work toward different contexts.

Ethos Designing

The translation of my drawings into embroidery has began with the Multihead Ethos software. My aim is to recreate the same qualities of my hand-drawn white surf marks into stitch. Using different material surfaces, including organza, velvets and silks; I am exploring the best textures given from the stitching.

My next step shall be to work with manipulating the pieces in attempt to replicate the same features to those of my shore line photographs: layering the fabrics, cut-work, embellishments. Thinking about the context for these samples, I image both garment or installation spaces, adapting themselves into a required space. Although these samples are flat, using methods such as 3D-printing would allow structural design to take place.