Initial Research
I will begin the research by talking about the designers who inspired me for the project I will make; Harikrishnan, Vivienne Westwood, and Kimberly Gordon. They have similarities, not in their colour or style, but they designed unique fashion designs that might not be used for daily wear; instead, they will be used for occasional events, such as parties, advertisement/commercial purposes, cosplay, gala dinners, and more. I made changes to the designers that I am going to research because they are more relevant to my project.
Harikrishnan is a fashion designer from India who is now moving to London, UK. His designs specialise in menswear with eccentric designs. "In 2016 right after graduation from the National Institute of Fashion, India, I started assisting International Woolmark Prize winner Suket Dhir in New Delhi, opening many possibilities and learnings." (Antón, n.d.). Moreover, he moved to London, U.K., in 2017 and became a fashion designer who designs menswear clothes with latex for the trousers as the focus material. He is famous for his latex trousers but still uses fabrics for his fashion designs. "Now I appreciate the fabric very much, and we get along really well." (Antón, n.d.).
I found his works fascinating and unusual. The material he used for the trousers differs from the other designers' material: latex. Additionally, I like the shape, which is also abnormal for daily wear clothes but will look excellent and appealing for events. He is one of my inspirations for my project; I was inspired by shape and colour. In my project, I might create unique cloth designs with pastel colours as the colour scheme.
Vivienne Westwood is a designer who specializes in corsetry. She took her inspiration for her corset design from the Renaissance era, "Vivienne was always one to look to the past for inspiration" (Vivienne Westwood, 2023). She was famous because she was one of the first to use underpants outside of clothing; it made the product a patriarchal tool that degraded the female body, but she redesigned the corset and made it an alternative that helped to empower women instead of limiting them (Vivienne Westwood, 2023). According to Vivienne Westwood (2023), the corset that Westwood made was originally made of whalebone rods and embroidered details that have functioned as a social status for women.
I took her work as my inspiration because I will make corsets in 2D and 3D designs for my project. Her designs were unique. I like how she could make designs that correlate to the past period. The colour, the fabrics, and the structure of the corsets she made were helpful for me to study before making the corset. Also, I like how she interpreted the corset for women to awaken women's power.
Kimberly Gordon is a fashion designer who grew up in the U.K. and Santa Barbara. She founded a brand that sells clothes with vibrant colours, dreamlike and doll-like, Selkie. Her focus design is with pastel colours, delicate fabrics, and feminine silhouettes. Also, she says on her website, "I fell in love with folklore." (Selkie, 2019). Additionally, her famous design is her puff dress, which makes people who wear it feel like a princess in that moment (Rivas, 2022). Rivas (2022) writes that Gordon's puff dress became trending on TikTok's social media platform. Moreover, according to Rivas (2022) she quotes that Gordon said her aim is to create apparel that can encourage women to express their unique narratives that can carry their imagination, especially those who enjoy dressing up.
I love her designs because of the bright colours, and she wanted to make women who wear them show their feminine side, which I aim for in my project. I chose a pop art theme and will focus on dessert as the collection of my design, which makes her designs can be an inspiration for my project. The colours she used are mostly pastel, so they depict desserts or sweets, and pastel colours are what I will use for my fashion designs.
Furthermore, the skills I will develop to make a successful project will teach me how to make corsetry and find the best fabrics. The concept for the designs I will create is to focus on how my designs will make the person who wears them feel and show their feminine side with the silhouette that makes them feel unique. As I realise the concept, I will consider the colour of the dresses, using pastel colours as the main colour scheme for my fashion designs. Also, I will use a corset as the primary foundation garment because a corset can help make the silhouette for the body. Moreover, to express my uniqueness, I want to create a dress with shapes that are also unique. Therefore, I will explore how a corset can change the silhouette of a woman's body, how femininity is released while wearing a corset, and how colour can affect femininity.
Reference List
Antón, M. (n.d.). Metal Magazine. [online] metalmagazine.eu. Available at: https://metalmagazine.eu/post/hari-krishnan [Accessed 18 Jan. 2024].
Vivienne Westwood. (2023). Westwood Heritage: Corsets | Vivienne Westwood®. [online] Available at: https://www.viviennewestwood.com/en-gb/westwood-world/heritage/westwood-heritage--corsets/ [Accessed 18 Jan. 2024].
Selkie (2019). About Selkie. [online] Selkie. Available at: https://selkiecollection.com/pages/about-selkie [Accessed 20 Jan. 2024].
Rivas, M. (2022). The Highs and Lows of Having a Viral Fashion Moment. [online] Fashionista. Available at: https://fashionista.com/2022/02/viral-fashion-trend-product-business [Accessed 20 Jan. 2024].
This is an interesting idea, looking at how modern corsetry can be liberating to women and not used to restrict them as in the past. How can you combine these ideas with the ultrafeminine aesthetic of Kimberly Gordon?
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