Androgony

I have been exploring androgyny for a while and this is some of the research of designers I have looked into.
Nathan Jenden was one of the first designers I explored. Some of his women's wear has a masculine feel to it, the women are wearing suits in the image below. I am interested in androgony as it takes away the typical sex roles and portrays that no matter what the sex you can do and be what you feel like. Times before the 1920's it would have been unacceptable for a women to wear trousers and a suit, the 20's was a massive influence in changing this.

http://www.fashionmefabulous.com/2009/02/london-fashion-week-favorites-so-far.html

Theres something interesting about the change in attitudes of women's wear, but it seems that in mens wear it isnt widely accepted that they can wear skirts or a dress, I want to test this and experiment with an unacceptable world. Testing peoples attitudes towards fashion excites me, I want it to be acceptable for both a man and a women to be able to wear the same garment. 

Looking back at KTZ mens wear the idea that men can wear feminine clothes has been tested and in my opinion works well, they appear to be both suitable for both sexes. This collection is from the AW 2013. 

http://www.londonfashionweek.co.uk/designers_profile.aspx?DesignerID=1047

http://www.londonfashionweek.co.uk/designers_profile.aspx?DesignerID=1047

http://www.londonfashionweek.co.uk/designers_profile.aspx?DesignerID=1047

http://www.londonfashionweek.co.uk/designers_profile.aspx?DesignerID=1047

It is interesting how KTZ has explored feminine clothing on males. I have taken huge inspiration from KTZ throughout this project and the research conduced has heavily influenced my ideas towards my garment and my sampling.

Marios 'Nowhere' collection

Marios' Summer 2012 collection uses imagery printed onto fabric. I want to experiment with this, but then layer over the top of the print. This is made possible as we have a digital printer to print whatever we want onto fabric. Working with my monochrome colour scheme, I will edit my images to grey scale and then print them.
I have noticed that all these garments have very simple pattern and shape. I want to test the idea of menswear by creating a dress that can be worn by males as well as females.

http://www.marios.eu/

http://www.marios.eu/

http://www.marios.eu/

http://www.marios.eu/

Ghad Amer

http://www.coins-bloc.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/ghada-amer-003.jpg

Using machine threads I wanted to create a similar look to Amer's work, the white against the black isnt something that I had considered exploring. By leaving threads hanging, I want to main stitch to be embroidered typography from the brewery.

Norma Starszakowna

Norma has used laying and stencil printing to create this piece of work. She uses muted colours and distresses her background before printing. I have created a sample inspired from her work using an image from the outside of the brewery and white washing it with acrylic paint before printing over the top. This has manipulated the image and gives it a muted colour.

http://emmasartdiary1.blogspot.co.uk/

Sample using stencil print with text from the brewery 

Sample of layering, image layered over stencil prints

Lancaster Museum and Art Gallery

Whist in Lancaster I visited the Museum and Art Gallery, there were a few artists that took my interest on the ground floor Shelley Rhodes had a few pieces of art displayed in the "From Where I'm Standing..." exhibition. Rhodes is a textile artist using scrap bits of fabric and distressing them before sewing them together. Using inks and dyes, she manipulates fabrics and mixed media to reflect her surroundings. Her work appears very delicate and distressed, I can work from this to influence samples and larger pieces of my own. Unfortunately I was only able to get one image of her work from the gallery, but have included some images of her work from online sources.

http://www.shelleyrhodes.co.uk/

http://textilestudygroup.co.uk/

The second artist that caught my eye was Elizabeth Couzins-Scott, I wasnt able to get any images from the gallery as you werent allowed to take photographs. After further research I have found some different styles of work that Elizabeth creates. Her most recent collections use earthy colours and work with translucent fabrics and papers. It appears that she uses wax within her textile work. Looking back at her work from 2007 I remember be a part of a workshop she completed at the Whitworth Art Gallery, using nails and metal she creates some truly wonderful bags, all of her work is a bit eerie and I like that feel and could relate it to the same feeling within the brewery.

http://www.axisweb.org/seCVWK.aspx?ARTISTID=5321

http://www.axisweb.org/seCVWK.aspx?ARTISTID=5321

http://www.axisweb.org/seCVWK.aspx?ARTISTID=5321

http://www.axisweb.org/seCVWK.aspx?ARTISTID=5321

KTZ- Designer

Using the idea of working with typography and looking at the fonts that I would use, I have explored KTZ. KTZ produce masculine womens wear, The top garment that I have chosen is a shirt, but can be worn on a woman, so it fits in with the androgynous theme. The prints on the garments remind me of stencil printing, and have a war like feel to them. The monochrome colour scheme works really well and I would like to try working with this, and experiment with highlights of colour.

This is one of my favourite womens wear garments by KTZ, the busy text and the boldness of it would work well with the typography that I found within the brewery. The shape and structure of the jacket could be worn by either a male or female, it is a very simple shape. 

http://www.londonfashionweek.co.uk/designers_profile.aspx?DesignerID=1047

KTZ Mens Wear

http://hirearchy.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/dsc_0069.jpg

http://www.kokontozai.co.uk/

The badges on this garment from KTZ remind me of a WW2 uniform, its structure also resembles that of a war uniform. It fit with the androgynous theme as it could be worn by either sex and still look right. The masculine element of this jacket relates really well to the masculinity in the brewery, and the sewn on badges could be the typography within or beer mats. 

http://www.kokontozai.co.uk/

http://www.kokontozai.co.uk/

Primary Photo, found page in brewery

http://www.kokontozai.co.uk/

http://www.kokontozai.co.uk/

The SS13 collection from KTZ is very similar to some of the uniform images I found in a catalogue at the brewery. The uniformed look works well, I would like my garment to adapt this very masculine and organised look.
Typography features highly within all the garments I have looked at, I will try experimenting with different fonts and placement of text. I would like to explore layering and ensuring the text has meaning toward it. 

Brighton Biba Exhibit

There was a collection of Biba's fashion garments and illustrations. There wasnt much which could influence my derelict buildings theme, but I did like some of the structural elements. Collars were popular throughout Barbara Hulanicki's designs, I will try to intemperate this within my new project. Hulanicki's designs from the sixties and seventies are still fashionable and wearable now, and collars are very much back in fashion. 

First Day in Brighton

So today I arrived in Brighton and had a nosey round doing all the typical tourist things (walked down the pier, went to look at the Pavilion, walked along the seafront, explored The Lanes). But aside from these things I went to the art gallery where I saw some work that could help me in my FMP if I decide to continue with the theme of dereliction and abandoned buildings.
Jeff Keen works with paint and typography to distress and manipulate surfaces. I have some images of his work, most of which is based around attitudes in the war, but I find the textures and surfaces that he has created to be interesting.

Garment Ideas

I started to work with my pieces of brusho, representing mould and growth. Tearing small pieces of different variations of brusho up, I stitched them together using free stitch and bright cotton to reflect the bright colours of the graffiti. I didnt like the bright nature of the piece which I had created, so decided to take inspiration from Mary Katrantzou and Jean Pierre Braganza. Using the monochrome colour scheme which had become apparent throughout my recent work, I printed off images of the power station in black and white. Using these I created a similar effect to the one I created with the brusho pieces and this was a lot more successful. Applying them to fashion designs I believe it could work really well as a full sized garment. Here are the images of my fashion ideas...

Mary Katrantzou

Another designer discovered from research into this months London Fashion Week is Mary Katrantzou. Her designs include strong imagery within the garments. The images and close ups make up the pattern of the fabrics. Many of the garments from her AW 2013 collection are monochrome with only subtle hints of other colours and this is what I am working towards. Her simple edgy designs are very futuristic, using bold and daring shapes she has created a collection to aspire to. I am taking inspiration from the images she uses within her designs to create my own garment, with only some bright colour.
AW 2013 Collection... Just a few of my favourites

All from London Fashion Week website

Inspiration from London Fashion Week

So after sadly missing London Fashion Week I have researched some of the artists that attended and did catwalks.
The first designer I have looked at and who will influence my later work is Jean Pierre Braganza. His AW 2013 collection, reflects the use of photographs and digital imagery that I have used throughout my work. He uses structured and simple shapes, with simple prints. A particular favourite of the show was the dress below. Jean Pierre has used a black and white colour scheme throughout this collection with highlights of colour. I aspire to create something with influence from his collection. Conducting further research I have discovered that his Spring/Summer 2013 collection used geometric shapes and the same black and white theme, it reminds me of the black and white dress that I previously made.

AW 2013

Spring/Summer 2013 Collection