THE DESIGN BRIEF AS INDICATED BY THE CLIENT

THE CLIENT:

SUTRA is a design firm started by designer Julie Kagti in 2001. Their products combine traditional Indian technique with 21^st century design. They believe that ‘fashion has to engage, enhance and entertain.’ Her clothes are contemporary, aesthetic, and infused with a sense of humour.

They are known to work with recycled fabric in patchwork saris and clothing, highly textured hand worked fabrics, knits with kantha work, stylised construction and intricate detailing.

I chose SUTRA because their work is very inspiring. Since my aesthetic explorations are veering towards Sutras way of handling fabric and textile manipulation I thought that this would be the best place to do my final project. It will give me an opportunity to develop my skills and give it some proper direction. Additionally the experience of working in a workshop with skilled artists and designers will be invaluable.

THE BRIEF:

To design a Resort collection for spring/summer 2011 based on fashion trends during the 1960”A resort collection is a collection launched around winter and aimed at designing clothing in the holiday months when people go on vacation to warm places.

It must be delicate, feminine and sophisticated. The focus must be on textile manipulation and technique with particular attention being paid to the details of trimmings, finishing and packaging.

The collection must comprise of 13 pieces. An assorted mix from the following list of products may be selected.

·       Wraps (kaftans, ponchos, stoles)

·       Loose tunics and pyjama pants

·       Short tops and shorts

·       Easy flow dresses

THE THEME

 The theme of the project will emerge from 60’s fashion. The 1960s featured a number of diverse trends. It was a decade that broke many fashion traditions and mirrored social movements during the period. In the middle of the decade, box-shaped PVC dresses; culottes and go-go boots were in style. People were dressing in psychedelic prints, highlighter colours, and mismatched patterns the primary aesthetic focus being on colour and tone. The hippie movement late in the decade also exerted a strong influence on ladies' clothing styles, including bell-bottom jeans, tie-dye, and batik fabrics, as well as paisley prints.

What I would like to do is use the original diverse prints and tones to create textures in a limited range of colours. I also want to use the accessories of that era (headscarves, chunky necklaces, big earrings etc.) and incorporate them in the clothes as elaborate accents, cleverly placed to give the collection a lift.

Another Idea would be to use the texture and prints to create illusions on the basic silhouette so as to give it some interest. The bold deco prints will also inspire the silhouettes for the clothes.

CREATIVE CONCEPT:

As this is an up market resort collection that requires some amount of sophistication I’ve decided to work with layering and interchangeability. The garments need to exude a light and airy feel. Layers can be taken off and put on based on where the user is wearing her garment. For example: If one is on the beach a bikini top and a sarong would suffice but at a restaurant the sarong can double up as a kaftan to make the user more comfortable.

The silhouettes will be simple and focus primarily on manipulating basic geometric shapes. This will also put a certain emphasis on the fabric and it’s detailing.

RESEARCH QUESTIONS

·       How does one work towards a season?

·       Market research for the Indian market?

·       How much does trend forecasting affect the Indian market?

·       Client profiling.

                                        I.     What kinds of people visit the shop?

                                      II.     What are they looking for in SUTRA clothes?

                                     III.     How much are they willing to pay?

                                      IV.     Where else do they shop?

Do they look at SUTRA clothing as daily wear or something special?

·       What is involved in making a complete coordinated collection?

·       What does a resort collection involve in terms of fabric, colours, and silhouettes?

Research history of origins and development of resort clothing

Who are the famous designers that launch resort collections every season?

Which Indian designers work on resort collections?

·       Material research. (Based on the collection)

·       In what way can I as a designer incorporate my design ethics into the collection?

                                       I.     How can I make the collection incorporating principles of sustainability?

                                     II.     Can I minimize the fabric usage to using scrap fabric from the cloth?

                                    III.     Can I optimize fabric use by sticking to geometric simple silhouettes using darts and ties to give it an accent?

PROCESS, TECHNIQUES AND RESOURCES

PROCESS:

·       Moodboards and themes

·       Market research

·       Identifying the client

·       Working on collages and layering

·       Identifying material

·       Material exploration and Iteration on fabric.

·       Experimenting with shape and silhouettes

·       Working with the fabric and silhouette

·       Narrowing it down to the final products

·       Working on a name for the collection any specific branding etc.

TECHNIQUES:

·       Fabric painting

·       Appliqué, details of trimmings, finishing to be given a lot of attention

·       Dyeing

RESOURCES:

·       Julie Kagti as a mentor

·       Sutra workshop: skilled embroiderers, pattern cutters and tailors

·       Market research

·       Trend forecasting sites

·       Films about and from the 60’s

·       Designers of the 60’s

LEARNING OUTCOMES

LEARNING OUTCOMES:

·   Working with and executing a client brief.

·   Designing and facilitating a process that leads to a complete coordinated   collection

·   Market research 

·   Budgeting and pricing

·   Planning a workflow for a larger scale of production within a fixed time frame

·   Technique acquisition

1.  Pattern making

2.  Appliqué

3.  Dyeing

4.  Textile manipulation