"Sophisticated Elegance, Contemporary Twist".

Images of my Final collection.

"Sophisticated Elegance, Contemporary Twist."

Graduate Fashion Week.

My final major project is complete and this week i'm exhibiting at Graduate Fashion Week, at Earls Court in London. It's exciting as this is what we have been working towards. A chance for us to show our work to the industry. I am hoping that I will get a good reaction towards my work and maybe good contacts along the way.

I volunteered to help set up our stand, which consisted of the two of the cutting tables from our studio along with some old glass scientific equipment from a nearby school. We also used some coat hangers that we have suspended above and tied to a lighting rig we hired. We have filled the glass bottles with the off-cuts of some of the students work. My work has also been placed in and around the glassware. We have four spot lights that when they are turned on give the appearance of sunlight flooding on to the glassware and also makes the hangers sparkle.

More finished neck pieces.

I have been working hard to complete some more neck pieces. While I have been working I have realised that they have become more refined and that they have the professional look that I wanted to create, yet they still remain those one-off original pieces which sit comfortably within the collection. I have combined using the felt that I had made along with the grey which helps to broaden the collection further and by using the millinery tape on each piece it has linked the individual pieces together nicely.

New Designers Preparation Day 2010.

I attended the New Designers preparation day last week, where there were several speakers that gave us some useful tips for when we exhibit there in June. First of all they said we should remember to be professional, to talk enthusicatically and with a confidence about our work to anyone who approaches us when we are on our stands. That we should not dismiss anyone that is dressed casually as they might well be someone of importance.
We should ensure we have business cards next to our work, especially when we are not on the stand, but also that we should not be afraid to ask for business cards from anyone that speaks to us. That we should follow up any leads we have shortly after the exhibition has finished and before the person has forgotton us. They advised us not to get our business cards printed on shiny card as many people like to be able to write on them to remind themselves why they had picked the card up in the first place. It was also suggested that we should keep a book to put them in as this is a good way of recording who has shown an interest.
We need to register on line before the show starts and will be issued with a photo card on arrival that should be worn at all times. When you have registered you are able to have up to 10 images of your work on the New Designers website for free!
We were also informed that there are several awards given, including a prize for the stand and that these are judged on the Wednesday and that we should insure that we are on our stand at 9 o clock that morning.

Trip to the Fashion and Textile Museum.

I visited the Fashion and Textile Museum, in Bermondsey Sreet, London last week where they had an exhibition called, Very Sanderson-150 years of English Decoration. This was a very interesting exhibition showing how the Sanderson company had begun and how they had developed through the years right up to the present day. It was interesting to see how they have moved with the times and how today are recognised for both their classic timeless printed florals as well as their contemporay ranges of woven fabrics and prints.
In 2010 Sanderson celebrates its 150th anniversary with fabrics and wallpapers inspired by its archive. It has given me great satisfaction knowing that a company would have revisited their archive and come up with some exciting new contemporary designs, as I am also inspired by the past to come up with my designs.

Embroidery on the millinery tapes.

This week I have been concerntrating on the embroidery detail on the millinery tapes. These will be used as ties on my neck pieces. I have used the designs that I created from the Art Deco/ Nouveau ironworks and I feel this has extended my designs further but has also added to the overall look of the pieces.