Rob Ryan

Some more good news is that I have a trial day at Rob Ryan's studio in London. I love his cutouts and stencils, especially the black and white cutout dress he made. I'm really interested in looking at laser cutting and Polish cutouts as part of my final year project and so a trial day in the studio will really help and inspire me.

                
                    Below are some examples of Polish cutout art.

I can't wait to visit the studio and hopefully I will be inspired to get started on my project for next year as I still haven't started.....although I do have some ideas.....

Internships...

After I graduate I want to spend a year working and interning for various companies. I have already got two internships set up with Erdem between July and September/October and Zandra Rhodes between December and March. I really need a third internship as well so I have been e-mailing companies and I have an interview with Alexander McQueen on Thursday.


Ever since I became interested in Fashion I have loved McQueen and his theatrical collections, some of which are more like stage costumes than fashion garments. Below are some of my favourite McQueen collections.

'Angels and Demons' Fall 2010 collection.

This collection was my favourite- I loved how the models came out like a futuristic army and the prints on the garment are amazing


I'm so nervous for the interview but so excited at the opportunity of interning for McQueen, even though I've heard that it is extremely gruelling. Hopefully I'll be what they're looking for and the interviewers will like me.

New designers

After going to the Textiles degree show at my university I was in a state of shock about how much work I need to produce and the quality of work I need to produce for my degree show. I know I am capable of doing the work, but creatively where I am now seems miles away from where I know I need to get to. 


While talking to the studio designer at Zandra Rhodes, she told me that The New Designers exhibition was an opportunity I shouldn't miss out on while I was in London. I booked my ticket straight away as I was eager to see what my competition in the Textiles and Fashion world was like.I also wanted to see how the work was presented as presentation seems to be an area needing improvement for me. After the shock of the MMU degree show I thought I should get all the shock of next year out of the way before I go back to University.

There were so many exhibitors at New Designer's and the standard of work was extremely high. Although I found some work I loved, there were some pieces of work that I felt were not completely original, through no fault of the designer, I was just reminded about how difficult it is to create something unique and individual. For my final years work I will have to choose something I am really passionate about and can do a lot of work towards, so as not to tire of the project. 

I was able to pick up the business cards of the Graduates at New Designers and have been able to follow their blogs to see what they are doing and what they intend to do next.


I noticed when looking around New designers that a multitude of the designers had been experimenting with stenciling and laser cutting and this is something I would love to experiment with in my final year.


When talking to one of the graduates I noticed she had a very unique dress on, when i asked her if she had designed it herself she said, 

"Well if I don't wear my designs who else is going to!" 

This statement is so true and has made me realise that in order to get my textiles seen and appreciated in a fashion context I will have to make and wear my own garments.

Work experience

I have just finished a 2 week work placement at Zandra Rhodes' studio in London. Having always wanted to live in London, being down there for this placement gave me a taste of what it would be like to live and work down there. I loved how busy it was and how every seemed to have somewhere to get to, I found it extremely exciting. 

On my first day of work experience I had to unpack some museum deliveries of old Zandra Rhodes garments from the 70's, it was amazing to handle the old designs and see how the company's style has changed over the years. Most amazing was seeing Zandra Rhodes' penthouse, it was huge and painted in vivid colours, it was amazing to see how her own style from her work was reflected in her home as well. Being there and seeing what you can achieve through being a creative and dedicated designer has really given me something to work towards. 

I got this image off google but the penthouse still looks exactly the same. I am still amazed by where she lives, it was just so full of creative energy and personal style.

The placement itself was very helpful. Zandra Rhodes' textiles are all screenprinted and, as I have not experimented with screen printing a great deal, it was interesting to see how the separate colours were printed. I also was able to see a new design being created and the process behind the design, which was far more complex than I had imagined. Separate drawings and designs are made, then cut up, then placed in diffferent positions until Zandra is happy with the result. I would quite like to try this approach in my own work next year as it will help me create a final design. 

Another useful thing that I learnt while with Zandra Rhodes was how her designs are made so that, when screenprinted, the screen is simply turned around to create the repeat pattern instead of creating more than one screen. 

While at the studio I had the opportunity to see some of Zandra's doodles and pattern drawings. They are all kept in files so that they can be looked at for inspiration in the future. I love doodling patterns, but i had always dismissed them thinking they were of no use, I think I will try the approach of putting them together in a folder.

Above is one of Zandra Rhodes' pattern drawings.

Looking back I wish I had taken more photographs of the studio itself, but I will be able to do that in the future as I will be going back in 2012 to do a 3 month screenprinting internship. I am really looking forward to this as I feel there is so much more I can learn from the people at Zandra Rhodes.