FOUR > Trends

THREE > Market Research

Market research from glassons.

Market research from supre.

Market research from country road

What did I find?

Contrasts between high, middle and mass market?

Fabric?

Quality?

What influenced my designs or what will I take into consideration?

Market research from Karen Walker

Market research from Zambesi

TWO > Translation of Concept

What was important in your last collection? What needed clarification or revision? What can you edit out?

The pleats and panels from my last collection were important. However, after revising my previous work I can see that my concept was not communicated clearly throught my design work. I will revise and update my concept board and writing to clearly communicate my concept and review earlier designs which were closer related to my concept and revise, edit, develop and filter these using market research and trend reports to inform my work.

The layered and complex nature of man, his desire for truth and understanding, his emotions, conscience and consciousness will be communicated through complex and technical pattern development, layering of fabrics through pleats, tucks, and panels. The garments will have various translucent panels that show the garment construction and layers communicating man's desire for understanding and truth. The garments will mimic the silhouette of trees, slimmer at the top and heavier around the trunk of the body. To emphasise the layering contrasting binding will be used for openings and significant panels, as well as repitition of fastenings similar to DNA strands. Natural and varied colours will communicate the still significant colours of nature.

Is my design signature emerging?

As a designer I would like to create feminine, elegant, serious/fun and intelligent designs for women's wear. Quality, fit and creative/innovative techniques will establish my design signature as well as investigations into both fair trade and sustainable practices. I would like historical, cultural, social, religious, and other important studies which concern everyday life to influence my design.

ONE > Concept 'Ex nihilo'

Man's desire to understand the world we live in has led to growing interest in science. Many people look to the study of nature for enlightenment and evidence, searching for explanations for our existence, whether we are just mere products of evolution as Richard Dawkins argues 'The universe is nothing but a collection of atoms in motion, human beings are simply machines for propagating DNA, and the propagation of DNA is a self-sustaining process. It is every living object's sole reason for living.' (God's Undertaker, Has science buried God?, pg. 55) Or are we unique, complex, beautiful creatures created by an intelligent designer for a purpose? Sir Peter Medawar said 'The existence of a limit to science is, however, made clear by its inability to answer childlike elementary questions having to do with first and last things - questions such as "How did everything begin?"; "What are we all here for?"; "What is the point of living?".' These writings and questions were the inspiration for my concept as well as visual recordings taken from the trees in the botanical gardens. My attention was drawn to the layering of bark, its variegated colour, and how the complexity and magnitude of nature, like snow covered mountains or vast forests, has consistently amused great minds of the past and present. The layers of bark, I felt, were metaphorical of the layered and complex nature of man, his desire for truth and understanding, his emotions, conscience and consciousness. 



'Our science is God's science. He holds the responsibility for the whole scientific story ... The remarkable order, consistency, reliability and fascinating complexity found in the scientific description of the universe are reflections of the order, consistency, reliability and complexity of God's activity.' -Sir Houghton FRS