Here’s a small journey through my favourite creative process.
It starts with a mediocre photograph, IMO. This comes alive when the image is manipulated and turned into fabric. From there I wait for the spark that inspires the silhouette and create a pattern from a sketch. Then I turn the whole thing into a garment that tells a story.
Often the story is geographical with the base fabric also originating from the country that the image fabric is from. As the image is from one of my travel adventures, this is better than a tourist t-shirt!
The fabric for the apron was created from an image in a vineyard on the West Coast of Italy. It was printed on cotton gauze and lined with Bamberg silk. The base princess seam style dress is made out of organic cotton jersey.
As this sample is on a mannequin it really falls flat. This design is intended for a full figure and definitely looks better with the physical body underneath. I like that this Apron can fit anyone of any figure or body style of any size.
In future I may adapt this design to have belted adjustments, and I can see a leather hip bag attachment as well.
The Apron portion of this design looks best styled over a white button down shirt and cuffed jeans with boots and a large glass of wine in hand.
Each time I sit with an image that I like some small aspect of and play with it, it takes me in a different direction. I know when the fabric design is right. There’s a tingle, a pop. Picking the type of fabric to have it printed takes me to the next level. It’s a lot of imagining the textures and image textures. So much imagining with so much waiting as well. It truly is slow fashion. The wait makes the final design extremely satisfying.
After I wait for production, and get it into my hot mitts, I hang it where I can see it and sit with it for even longer.
At some point I see a line in a design somewhere that I think is interesting and begin sketching. I think about the drape and construction, then one of the fabrics will pop into my head as the right one to start designing with. So many adjustments and redesign happen through out the process, I often end up with something completely different than when I first get a vision of inspiration.
I don’t always get it right. As a Velvet Duster Jacket will prove. That post to follow…..