Neighborhood Colour Exhibition

The second years were assigned to explore two contrasting neighborhoods within London and begin researching in a 2D form such as photography and sketching and were then given the challenge of turning their 2D forms and knowledge into a 3D textile. Many of their briefs were describing a contrasting characteristic between two neighborhoods. They also had to convey the importance of colour in design.
Elge Vaituelvicute observed Colliers Wood and China Town and from there created an amazing knit vest. She knitted stripes of yarn and then treated those knitted stripes as if they were yarn and knitted them together, which made the vest look braided and complex and very very chunky. I do not think I would ever produce anything like this but it was very beautiful and I would love to wear it.
I also admired Henry Muller's work. The way he presented it was spectacular. He embossed geometric shapes into a material similar to wadding and covered a whole wall with these "distorted shadows" and then projected his work, which was geometric patterns, onto the white embossed wadding that looked like modern minimalistic sculptures.
Trudi Hood also had impressive presentation skills. I did not think her actual work was that strong but the way she presented it was really interesting. She encased her woven samples in colored plexi glass and put lights onto them. I would never produce anything like her weaving samples but her presentation skills inspired me.
Surprisingly all of the students I spoke with did not address sustainability. They said that right now they are more focused on improving their skills and technical competence. I was a bit disappointed because Chelsea is so focused on sustainability. It seemed to me that the people in stitch were the most sustainable, they used a lot of recycled plastics and that the printers were the least concerned with sustainability.
It was very useful to speak with someone who knows where you are coming from and who can tell you a bit about what is about to come. I did not realize that you can change your specialization. It is nice to see also that we will be designing big important projects in the future that works up to the goal of the exhibition. In stage one it can be a bit annoying because you have a bunch of itty bitty projects.

A couple of the girls in print said that it was difficult to stay focused on their task because their ideas kept changing every week. That is where the tutors not only become good support but a resource tool: "They are meant to keep you on track and sort through your work and tell you what you should continue with and what should stay in the past," states Holly another student specializing in print.

Ethical Fashion Forum

Beautiful Soul was a clothing line whose head designer had a lot of strong options about sustainability, otherwise what we like to call morals in the real world. She seemed to have come to the conference in order to not only advertise her work of course but to also inspire students and set an example. Her company Beautiful Soul would take in Bangladesh women and teach them useful skills, such as sewing and draping, pattern cutting etc. So she basically taught them the necessary skills so they would be able to work for her and produce her garments. It also benefits them because they are new to London and they are able to met other women who speak their language and have a lot in common with them. It makes moving to a new city a lot easier. Her garments are now being sold at the shop in the V&A and she sells them to local boutiques in London. Her look is not really my style but it does have a timeless quality. The silhouettes are Japanese inspired and the fabrics look like modern tapestries. The market is for woman in their late 30s-60s, which is a very broad market and many women in that age group are aiming to be more environmentally and ethically conscious. Even big brands such as Nike are beginning to think more ethically.
The founder of Beautiful Soul cannot accept huge orders right now due to her ethical process of creating clothing, unlike brands such as Joseph who sell their goods internationally and in big department stores such as John Lewis. Both brands do not have the same design aesthetic whatsoever but they are aiming to sell to the same age group of women and both have timeless qualities to them. The Beautiful Soul garments being sold at The V&A are meant to be a special artistic piece that someone can own forever due to their timeless qualities. But Joseph is meant to be something not so special, that solid blazer one must re buy every season. The women who buy Joseph buy it in excess.
Designers have to realize that they have choices. They can either choose between money and selling internationally. Or maybe making a little less money and have to start selling just locally, yet have an intimate business that you know is making a difference- not on the world but on a group of women maybe. We all have to start somewhere.