Back form the printer...

These are my final prints that I have had digitally printed.

I am very pleased with the way they have turned out!!

Paper dress...

As my brief requires me to reflect geometrics I wanted to create some very structured pieces, eliminating curves and round edges as much as possible. Once again I resorted to paper for designing, simply folding and pinning to the mannequin.

The experimental piece I created (above) turned out very well and I wanted to try and recreate the shapes into a functional dress. I found a very stiff fabric and made it into a wearable dress (below). This is just a toil and I imagine that there is a lot of opportunity for print to enhance this piece if I was to make it for my final collection.

Psychedelic Prints...

Using the photographs I previously took for my research I created this set of prints, I used my bold psychedelic colour pallet to ensure the prints fit to my brief.

These are just a selection of the prints I created, I am most pleased with the kaleidoscope effect that I had previously explored, using it in these bold prints brings in the geometrics I needed to fit with my theme psychedelic geometrics.

Walk for inspiration...

So I was struggling to find inspiration for my final print collection recently and decided to go for a walk along Portsmouth seafront with my Nikon SLR. I took a number of pictures (over 100 in fact as I got too carried away) of any geometric shapes I came across. I planned to take these images into Photoshop to help creating my prints.

More paper...

I reached a bit of a blank in my designs, so I decided to do some more experimental draping, which I love, to inspire me once again. I used the same paper fold as I did previously and created these shapes...

As much as these are visually pleasing, I realise it would be a challenge to create a wearable garment of this shape and structure. I will have to find appropriate fabrics to hold these shapes and figure out a construction method.

Origami fabric folding...

So I found a really complex origami folding technique which I thought would make a very interesting garment shape, I researched the method and had to watch a number of videos to learn the process. I first made the folds out of paper and was more than pleased with how it turned out. When it came to recreating this out of fabric however, it took me a while to find the right fabric with the right weight and stiffness that could hold the folds properly. I ended up using a light calico which I stiffened with interfacing. It took me hours to complete this small sample!!! There is so much folding and tucking involved, and every crease needs to be ironed out, so much harder than making it from paper but I am so pleased with the outcome.

Manipulating fabrics...

I wanted to experiment with some techniques to make my fabrics individual in texture. Using constructed textiles in my final collection would enhance the visual outcome. 

Here I have experimented with sewing lots of little triangles with raised edges to form a larger triangle. This could work well on many different areas of a garment to create texture and volume.

Print emerging...

I always find it hard to know where to start with creating prints as my mind is mostly construction orientated. Throughout my sketchbook triangles have become a huge theme so to create my first few prints I simply scanned in some drawings and created paintbrushes on Photoshop. I wanted to create busy hectic prints to fit with the theme psychedelic, I also reflected this in my colour pallet.

These are a couple of my favourite outcomes...

After creating these digitally I went back to the simple hands on approach and experimented with compositions  I came across the idea of kaleidoscopes during my research and thought this related well to my brief psychedelic geometrics. I cut one of the above prints into triangles and arranged them in my sketchbook to create a kaleidoscope effect. I am more than pleased with the outcome and will continue this idea further later on!

Origami Draping...

Because of the geometric structure of my brief I decided to look into origami and the use of it in garments, I started with some simple draping on the mannequin from folded squares of paper. I was instantly engaged with this idea and experimented with a variety of shapes and structures. I can already see that I want my final collection to include a strong use of structure.

3D experimentation...

I used this 3D paper collage technique to inspire some preliminary designs. I love how the 3D shape could easily be transferred into garment shapes and the colours and patterns in the collage could inspire print.

Where to begin..

So I am now in my final year of University at Portsmouth Studying Fashion and Textiles with Enterprise. My main focus this year is my Final Major Project, Psychedelic Geometrics...

My Brief:

Bold geometric shapes form the dimensions of garments to create a fashion and textiles collection, which gives a new outlook on the geometric shape. The textiles are inspired by art and photography with colours of statement creating a psychedelic look with busy digital prints that give the garments an almost geometric illusion. There is a 3D element inspired by origami giving edge and shape to the structure of garments.

This collection connects to my interest of art and architecture. I aspire to be able to create complex pieces with experimental pattern cutting. I want to create complex, interesting and unusual shapes in my garments, I plan to spend a lot of time simply experimenting with my pattern cutting to create perfect complex structures, this will be one of my main focuses. I want to improve my print work by designing complex digital prints that will enhance my designs.