Beads sourcing

Since beads are one of interesting details in my collection, selecting high quality beads does matter. I visited Bead house where they sell thousands of different kinds of beautiful beads including Swarovski crystals in a variety of shapes and sizes. Though the prices are not cheap if calculating the number of beads are used in one garment, for sure these beads will add luxury to my garments.

Silk!!

From the discussion with my supervisor, my collection will be a ‘red carpet’ range consists of different glamorous pieces. Therefore fabrics like silks, satins organza would be the most appropriate fabrications. 

Collecting different coloured fabric cards is to see if they match with my chosen palette. However, finding the perfect colours for the range doesn’t always the case as the fabric suppliers have limited colour ranges for each type of the fabrics. So I consider of having some of the fabrics professionally dyed to get the wanted colours. Also they are wholesales so the minimum of one fabric purchase is 15 metres. 

12 looks development

It took a bit of time for me and my supervisor Maureen to closely look at each design idea and analyse the details of what works and what doesn't. The link through out my collection would be the beads detail, the corset and rock formations. I'd like to employ laser cut leather and printing into my range as well to give a unique and distinctive aesthetic for the garments. 
Though there are some interesting designs, I still need to go back to my inspirations and images from drape workshops to continue redevelop some other design that have less potentials. Finally placing those designs on a flat surface to see if they work together as a collection.

Print repeat exercise

I really enjoyed the print repeat workshop with Renato. His step-by-step tutorial on showing how to create a print repeat was easy to follow and also was very helpful. Through a variety of his creative print patterns, I now know that anything from hand-drawn pencil, water colour to photographs, textured fabrics and abstracts can become repeat motifs of a print design.
However, it's not easy and will take a lot of time and profession in creating a repeat from a photograph as matching elements from edges is very complicated. Instead, we were asked to pick out at least 3 elements from the photographs to put into a straight repeat. And here is my first attempt...

I created a simple straight repeat of 4 elements from my cave formation images. After that I changed colours of the print by adjusting hue/saturation of the motifs and fill background.

Colour palette & more dye swatches

My colour palette came from the natural colours of a fluorite crystal which reflects its delicate colourations of amethyst purple/burgundy, cool beiges and pale emerald greens. The dye was so vibrant that as little as less than 1/4 tsp of dye already gave the intense colours. This time, I played a bit with dipping both ends of the fabric swatches into different dye colours to see how the colours merge in together in the middle. 

Cotton/spandex didn't absorb the dye evenly though the colour was very intense. Silks such as silk satin, silk chiffon and silk organza still gave the best results. So it really depends on the properties of each fabric display different values of the same dye colour.

Comme des Garçons

“I try to make clothes that are new, that didn’t exist before, and hope that people get energy and feel positive when they wear them. I believe that creativity is an essential part of life.” 

- Rei Kawakubo

Dye workshop

It was so helpful for me to have an opportunity to trial techniques and experiment further with materials. Dye method with active dyes on natural fibres was the first textile workshop. I chose high quality fabrics such as silk chiffon, silk satin, silk crepe and cotton sateen to do the experiment. 

Depend on how long these fabrics were put in the dye pot resulted different possible colours. The silks absorbed the dyes more evenly than cotton, but the colours showed on cotton are more vibrant. These fabric swatches have been done for experimetation with active dye to see how the colours would turn out, not neccessarily the end colours for the range yet. 

Design development

These are steps that I took in working on unexpected and new silhouettes for my collection. From photos of draping with existing garments on the stand, I put tracing paper on top and continue drawing shapes and forms from the images and only allow 10 seconds for each sketch. 

The workshop has given me ideas of garments or what kind of shapes that I want to achieve. Then by analising further into each image, I paint over the pictures using black pen to get the details. 

Personal profile

Catherine Bui explores the aesthetic of extremes in contemporary fashion. Her research aims to investigate extreme beauty and how ideal beauty can be created by physical manipulations that alter the body structure.

While extreme beauty has a power to captivate one’s creativity through shapes and forms, extreme nature has also been a universal theme that attracts numerous designers. Inspired by the sculptural work of nature of Ha Long Bay in Vietnam where the real and the surreal of the mysterious place interwoven. Literally, Ha Long means the Descending Dragon and from an old legend the limestone outcrops and islets in the seascape were once jewels and jades from the family of the dragon, which they spitted out to create a barrier against the invader, helped the King defend the land. The mysterious seascape that displays thousands of limestone outcrops and calm water contrasts with the surrealistic scenery inside the caves.

Catherine’s philosophy is to create her own interpretation of the extremes and transform what was perceived to be bizarre to a beautiful, feminine yet edgy collection, which incorporates the shapes and elements from Ha Long Bay whilst capturing the historical features like corset and chocker in a contemporary version.

This can be done by incorporating different textile techniques to manipulate fabrics and experiment with various fibre treatments. The contrasting use of different fabrications between sheer and opaque textures adds an interesting touch to the pieces. She uses beads in some of parts of the garments to enhance the aesthetic that translate the magical feel from her inspirations. She also develops a dyed colour palette to express the sophisticated and edgy style for the image of a feminine, strong and modern woman. Unique shapes and forms are created through draping on stand that allows exciting and innovative silhouettes to be explored.

In comparison with the work of other competitors, Catherine’s collection is uniquely distinctive as her chosen theme is a joint combination of contrasting elements that inspire her. Thus, this leads to a new approach in the design process that set her creations apart from others’. 

Opportunities for emerging designers in the international fashion market

Fashion Palette New York and Sydney (established in 2009) is a great entrance for new designers to showcase their creativity in front of various multimedia and the fashion industry internationally. The runway channel offers innovative and cost effective solutions that help designers to have an exposure to a rapidly changing fashion market.

Mittelmoda Fashion Award (Italy) is one of the most well known fashion competitions for fashion graduates to showcase their creative works internationally. It aims to provide support for up and coming fashion talents within an international network of ideas, innovations and creativity. Different prizes are awarded to various design categories such as textiles, innovative and so on.

Mentor profile - John Galliano

Known throughout the fashion world as the wild child of British fashion, John Galliano has become the designer’s dream come true. Born in Gibraltar in 1960 to a Spanish mother and an English father, he was raised in an atmosphere that later emerged in his creativity. 

After graduating with honour from London’s Central St Martins College of Art and Design, his graduate show was so outstanding that he got into the international spotlight. Continuously won 4 times designer of the year award; in 1995, Galliano was the first British designer that was appointed as the head of an established French house of Givenchy. In 1996, he was appointed the head director of Christian Dior.

Galliano has been described as a style maker, and most importantly an innovator. He often mixes references from history, the street and his own vivid imagination. Throughout his career, influential couturiers such as Madeleine Vionnet and Paul Poiret and their techniques were referenced by Galliano’s specialty. 

Galliano always has a story to tell, either a narrative theme or structure based on a fictional character. I am very interested in John Galliano’s fantastic imagination. The concept of extreme beauty from Dior Couture 1997 was beautifully translated from the grotesque to elegant aesthetic. I admire his skilful craftsmanship of playing lots of fabric manipulations and surface embellishments. I intend to use hand beading on sheer fabric in my collection to portray the magical feel from my inspirations.

Mentor profile- Alexander McQueen

In the fashion world, Alexander McQueen is well known for creating shocking and challenging ideas.  His creation moved the fashion forward and influenced many fashion designers in the new generation.

Born in London in 1969, he was the youngest in a family of six children whose father was a taxi driver and mother was a social science teacher. The fact that McQueen was openly gay made him live a difficult life in early years when he was an ‘outsider’ at school and even at his own home. Having suffered from ignorance and tease of others, his mother was the only source of support that he could turn to. With her encouragement, McQueen escaped the reality into his own world where his wild creativity was devoted only for fashion.

In 1985, McQueen left school at 16 and undertook an apprenticeship at Savile Row tailors. It was this experience that later laid down the foundation for his skills and expertises. Subsequently, his mastery in six methods of cutting was truly enhanced while working at theatrical costumiers Angels and Bermans. He explored a new approach in cutting by transforming the sixteenth-Century style to the distinctive ‘sharp’ cut that later became his signature technique. He then went to finetune his design skills with Koji Tatsuno and Romeo Gigli. Finally he completed an MA at Central St Martins College of Art and Design, where his graduate collection caught the eye of the influential fashion insider Isabella Blow who helped him launch his fashion career.

His philosophy was unique in which he believed that his personal inspiration was originated from daily life experiences, the street, art galleries and in the past; but not be influenced by others’ work.

I find Alexander McQueen very inspirational because of his ability to push the fashion boundary and to challenge what is possible. The concepts of fashion, surreal, nature and extreme beauty were portrayed through his intricate narratives and bold imagery. I share the same interest with McQueen in the notion of extreme beauty and the embodiment of the past. In a similar approach, I would want to translate my own interpretation of the corset image and other details in a modern way. 

International mentors

Alexander McQueen wowed the fashion world with his fearless fashion, daring concept and amazing technical genius.

John Galliano’s theatrical imagination has created the most romantic fashion fantasy.

Stéphane Rolland’s artistic vision of translating sculptural elements into highly structured silhouettes has developed glamour and elegance for the women he dresses.

Haider Ackermann places interest in his sensuous, body-loving clothes which feature dramatic draping and edgy laser cut leather.

Elie Saab is best known for designing gorgeous dresses with delicate beaded embellishments.

Donatella Versace continues to modernize her women with seductive garments that have vivid colours and astounding prints in a very sensual style.