The collection 'Under The Microscope' is a continuation of a project started in the first semester of final year which began with research into plant cells and looked at a number of different elements of their magnified imagery such as their intricate beauty, design, pattern and colour which formed the main inspiration for this collection and an observation that the structures found within the plant cells could be reinterpreted through different knitting structures and so designs evolved incorporating the cell structures as inspiration for design features within the knitted fabrics.
Unfortunately due to the subject matter only secondary source material was available to inform the visual direction of the collection so secondary research was undertaken into a wide range of linked images obtained from Pinterest, however these images were sufficient to form the base for inspiration behind the collection enable evolution of the design work and completion of the final collection.
Ideas were quickly realized through drawings of the plant cells. The drawings at first being restricted to black and white in order that the focus would be on the pattern and not be distracted by the use of colour.
The goal in terms of the design brief for the collection 'Under The Microscope' was to design and knit between thirty and forty samples that compliment each other and reflect the nature of plant cells. The Shima, fine gauge domestic and the dubied knitting machines were all used to produce this range of finely knitted fabrics.
The knitting was to be delicate and light to handle therefore knitting on the fine gauge domestic machine was the most logical place to start. This meant careful consideration had to be taken with the choice of yarns and time had to be spent testing stitch size and tension for each fabric.
The knitted samples were also to be textured, so a mixture of standard, bouclé, and mohair yarns were picked out to compliment each other. This meant more trialling had to be done to see which yarns would behave well on the fine gauge machine and which ones were not so suitable.
A monofilament yarn was also selected for this collection. The choice of which was very appealing, as when knitted it created a very interesting effect where the other coloured yarns either side almost appear to be floating, and reflects the ethereal style that was intended to be created. The main challenges that faced the production of knits on the Shima was the choice of monofilament as one of the yarns selected for its transparency and lightness, again, time was spent adjusting the stitch size, the tension and the weight as well as the technique itself until fabric was produced without the machine dropping stitches and laddering.
Experiments using monofilament were also carried out on the domestic machines but difficulties were encountered with this choice of yarn when the knitting was taken off the machine, the monofilament would settle properly after a few hours and the rows of stitching would have folded into one another and caused the knitting to shrink to about half the size.
Trend research obtained from a visit to Premier Vision in February 2016 and gleaned from a variety of trend websites was used to select a new range of colours that included a couple of shades of grey, magenta, mulberry and eggplant purple which when added to the initial colour palette a mixture of white, pale pink, burgundy and deep pink from the previous semester produced a palette freshened a little that worked beautifully together in the colour relationships and balance of tone. Also the addition of an alternative type of monofilament, which was a smoky grey, added an extra dimension to the collections colour gamut.
As this collection, 'Under The Microscope', came together it became clear that the fabrics would be very suitable for a women's collection of fashion knitwear. Evolved consideration was given to what season and area of the industry would be the most suitable to market the fabrics produced. Inspiration came from the collection by Rodarte's Autumn/Winter collections, which included a beautiful range of lacy dresses and outfits in neutral tones with pops of rich red every so often.
All of these influences including nature revealed under the microscope and the renowned fashion brand 'Rodarte' inspired the 'Under The Microscope' collection and helped it to become a beautiful range of knitted fabrics with the intention of it to be enjoyed and to inspire others.
No comments:
Post a Comment