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The title of our second project is Threads, which is based around sustainability via reusing, recycling and repurposing garments and fabric.

Our task is to work with a client to produce a denim waistcoat. The client in question will be a student from the drama course who will wear the garment in a production of the We Will Rock You musical. Our clients will be aged 16 to 20.

To produce a garment that fits the aesthetic of the production we must listen to our client and work with them to create a piece that balances our own ideas and the feel of the production. This will be valuable experience of working to a brief, as designers often do. We will gain experience in making a bespoke garment which fits the client exactly, as well as learning how to make patterns and work from them.

The idea is to use scrap denim to create a waistcoat from scratch, not to upcycle an existing piece. The idea is to repurpose other denim items rather than to customise something that has already been produced.

Our work is to be completed on Padlet and in our sketchbooks, as well as coming away with a 3D piece, the denim waistcoat. The 2D sketchbook and Padlet elements will be five design boards and any writing and research that we have completed to understand the project best. This research will be fabric experimentation and designer research so that we can collate ideas. We will also produce a time-based task i.e. a video, for which I will document the making and designing process. We will have to evaluate our work at the end of our project, every paragraph of which must be at least 300 words and cover every aspect of our project.

I will upload some photos I have taken of the full details of the brief under this section too.

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I have had my own measurements taken in the past but this was the first time I had to take someone else's too.

We were asked to pair up and take our partner's measurements.

Below are the measurement my partner, Esme, took of me, as well as notes on markers to take measurements from.

Bust: 94.5cm

Look for the fullest part of the torso, typically around the breast.

Waist: 83cm

The natural waist line is the narrowest point of the torso and is often not found where people imagine. Make sure that the tape measure is not too tight or loose around the waist.

Hip: 98cm

The fullest part around the pelvic bone. Typically found around the lower end of the bum.

Centre back: 43.5cm

You may be able to feel a vertebra protruding at the top of the spine where the neck begins. Measure from this point to the natural waist.

Centre front: 37cm

Measure from the dip at the bottom of the neck to the natural waist.

Across back: 48cm

Armhole to armhole.

Across front: 39cm

Armhole to armhole.

Shoulder: 12.5cm

Measure from the meeting point of the shoulder and the neck to the end of the collar bone. You may be to feel a dip where the collar bone ends.

Outside leg: 100cm

From natural waist, over hip to the ankle bone.

Inside leg: 80cm

Ask client to hold start of tape measure as high up inside of their leg as possible. Ensure they are not wearing shoes. Measure from this point to the floor.

Overarm: 49cm

Measure from the dip at the end of the collar bone, over a slightly bent elbow to the wrist bone.

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I am going to post all of my examples of my denim distressing experiments and caption them with a description of the exact technique I used.

I have been able to gather valuable information as to which techniques I would like to use in my waistcoat.

I chose my two favourite techniques to do time trials of: using 120 grit sandpaper and stabbing at the fabric with a seam unpicker to create holes and small tears.

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To begin, I will describe the role of a costume designer.

As the name states, they are responsible for the design of the costumes as part of a production, be it theatre, film or television.

There is more to this role than simply designing a costume. The designer has to understand the emotion the director would like to convey in each scene and must interpret these emotions to create costumes that match. They must work with the script writers to understand the production and reflect the story in the characters' costumes. Designers have to create moodboards and sketches of their characters' costumes to collate their findings and present them to the rest of the production team and cast to ensure that they are happy with how the costumes look and that they reflect the team's vision whilst also being a creative expression of the designer.

The designer will carry out physical research i.e. fabric tests and fabric sourcing. The designer may choose to hire certain elements of a costume and make others completely from scratch.

The production that we will producing costumes for is We Will Rock You, therefore we have researched the costume designer for the current iteration of the production: Kentaur.

His career in creative fields began when he attended the Hungarian Academy of Fine Art, studying painting. He was successful in this pursuit, having several of his works displayed at solo and group exhibitions in the late 1980s. He then transitioned to studying classic music and later became the solo singer song writer of a new wave music group.

This musical exploit allowed him to develop his skills in set design and creating a visually striking production. It was at this point that he made the transition to working in theatre exclusively, beginning as a graphic designer and later moving to set and costume design.

Kentaur has an extensive portfolio of theatre related design across multiple genres. He has been involved in musical, opera, ballet and Shakespeare productions.

For me, his most striking costumes are the ones designed for Roman Polanski's Tanz der Vampire, which I have attached images for below as well as of images of costumes from We Will Rock You.

To me, Kentaur seems to understand what is required of him very well. His costumes evoke an emotion just by looking at them and I can immediately pick up what he is trying to convey and what type of production they have been made for. This is indicative of a designer who listens to what is asked of them and works with their team to further understand their task. This leads to impactful costumes that are as much a part of the story as any other element of the production.

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Cutting slits with scissors along the warp of the fabric and using a seam unpicker to fray the edges of the slits.

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We Will Rock You, Budapest (2017), costumes and sets designed by Kentaur

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We Will Rock You, Budapest (2017), costumes and sets designed by Kentaur

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Image from Roman Polanski's, Vienna (2017), costumes and set designed by Kentaur

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We Will Rock You, Budapest (2017), costumes and sets designed by Kentaur

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We Will Rock You, Budapest (2017), costumes and sets designed by Kentaur

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Below are my client's necessary measurements for a waistcoat i.e. no leg measurements.

I have also attached a photo of my client's description of his character. I asked him further questions in person and he said that his character, Brit, is very energetic and expressive. I suggested adding colourful elements such as decorations to which my client agreed.

Bust: 67.5cm

Waist: 69cm

Hip: 89cm

Centre back: 43cm

Centre front: 33cm

Across back: 40cm

Across front: 33cm

Shoulder: 12cm

Overarm: 57cm

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We Will Rock You is set in a dystopian future where music and self expression is banned. The oppressive leadership is spearheaded by The Killer Queen whose second-in-command, Khashoggi, hunts down a group of rebels, known as the Bohemians, who are determined to restore music to the world.

The Bohemians find the main character, Galileo and his friend Scaramouche. After Galileo tells the Bohemians of his visions and dreams of lyrics and music, they believe he is The Dreamer, the one who will restore music to the world.

I have chosen Brit as the character that I would like to make the costume for and attached the character description below.

Brit and Oz: Two of the Bohemians who are committed to expose the secrets of live music, and believe that someone will come who will show the Bohemians the way. When they find Scaramouche and Galileo they are unsure at first but eventually persuaded that Galileo does have strange musical lyrics in his head over which he has no control. When the Secret Police attack the Bohemian hideout, Brit is killed, and Oz is captured along with the other Bohemians.

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The following photos are from sections of the script that I feel represent Brit as a character the best.

I'll analyse them in a summative post after all the photos are uploaded.

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Pages 30-32: This is the audience's introduction to Brit. He is a lively, easily distracted character who is always thinking of a brighter future for music, delivered by the "Dreamer" (Gallileo). To reflect this I would like to produce a waistcoat which has elements of colour and geometric patterns, similar to the patches found on battle jackets in the punk and metal scene.

Page 51: This is when the audience learns that Brit is a play on Britney Spears. Brit is often used as comedic relief which can be seen by his exaggerated description of himself followed by the revelation of his full name. However, it also shows his passion and dedication to the Bohemians' cause.

Page 64: Brit dies to help Scaramouche and Gallileo escape from the Killer Queen, again showing his dedication and passion. To foreshadow his death, I would like to use distressing techniques which I have outlined in my research section. I am most interested in using the "stabbing" technique with the seam unpicker.

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Denim is, traditionally, a cotton textile where the weft and warp threads are woven in a "two over, two under" configuration. This twill weave produces a diagonal pattern in the fabric. Denim was first produced in Nîmes, France, which is how it got its name (presumably a contraction of "de Nîmes", literally translated to "of Nîmes".

Denim was commercialised with the creation of jeans in 1873 by Levi Strauss and Co. The company was originally a dry goods wholesaler, selling bolts of denim to Jacob W. Davis, a tailor from Nevada who made the first pair of rivet reinforced jeans. They were so popular that the two business merged to form Levi Strauss and Co. as we know them today.

Over time, Levi's has become the quintessential denim brand.

However, they are not the sole reason for denims popularity.

Hollywood has had a huge impact on the popularity and what it represents. Levi's made it accessible workwear; Hollywood made it a symbol of sex, youth and everything that the film industry represented. It was more than a fabric. It gave teenagers an identity, a voice.

A combination of these factors and more has led denim to become as popular as it is today, with many couture shows now featuring denim garments.

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Monday: In class with Hannah we looked at how denim is woven and discussed it characteristics. Our homework over the course of this week is to research how denim is used and to produce a moodboard to represent our findings, both of its history and its usage. My plan is to do the moodboard towards the end of the week, most likely Friday, and for my research, I would like to do this on Wednesday if possible.

My targets for this evening are to finish off my fabric tests of distressing denim and to make good progress with my comp shopping presentation.

Tomorrow I would like to finish this presentation and also finish my two designs for the waistcoat to show my client.

Tuesday: It was a tough day and I was burnt out. I wasn't able to make much progress but I produced three more experimentation samples. My plan for the evening was just to rest and recover.

Wednesday: I had a course rep meeting so decided to stay in college to continue work on my comp shopping presentation which I was able to do. I then I had work later that evening and so couldn't complete any work thereafter.

Thursday: Today has been a productive day for me; I produced further fabric samples, cut out my pattern for the waistcoat and made the preparations for cyanotype printing. My plan for this evening is to continue working on my comp shopping presentation as well as producing a second design idea for Kerry. Tomorrow I will produce a design board to show my client next week.

Friday and Saturday: I was very unwell so didn't get anything done.

Sunday: Completed the design board and aligned my sketchbook and Padlet i.e. sticking in and uploading pictures of my further fabric tests and initial design sketches.

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Cutting slits with scissors along the weft of the fabric and using a seam unpicker to fray the edges of the slits.

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Cutting slits with scissors along the bias of the fabric and using a seam unpicker to fray the edges of the slits.

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This was my favourite example of the fraying technique and one that I may use on my waistcoat.

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Using the 60 grit sandpaper to wear down the fabric.

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I found that sandpaper this course simply tore through the denim too quickly. I felt that the tears lacked the sense of being organic and felt as though they had been done on purpose.

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Using 120 grit sandpaper to wear down the fabric.

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This was my favourite grit level for distressing the denim. 180 grit simply took too long and 60 grit tore through the fabric so that the wear didn't look organic or authentic. 120 grit has the best of both worlds: while it doesn't take an inordinate length time, it doesn't tear through the denim the way 60 grit does. This is why I chose 120 grit sandpaper for my time trial.

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Using 180 grit sandpaper to wear down the fabric.

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It took too long to barely leave a mark.

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Folding the fabric of the edge of the table and scraping along it with scissors.

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Stabbing at the fabric with a seam unpicker.

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This was an idea I had for distressing the fabric and was happy to see that it yielded interesting results that I couldn't have obtained with other methods of distressing. I decided to do a time trial of this technique.

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Stabbing the denim with a seam unpicker for 5 minutes.

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Stabbing the fabric with a seam unpicker for 10 minutes.

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Stabbing the fabric with a seam unpicker for 15 minutes.

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I found the that longer I stabbed the fabric, the greater the area was that I was able to distress. This was not a surprise but it was interesting to see how far I could distress one small area of the fabric before I could no longer work wth it and would have to move to a different area.

This resulted in a hole at the centre/starting point with smaller holes spreading their way out from the origin.

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Using 120 grit sandpaper for 10 minutes.

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Using 120 grit sandpaper for 15 minutes.

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As with stabbing with the seam unpicker, the longer I sanded rhe fabric, the greater the area of the tear. However, I actually preferred the example of the shortest length of time spent sanding, 5 minutes. It seemed the most organic to me. After 10 and 15 minutes, the fabric was so worn that the threads that hang across the 5 minute example were completely shredded. It felt more like a hole had simply been cut rather than gradually worn away.

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We were asked to research traditional punk imagery and motifs to serve as inspiration for us to design our own.

We first had to produce six initial sketches and then choose our favourite, draw it larger and in black marker, and this design will then be printed with cyanotype onto a piece of calico.

I would like to use my design on the back of my waistcoat, similar to the patches that punks and metalheads sew onto their battle jackets. However, instead of printing it with cyanotype, I would like to embroider it onto the back as embroidery is a technique that I really enjoy using. This also means that I can choose how large I would like it.

I will attach the photos of my design process underneath this post.

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These are my six initial sketched ideas. I decided to lead with the skull with the mohawk in the top left as I felt that this fit the punk imagery best.

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This was to help me practise my design ideas and solidify them before drawing it in sharpie.

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I used a full A3 page to draw the skull design at full-size. I did a pencil drawing to get the lines right and then drew over them in Sharpie.

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For the design to be laser etched it needed to be smaller, so Rebecca scaled it down to fit an A4 page.

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I placed the acetate sheet over the A4 photocopy of the design and drew over it, ready for the cyanotype.

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Rebecca had the idea of simply photocopying our design onto the acetate which made the lines sharper and more defined than when we drew them on.

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I drew the skull onto a piece of scrap denim with tailor's chalk and then machine embroidery over the top just to see how a roughly down example would look. I'm happy with the result and would like to use this technique for my waistcoat.

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Below is my idea development page. I began with four ideas, took my favourite elements of each and made two, more developed ideas. I then took my favourite elements of these two designs and combined them to produce one "final" design. Should my client want to change aspects then it can be altered.

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Keywords:

Top left: Napoleonic, historical, military

Top right: Conventional, patchwork, punk

Bottom left: Tactical, armoured, warfare

Bottom right: Angles, aggressive, shrapnel

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Virgil Abloh has often used denim throughout his career, primarily in Off-White's collections. He has often designed denim overshirts and jackets that have incorporated one of Off-White's more iconic prints. These are the "X" and diagonal line motifs.

The cuts of the items themselves are fairly traditional, from the jeans to the jackets, and this is something that has carried over into his designs at Louis Vuitton.

He often incorporates utilitarian/tactical motifs and features such as extra pockets and compression straps, as can be seen on backpacks and techwear.

Below is my design boards with close ups.

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This is a classic OFF White belt design, with the buckle resembling those found on tension straps on bags or tents.

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Monday: We researched a designer in our first class. We had the option of four designers and I chose Virgil Abloh. The information page that my group put together is in the Research section.

Tonight I will put together my denim moodboard and research another denim designer. If I have time I will put together my Project Plan table.

Tuesday: We cut out our patterns and the calico for our toiles.

I took the rest of this week off to rest, especially as we had our trip to London on the Thursday.

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Haikure is an Italian denim company whose key value is producing sustainable clothing. They do this by exclusively using certified organic, BCI cotton and water-saving processes to produce each garment.

Federico Corneli is the founder and CEO of Haikure. Corneli came up with the idea for the name after spending time in the UK in 2007, when the media was starting to cover global warming. The brand's name is a combination of the Japanese poem "haiku" and the words "pure", "nature", and "future". This gives almost a definition to the brand’s ethos: a poetic, pure future for nature and our planet.

They produce a range of denim items, those being jeans, jackets and skirts. It’s likely that anyone will find what they are looking for.

The fit of the clothing is what attracted me to them. Their silhouettes give a long and elegant appearance, with lots of flared openings, such as on their shorts and skirts. Their full length denim trousers follow a similar philosophy, with full cuts that drape down the leg, reminiscent of traditional suiting standards.

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The following images are ones I was able to find on Haikure's Instagram page that I felt best captured the minimalist yet elegant nature of the brand's clothing.

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We used pre-prepared fabric that had been coated with the cyanotype chemical to print our images. The acetate sheet was placed over the piece of coated calico and had a UV light shine on it for 30 minutes.

Once 30 minutes had passed, we rinsed the calico pieces in colder water, revealing the image that had been printed onto it.

I am somewhat happy with the result. Some of the lines are not as bold or defined as others, even in cases where I "reinforced" the lines by drawing in black marker on the reverse of the acetate. I do like my design itself however, although I would like to make some of the straight lines cleaner by using a ruler.

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I would really like to do the "tailed" version of the waistcoat. It has a sense of historical significance particularly in a military context i.e. the Napoleonic Hussars. This links back to the nature of Brit's character as the hussars wore colourful uniforms but were still soldiers, much like Brit.

The left-hand design features the patchwork element which is very traditionally punk and can be seen on crust pants and battle jackets. I've incorporated the bullet hole effect on the front and rear.

The right-hand design also uses patchwork but, instead of bullet holes, has a punk inspired image of a skull which I will likely embroider onto one patch and then sew together. It also features buttons with a braided loop to fasten the front together, tying back to the Hussars.

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Monday: constructed our toiles and looked at darning. Plan for the evening is to make my denim timeline and finish writing about my cyanotype experiment.

Tuesday: We cut out pieces of our denim to put them together to make the fabric we will use. I pinned sections of denim together for the back panel to construct at home.

Thursday: We continued making the fabric for our waistcoats. I cut out the shapes that I'd like to put together for the front panels. We also tried our toiles on our clients. I do not need to make any alterations to mine.

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The following images represent a timeline of denim from the 1940s to the present.

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I experimented with ways of constructing the waistcoat which I will attach photos of underneath this post, explaining what I did and my thoughts on them.

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Patchwork and "Bullet Hole" Distressing Technique

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Patchwork and "Bullet Hole" Distressing Technique

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I experimented with patchwork and the shapes I could create with the patches. Rather than sticking to equally sized squares or rectangles, I decided to try shapes with fluid lines and fewer straight edges. I really like the effect this creates and is something I will incorporate in my waistcoat. It is a new approach to patchwork denim items that I think reflects the creative nature of my client's character in the play.

I also experimented with ways of "completing" the bullet hole effect. I added a backing of silk by simply stitching around the bullet hole on top of the denim. I liked how the exposed stitching drew attention to the bullet hole but the inside of the waistcoat would look tidier if I were to sew a backing fabric onto all three panels.

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After having looked at how denim is woven in class, I experimented with cutting strips of denim and weaving these strips in the twill pattern that denim is woven in, hence becoming an upscaled version of denim: "ultra denim".

Ultimately, partly due to how much time we have available, I chose not to use this to construct the waistcoat. To make it look tidy and well-done would take a lot of time that was not necessarily available.

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Front panel cut out and altered in shape

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Side view of toile on mannequin. This view shows the tail.

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The most important thing was checking the length of the tail and to see whether the end looked too "sharp". The length was perfect and the end does not look too pointed.

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With the success of the toile in mind, I began constructing the fabric for my back panel. I did this by cutting out shapes that I found interesting/unconventional and pinning them in a configuration that I liked.

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This is an idea for a configuration of the right hand front panel with the blue denim panel lying on top of a black denim strip. The top, bottom and outside borders of this panel are cut in line with the front panel pattern.

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Front panel pattern piece placed on top of the original blue denim strip to work out the placement of the borders.

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add more visuals to your padlet

make sure your designer research is connected to your designs and experimentation

don't forget to add self reflections

more sketched designs - initial ideas

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Monday: We now have time to work on the 2D element of our project as we see fit. My plan today is to upload pictures of my production process to Padlet.

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-Finish project plan table

- Finish construction of waistcoat.

-Do artist research and put together the 4 other design boards.

MAKE SURE ARTIST RESEARCH RELATES TO FABRIC TESTS

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Design board 2: focus on history, overalls, more work focused

Design board 3: focus on the 50s and teen culture of the time

Design board 4: focus on the 80s, levis revival, Laundrette advert

Design board 5: couture and how denim is used in the modern world

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Founded in 2010 by Lela Becker and Tim Kaesong, Mother Denim is a Los Angeles based brand known for its unique take on what denim means: rebellion.

Their aim is to infuse each of their collections with an indie spirit, evoking memories of life growing up in 1970s California.

They aim to not take themselves too seriously which is why they are known for their garments are known for their unique designs and soft fabrics, a contrast from the often harsh feel of denim.

Mother Denim uses patchwork techniques in several of their designs, typically overalls or jackets. They tend to use various colours of denim instead of using patches of the same colour, as well as using the reverse side of the fabric, a technique which I have also used on my waistcoat.