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During R&D Week, I chose to have an induction to Riso printing. Prior to my induction, I wasn't familiar with printing in this way. However, as I began researching, as a fashion student, Riso printing can be a useful tool in my practice.

Riso Printing, which is digital screen printing, prints multi-layered print offs from an inspiration, e.g. a print, illustration, etc. In my practice, I like to focus on print and textiles, so riso printing is a good technique to add as it allows you to have the creativity of layering vivid and vibrant colours, which also plays a key role in a lot of my work. Furthermore, riso printing also allows you to play around with how vibrant and rich the colour is, as you can alter how vivid the colour is, e.g. making it 50% colour so it's more transparent and the colour is more faded/muted.

The Riso printer can print hundreds of prints continuously, with everyone being unique. It's unpredictable but I believe that makes it different to other industrial printing methods. For example, it takes multiple print outs to gain a stronger colour or your desired colour. Each stage of print outs can be used a samples and experimentation with playing around with how ideally you would like your print to look. This can give you the insight to colours you want to use.

Furthermore, as a fashion student, I can also use this 'digital screen printing' method to practice and gain samples, prior to using an actual screen printing method. For example, you can play around with colours, placement and vividness within the riso printing stage to take forward ideas into screen printing. This will gain you more samples to layer and play around with different textures too.

When researching into Riso printing and different artist examples, I found that riso printing is very common and can be used in a multitude of ways such as for art and illustration, or posters and leaflets, just to name a few. For example, I looked at different examples of artists using bold lines and colour, to thinner lines and vibrant colours, to a more faded print. The combinations are endless!

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During R&D Week, I had present to denim industry experts my group project, where we created an inspired denim 'trucker jacket' and a brand alongside. This project was a group project combining both fashion and fashion buying courses to create a strong brand that we can present confidently.

Prior to presenting, we had to set up our boards to industry level, meaning presenting our key boards, sketches and ideas ready to be viewed by judges and the public. This was a long process playing around with how the board should be presented and the aesthetic, with sampling and final garment pictures. This allowed me to have creative freedom and really show off our work in a way that is smart, clear and at industry level.

When presenting, we was in front of over 15 industry heads that were to judge us, but also give us key advice to further on in our own pathways within our careers. For example, the judges gave us on styling and layout, which I will definitely be taking forward into personal projects as I know that can be one of my weaknesses!

Presenting to industry, ensured I gained knowledge of what to gather to present, practice on describing your work and just showing it off in a way that makes sense and is clear to the listener. These skills are building blocks for me to work on the more briefs I complete. Currently I am working on a Stefan Cooke brief, which I can use the skills developed previously into practice!

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During R&D Week, I decided to attend the WGSN talk. As a fashion student, I think it's a key idea to explore and forecast consumer trends because this can help attract more customers and sell your own brand. With this data, you can successfully curate products that are suitable to your desired consumer.

Furthermore, by this data being curated, clients (e.g. fashion designers) can understand customer lifestyles and behaviours to understand what ideal products can be made and traded at an ideal time.

During the talk, I was unaware of the vast options of different products and options of trends that can be forecasted - not just limited to fashion trends. You can gain trends and insights into interior design, beauty, food and drink, just to name a few. This knowledge surprised me as it made me realise how majority of product trends, if not all, have been forecasted and in sighted by companies like WGSN.

I also really enjoyed during the talk when the topic of COVID-19 and the effects of the virus, had on the effect of trend forecasting. For example, the booming industries of online retailers versus instore shops. The effects of having to stay at home during lockdown, being constricted to only online shopping ensured instore retailers were constricted and suffered. I learned that WGSN actually strived to helped these companies that trade in shop rather than online reinvent themselves virtually to reach a new generation, and keep up with the modern world.

Knowledge surrounding WGSN is really helpful and can inform me throughout my future career as a fashion student, as well as confidently shape my visions to a suspected market.