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.

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.

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

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.

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

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.

In Kerry's class we learnt how to properly take someone's measurements. We practised by measuring someone else in the class.

Kerry then explained the role of a costume designer, what they had to do and who they had to work with to produce a set of costumes for the cast of a production, regardless of whether it's for film, television or stage. I then researched the current costume designer of We Will Rock You, Kentaur.

Tuesday: We began the day with Rebecca's class where we looked at comp shopping. Rebecca explained what comp shopping involves, which I will explore later on in my PowerPoint.

I'll attach it to the Research section.

In class I began looking at the online presence of some different brands such as Levi's and the vintage shop Beyond Retro.

In the afternoon we went out to do the comp shopping, taking photos and making notes on the shops we visited as we went along.

Wednesday: It was a day off from college so I took the opportunity to carry on with some of the organisation of my sketchbook i.e. printing off my brief and costume designer research and putting them in my sketchbook.

Thursday: We had Welsh Bacc in the morning with Hannah but after our break it was Kerry's lesson. This is when we met our client and measured them which I have put in the Planning and Production section. In the afternoon we looked at methods of distressing denim with Rebecca. I'll talk about this in detail later and it'll be in the Research section. I found some interesting methods of doing it which I'm excited to investigate further and potentially use!

Friday and Saturday: on Friday I had to take some time to myself because of my anxiety and Saturday I was in work so I wasn't able to complete any course work on these days.

Sunday: A very productive end to the week! I produced my title page, analysed my client's character's most significant scenes from the script, ensured that my Project Plan was up to date and updated my Padlet and sketchbook so that the same amount of work can be found in each.

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.

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.

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.

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

Top left: Napoleonic, historical, military

Top right: Conventional, patchwork, punk

Bottom left: Tactical, armoured, warfare

Bottom right: Angles, aggressive, shrapnel

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

- Finish construction of waistcoat.

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

MAKE SURE ARTIST RESEARCH RELATES TO FABRIC TESTS

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.

There are no techniques they have not experimented with so, in contrast to Levi’s which represents denim’s history, Diesel arguably represents denim’s future.

They often use methods of distressing or find ways to create and aged/used feeling in their garments. One example is this “dusty”/“dirty” effect found on these baggy unisex jeans, featuring front knee pockets, playing into the work wear feel of the garment.

What I like about this design is the dyeing that has given the denim this beige colour.

I was inspired by this worn look to apply some realism to my “bullet hole” effect on my waistcoat. I did this by using a lighter to burn the edges of the holes. This had the benefit of A) cleaning up the frayed edges of the bullet holes so that the red lining could be seen, and B) lending the bullet a realistic burnt edge.

His silhouettes tend to be long, flowing and relaxed, allowing the fabric to drape in a way that gives the wearer a physical presence.

He aims to make unisex garments, all the while following a more avant garde design language.

In this example I was inspired by his use of a paint effect to create texture and give the coat more layers than it necessarily physically had. I find the paint almost creates an optical illusion and creates the idea of a completely new garment as whoever wears it will have the fabric drape in a different way.

This inspired me to paint my skull design instead of embroidering it onto my waistcoat, it gives a more “punk”/rough-and-ready feel to the garment and creates a new texture that I have not experimented with before.

The 50s invented the teenager. It was as time of cultural revolution that set the scene for the following decade.

I’ve incorporated elements such as patchwork, distressing and accessorising into the blazer design, with jeans simply adding context to the outfit.

Blazers have historically been a large part of punk culture and fashion which is why I chose to use the blazer as the basis for this design board.

50s teenagers often wore suits, a blazer of course being one of the most prominent elements of suits so it felt like the best pairing.

I would like to use stop motion as the basis of the video, either that or editing the video so that it jumps between shots.

My idea is to have a shot circling the garment to show every angle of it and then some shots of my favourite details such as the stitching, distressing and the painted skull image on the back panel of the waistcoat.

My plan is use one of my classmates as a model for the video, for logistical reasons.

The video will end with her posing in one of Freddie Mercury’s iconic poses from the Live Aid performance.

I have chosen to do something similar to how IFM displays their Fashion BA students’ work. They use a professional photography studio setting with a plain white floor and background to highlight the garment.

I like the “clean” and minimalist feel it creates and that one cannot be distracted by scenery. The focus remains on the garment.

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.

You start a distance away from the hole to ensure that the thread is properly anchored.

It’s important to ensure that the threads are not too close together running in one direction as this can make it very hard to weave through. It can become difficult to differentiate which thread is which, especially if the strands split. This was a lesson I learnt on my first attempt (green thread) and something I rectified on my second (rust-coloured thread).

While it is not a technique I planned to use on my waistcoat, it a useful skill as it has provided me with a way to artistically and tastefully repair damaged clothing by highlighting it’s flaws, rather than trying to hide them away.

My second attempt was particularly rewarding once I had figured out how to make the weaving tidier. It is a technique I will consider for future garments.

Their skits often revolve around the idea of someone asking one of the characters where they got an element of their outfit, from jeans, to jackets, to even their own shoes.

This has catapulted Derschutze into a world of success, constantly attracting new fans. They have been able to capitalise on this by last year promoting their first ever Black Friday sale. To promote the event they not only had many discounted items but on Black Friday itself presented challenges to its customers. These challenges all involved the people who feature on their Instagram account e.g. beating one of them in a press-up competition to get a free garment.

Creating this interaction and connection between the fan base and the people who the fans see online is a great way of making sure they return but also showing new customers that they are an involved brand who at least seem to care about its customers.

He has used social media in perhaps a more traditional way to Derschutze but it has been nonetheless effective.

His posts typically consist of either runway shots or traditional fashion photography with carefully constructed lighting to evoke the desired emotion.

The backgrounds in his photos are often simple, allowing for all the focus to be drawn towards the outfit or garment. His captions often describe the thought process or inspiration of a design and sometimes he will include the illustration of the design at the end of the slideshow.

It is rare that couture designers will be open about how they create their pieces, and I believe this is what personally drew me to his work. There is an honesty in it which can often seem lacking from avant garde couture designers.

These are elements I have included in this design. The collar is tall and does not fold. The sleeves and shoulders are overly structured to give the impression of having been rolled up and to create physical presence. The breast pockets, a classic feature of denim jackets, are constructed using my “hyper-denim” concept. As denim was such a big part of the 80s I wanted to emphasise that as much as possible.

I created an acid wash effect on the design too by using one of the brushes available on Procreate. The final touch was the denim underwear. The Laundrette advert is famous for featuring a man in his underwear washing his jeans at a laundrette. I thought I would pay tribute to that by having the “model” in the sketch wearing a pair of denim underwear and high heels.

The Laundrette advert was always slightly sexual and flirtatious in its nature and I think the heels add to that.

I incorporated rivets to add further edge to the design, trying to blend the elegance of couture gowns and punk culture and clothing.