RENDER ME COLOURFUL
Throughout my sketching process I have always feared that I will ruin my sketches if I make the wrong colour choice. As a result, a lot of my initial designs remain as black and white pencil sketches until I have my fabric swatches. A few years ago I developed a habit of laying tracing paper over my sketch pad and applying my colour there as a way of getting around this. This gave me the ability to test and compare my options before having to commit. Since then it has become a key technique in my design process and has helped me manage my commitment issues.
'Render Me Colourful' is the manifestation of this technique in a 3D form.
Drawing inspiration, in part, from cartoon clothing, the use of strong outlines solidifies the silhouette in the base garments and emphasises the minimal ‘t-shirt and jeans’ look which has long been synonymous with streetwear. Using a skirt with the painted suggestion of trousers on it further develops the idea of something coming to life from a flat piece of paper.
One of my main developmental processes for this project was the use of half-scale mannequins for sampling and toiling. The biggest design challenge with this project was how the base and adorning layers would interact with one another. I experimented with this in my sketchbook but it wasn't until I actually moved into 3D experimentation that the idea began to fully develop. Through the semester I experimented with a variety of painted patterns, 'stitch lengths', and optimising my paint to water ratio. As I am not an experienced painter this was a great challenge for me, especially painting on challenging mediums like fabric and plastic!
Each of the three garments in this project are hand painted with acrylic paint. The white cotton bases of the skirt and t-shirt were painted with black to exaggerate their silhouettes and details while the plastic overcoat was painted with the three primary colours in a more freeform style.
The right front and left back pockets of the skirt are functional, as is the red patch pocket on the coat. The remaining pockets are simply painted on, including the coin pocket on the right front of the skirt.
The addition of the plastic coat allows the wearer to experiment with the colour of their garment without permanently altering the original layer. It also acts as a way of preserving the condition of whatever is underneath. One could have interchangeable external layers which alter the way in which the overall look is perceived or simply stick with what they started with.
This project was awarded Highly Commended in the Streetwear section at the 2019 Hokonui Fashion Design Awards.
