{"id":1364,"date":"2018-02-14T00:39:28","date_gmt":"2018-02-14T00:39:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/insider.utelier.com\/?post_type=toolkit&p=1364"},"modified":"2019-07-30T12:11:16","modified_gmt":"2019-07-30T11:11:16","slug":"fashion-design-process-part2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fashioninsiders.co\/toolkit\/business-basics\/fashion-design-process-part2\/","title":{"rendered":"Part 2: The Fashion Design Process from Idea to First Sketch"},"content":{"rendered":"
In Part 1 of this article<\/a>, we focused on the research required to develop an initial idea. Continuing from there, we delve into the post-research stage and into the process of ideation.<\/p>\n The most exciting part of the fashion design process is when you have gathered all of your research material and try to make sense of its myriad tentacles, which can take you in many different directions. Prior to reaching this stage though there are a few fundamental tasks you need to focus on.<\/p>\n Try to remember that all of these processes should be fun and that you\u2019re effectively fuelling your creative nous in order to produce interesting new work.<\/p>\n Please note that this article is in continuation of our previous article on the fashion design process. Please read part 1 before as here we are assuming you know some of the terms and steps explained before.<\/p>\n Discovering vintage finds online is overrated as you\u2019re more likely to discover period clothing and discarded artefacts by poking and prying around archival treasures.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n The internet <\/strong>is a great place to start your research as it is the most accessible way to gather information from all over the world. It also enables you to make contact with fabric and trim suppliers who will be able to provide you with swatches.<\/p>\n New technologies <\/strong>and their myriad uses are at the forefront of fashion.<\/p>\n The tech industry has found a natural habitat in its coupling with clothing and accessories designers. The Unseen, led by Lauren Bowker developed a range of dyes that react to heat, pollution, moisture, friction, electrics, chemicals or pressure and they have been applied to leather and fabric as well as hair.<\/p>\n Fashion Trend Forecasting<\/a> agencies such as WGSN are companies that have been set up to specifically look at current trends and cultural pursuits. Through market research, they\u2019re able to offer ideas and directions that are becoming popular in society. These ideas are identifiable as fabrics, colours, shapes and details, all of which are needed to fuel the creative process as a fashion designer.<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n Many an original idea has developed through the study of Street, youth and subculture <\/strong>trends. These trends can include anything from the clothing these groups wear to the make-up and hairstyles that adorn them.<\/p>\n Identify what is new, fresh and directional by filtering out the interests and trends but don\u2019t stop there. Look further back to the past for old street style influences for these can also impact on contemporary design ideas.<\/p>\n The Film, theatre and music <\/strong>industries have always had very close links to dress and fashion. Using film as the starting point for primary research<\/a> is something designers have been doing for years.<\/p>\n Catwalk trends<\/strong> have been started by the release of iconic films as designers tap into the visually stimulating and immersive world. The music industry is now so closely linked to fashion that rap and hip-hop artists are creating their own fashion lines and are featured in many ad campaigns for top designers. You could consider using a music star as a muse for inspiring your collection or the theme of a film as the starting point for research.<\/p>\n Travel – <\/strong>as a fashion designer, keeping your eyes open and your mind active allows you to discover new and exciting possibilities for design development. Consider that everything around you has the potential to form part of your research and this also extends to travel.<\/p>\n Discovering and learning from other cultures and countries can provide you with a rich source of primary research material and should form part of your research for new collections. This wealth of information can then be translated into contemporary fashion design.<\/p>\n Vintage shops and flea markets <\/strong>are perfect for getting up close and personal to the construction methods used in historical clothing and accessories. It doesn\u2019t stop there as there\u2019s nothing more satisfying than leafing through old books or magazines and discovering something unique between the sheets. Discovering vintage finds online is overrated as you\u2019re more likely to discover period clothing and discarded artefacts by poking and prying around archival treasures.<\/p>\n Art galleries and museums <\/strong>are a wonderful source of primary research as they firstly contain a vast selection of different types of artefacts, objects and historical treasures. Secondly, they\u2019re host to many speciality exhibitions whether that be in regards to fashion designers, artists or architects.<\/p>\n Magazines <\/strong>are useful for revealing what is happening in fashion at the present time. It\u2019s interesting to discover what other designers are creating, not for the purposes of copying but to give you an understanding of what has already been created and the possibilities that are open to you. Try to discover the less obvious magazines as these will focus on niche markets and feature new talent as well as new forms of art direction, new photographers and stylists and hair and make-up artists.<\/p>\n Compile your work in a Sketchbook <\/strong>and treat it as a diary to record your findings for the collection you\u2019re yet to design.<\/p>\n Within your sketchbook you will, no doubt, exercise your drawing<\/strong> skills. Focus on all or part of the objects you draw as this will give you a greater understanding of how they are shaped and formed.<\/p>\n Use different types of mark making materials such as paint, biro or felt tip pens and exploit the styles and qualities of line, texture, colour and tone.<\/p>\n Collage<\/strong> is a great way to compile your research material. Cutting up material, photographs and fragments of artefacts and sticking them together on a page, can add depth to your research and even inspire new ideas for textile creation.<\/p>\n Juxtaposition <\/strong>is a method that can unite disparate elements that share similarities in spite of their differences. The Deconstruction <\/strong>of your research simply allows you to view it in a different way.<\/p>\n For example, by magnifying certain areas of an image, you\u2019re able to focus on a detail and to arrive at an abstract idea from the original source. Furthermore, you\u2019re also able to break the information up and reassemble it differently to create new shapes, lines and abstract forms to work from. Deconstruction methods, applied to clothing, can also enable you to learn how vintage garments were constructed.<\/p>\n Patterns<\/a> can be made from the pieces and could be translated into your own design ideas. Your initial research may be quite confusing and abstract but by\u00a0cross-referencing <\/strong>it you will start to look for related visual references or ones that complement each other. These can then be grouped into early themes or concepts for you to explore further in the fashion design process. As the essence of cross-referencing is to mix sources of research that have similar qualities, it\u2019s an essential part of any good research and the early analysis of it.<\/p>\nStep 4: Where to find your research material?<\/h3>\n
Step 5: Compiling your research<\/h3>\n