GFW 2010 UCA ROCHESTER

UCA ROCHESTER FASHION SCHOOL PROSPECTUS

My garment was photographed by my uni for the fashion school prospectus a while ago. They have now all been printed and here is my dress scanned in!

Its always interesting to see how other people shoot your work. 

RACHEL STEVENS IN PRINT

So after calling around to see if someone had or could get hold of a copy of the mirror i managed to get a hold of some. Pretty crazy when I think how many of these magazines have actually been printed! so here it is in magazine format...

I'm really pleased with the image i think it looks really great and shows it in a really commercial way which different to how I would shoot it for my personal style Its great to see how other people work with it.

NOT JUST A LABEL

My new NOT JUST A LABEL page...

Check it out and have a look at the other designers it has to offer,  in a couple of months I hope to have a few items for sale on there so keep a look out! 

RANKIN IS SHOOTING MY WORK

Today i had a phone call from my head of year informing me that i have been selected to send away one of my outfits to be photographed by the legendary photographer Rankin! The model Rosie Huntington Whiteley of the Burberry campaign will be wearing my outfit which is also very exciting! Some unis have been selected by Graduate Fashion Week to put forward 3 students work to represent them. The shoot is Written about briefly on Vogue.com...

At the moment this is about all i know! I can't believe i got selected I'm in shock! but so so happy! Also happy that my two friends Jo Graham and Steph Eyre got selected too! The outfit has to be sent away on monday! Luckily its my finished garments! Anyway its getting late and i still have more work to get done tonight so I will end with that news and update with my progress when i have the time! In the meantime heres a couple of his recent ELLE covers...

ANOTHER WEEK

Last week wasnt fun it really was quite shit. Luckily my review went fine although we had to have a metting with our head of year yesterday so she could inform us of how worried she is that we are all so far behind!! Im staying calm though. It will all be done on time. It has to be!

Heres a better picture of the shoulder piece on a stand, the straps will be fastened underneath the arms.

Today i managed to complete another jacket! I feel so relieved that this jacket is finished now! It took so long to make and is most definitely the hardest garment i have ever made. I was on edge sewing this the whole time! My blood sweat and tears went into making this bad boy!

Its quite cute as you can take the front piece off to dress it down more and add a little variety to the wearability of it. I also managed to get a meter of my print onto fabric to make the top which features underneath this jacket which should be whipped up tomorrow! 

This week is a little more positive than last week! I hope it remains that way! Although i can see it going slightly down hill as we do have a project due in on monday which i am yet to start! Nothing like working under pressure!

ONE THING AFTER ANOTHER

Absolutely nothing is going right for me again today, the print I have been waiting god knows how long for was partially put onto fabric and by partially i mean 3 out of the 17 meters! The 3 meters that were  printed were printed wrong as the heated machine was not hot enough leaving faded patches, not a good look. So thats another trip to london to get more fabric. So i have to wait another day to print the rest after the machine has heated up properly! 

My leather jackets are all still in pieces i have to wait for my printed linings to sew them in as the lining has to be caught in with the facings so this holds me up slightly again! The white long sleeved jacket has a slight problem, where the leather has stretched on the top sculptured part of my sleeve the bottom section now does not match, so i have a couple of different options of how to resolve that. Neither of them I particularly want to do but thats what happens when you don't have the time or the money to toile things up again out of the final fabrics which is what they would do with things like this in industry.

So for my review on Friday they are asking for 4 outfits to be complete, thats 4 OUTFITS not garments OUTFITS. The majority of the class are no where near that mark for some reason with prints taking for ever and mishaps here there and everywhere that target is just not going to be met. Iv had little cry's and nearly puked a couple of times today, but i did have some good news! I was informed that I can use the sewing machines in a factory back home over easter which could save my whole degree! yes there is a glimpse of light! Lets hope tomorrow is a better day.

HALF WAY TO HAVING A PRINT

So of course my print wasn't completed. Its quite frustrating at this stage when it is completely out of our hands, having to rely on other technicians and technology isn't very reassuring. The majority was printed onto the paper, but with regular interruptions where the machine decided to run out of ink, or just randomly stop for a break. The paper is now rolled up waiting to go through the dye sub whenever that will be. (hopefully soon)

Running around trying to get my print out onto fabric delayed my sewing and still only bits of my jackets are sewn together, proving to be a very time consuming task. I am however quite happy tonight as i realised we have four weeks until easter, rather than the three i thought we had! Anyway im off to sleep. sleep is very precious at this stage. I am however looking forward to getting in the studio at 8 to carry on sewing my jackets! I'll post the progress at the end of the week.

THE FIRST GARMENT

Today I actually started to sew my final garments. FINALLY. 12 hours and an amazing head ache later i almost have my first jacket/shoulder piece ready for the linings (which WILL be printed tomorrow). It was nerve-wracking sewing the first piece, especially in leather, but I'm pleased with the way its turning out!

With help from the technician the sleeves turned out pretty perfect and hold the shape really well. To achieve this without the bulk from all the seams I lapped the edges which creates a different affect as a finishing.

Its not all there yet but its close! just have to sew the sleeves into the main body and attach the facings and fastenings then it can be sent to the factory for the linings. 

Hopefully i will be able to start the second jacket tomorrow which is a more complicated version of this but in white leather. Then as promised my print will also be produced for the dress that accompanies this cropped jacket. Things are starting to progress. Slowly but surely. 

FINALISED PRINTS

Once again I am awake thinking about my collection. I find it hard to get to sleep at the best of times so at the moment Im finding it seemingly impossible what with the endless list of tasks i have to complete by the end of this week circulating round and around in my mind. I have however made another step forward with the finalisation of my print choices. After endless nights playing around with colour and scale i now have 6 slightly different variations of my print which will be made up into a dress, pairs of leggings a top and the linings of jackets etc. 

There has been an on going saga at uni the past few weeks with the printing facilities and technicians. Introduced this year was the digital fabric printing machine which is an amazing facitilty to take advantage of, making the cost of printing a hell of a lot cheaper saving some of us a couple of hundred pounds! The disadvantage of it being new is tutors are still yet to learn the ropes properly and problems have occurred, including the print technician telling us a few days ago printing on jersey wasnt going to be an option on the printer as the stretch made it too difficult. Of course almost all of us wanted some sort of jersey so we were not impressed at the delayed announcemnt that this would not be possible as it is too difficult. After a day or two of panicking trying to find a company to print it in time for our deadline, and the money to fund the printing in the first place, lucking a solution was found!

There are two different ways of digital printing onto fabric one is the printer laser printing the ink directly onto the fabric which has to be a specially coated fabric. The second and cheaper option is whats called dye sub, to print using the same machine onto a transfer paper which then goes through a huge heated roller along with a pollyester fabric, once pressed through the heat reacts with the dye on the transfer paper and the fabric soaks up the ink leaving you with a really great quality print. Quite impressive really. Anyway a girl on the course managed to find a lycra that wasn't cheap and shiny and was suitable for the Dye sub which printed really nicely when tested. So with that we sent two people off to go and collect i think 40 meters of this fabric to solve our problem and save us money. So all being well this week i will have my prints. I hope to God i do anyway.

STUDIO FUN

As i mentioned before i didn't want to reveal too much about my collection before the final garments are produced. Im really enjoying the process of making my collection its really what makes me feel most satisfied and happy, although at the same time it induces a large amount of stress, sleepless nights and a few tears every now and then but thats all part of the creative process!

All my six outfits are toiled up, I'll have a final fitting this week and hopefully if all goes to plan I'll have all my fabrics sorted this week so I can cut out my patterns and send them up to leicester to the factory to be made up! Also my prints need to be finalised, had many test ones printed but still need to play around and make a few changes but they are getting there!

Im so excited to see it all come together and seeing all the hard work pay off. I aim to get in the studio everyday between 8 and 8.30am staying to till closing time at 8, so its pretty long 12 hour days but we manage to have lots of fun and keep ourselves entertained! Often this involves cupcakes to help fuel the day and keep us happy! Lola's red velvet ones from Selfridges are the cup cake of choice!

Inappropriate names for materials provide us with a giggle 

When all gets too much calms is our saviour, pro plus keeps us going in times of need and vitamins are needed to accompany the shit we eat in a hurry. 

Steph obviously hadnt been abusing the supplies...

Dont worry we saved her from suffication. 

So theres a brief update in the world of third year fashion design. I'll try to update a bit more regularly again as hand in is in the horizon (this makes me want to throw up). It really breaks my heart to think this could be the last collection i ever get to make, or if i hopefully do get the opportunity to do more it realistically wont be for a very long time. Why can't i be born into a rich and famous family?! 

HAPPY FUCKING NEW YEAR

Sadly the christmas break is over for my final year of studies, i had planned to do lots of work but i can honestly say over the past couple of weeks I've pretty much done... sweet.fuck.all. It was nice to venture back to my little village although at times rather boring and restraining, that is my own fault for not learning to drive! I've been back in the 41 slum, as me and my housemates like to call it, for a while now and I'm all settled back in (as much as you can settle in to a mouldy mouse infested house) and ready to continue the heart wrenching battle that comes along with creating a collection for a fashion design degree. I'm not too sure whats in store for me in the coming year I have been informed many times by tutors and students from last year that from now it will probably be the most stressful times of our lives! god and i thought it was horrible last term! As much as scaring the hell out of me it definitely excites me and it is definitely going to be the most satisfying year!

FINAL COLLECTION PRINT DEVELOPMENT

I haven't been posting too much about my collection on here recently! I dont want to give everything away so every now and then ill give a little insight! I really enjoyed developing prints for the river island project so I am planning on incorporating a print into my collection and im currently playing with ideas about how to do it! I think im going to use some of the photos i took for the river island project as the lights can fit in with the halucintation part of my concept and i love them and would be a shame not to be able to actually use them! I want to work on top of this with insect wings and maybe some eyes, Tilman Kaiser the artist im looking at for the inspiration behind my collection has insects and eyes worked into his paintings so its a good reference i can use.

Above is a pattern I'm making with a outlined drawing of a flies wing, i placed each on in different positions which took me ages and sent my eyes funny! I want it to end up being a little trippy though!

Then above and below are some quick examples of how i can incorporate the wings and lights together. I put filters on the edited pictures of lights and took different sections i liked tiled it and added the wings on top to accentuate the shapes.

I dont think these will get used it was just to show the idea and a starting point. I think i need to town down the colours a bit but i think once I've worked on them over the next few weeks i should have something pretty hot! Let me know what you think!

BOOK 77

I'd like to introduce my readers to a new magazine hitting the internet in the next few months the first issue has been printed and soo will be up online for everyone to access. The people behind the project include my two housemates Imy Smart and Naomi Brown a.k.a Naomi Styles. Below is a sneak peak at the current issue and a few lines about the concept. Make sure to become a fan on facebook to be kept up to date with the online development!

"Book 77 has been created for the decadent and dysfunctional. We aim to shock those who believe they have seen everything and invite those into a world of sexy, rich and obscene. Book 77 is the essential, quirky, classy and British magazine, which effortlessly combines enthralling journalism, fashion, stories, arts, sex diaries, letters and confessions for men and women."

Its a great magazine offering something a bit different for a change! It's perfect for anyone with a dark side!

YESS I HAVE FINISHED!

I can happily say that i have now completed the River Island competition print project! Its 4.03 in the morning which is a good time to finish before a hand in i think as I actually get to have some sleep!! Thought I'd upload a few things I'm handing in tomorrow first below are my

illustrations...

My illustrations were created using pen, scanned bits of fabrics, my prints and photos mixed up with some different filters.

My range plan above showing the whole collection and print variations. The gap at the top is wear i will be sticking my fabrics.

Heres another close up of an illustration i really hope i manage to get these printed ok!

and finally above is a quick snap of my book i got printed yesterday which cost me over £100 RIDICULOUS! at least it looks good, i did my layout so i had the print to the left my working drawings on tracing paper which had the print positioning underneath so you can see it clearly with out the drawing on top! (i think thats why it was so expensive!)

Anyway my alarm is set for seven in the morning to get everything ready! i wish i could sleep after but its back to working on the collection as i have an assessed review for that in 2 weeks, and there is ALOT to do! But now sleepy times, Good night.

PRODUCTION

I just got back from a trip to a factory i have some connections with back home in Leicestershire, one thats actually still going! Anyway i took a couple of my toiles to the seamstresses that work there to discuss sewing my final garments for my collection! EXCITING! I'm so happy i have someone who can do that for me i know it will be made to a perfect standard and i have time to concentrate on the other side of my work! The leather work in my collection i will be doing myself though unless i find a leather speacialist cheap enough to do it. We will see.


They have some very interesting machines in this factory! Making socks, tights and jumpers etc something i haven't seen being done before! Pretty cool!

FUNDRAISING

Once all of our collections have been made an internal show is held for the judges, who will be selecting 20 students to represent the universtiy at Graduate Fashion Week in London. This costs quite a lot of money to set up there are so many things that have to be paid for and unfortunately the three grand we each pay a year doesn't cover it! So its up to us to get the money together! I think we are expected to raise about £4,000 to pay for a venue and good professional models. So its going to be a long proccess trying to raise that amount of money but everylittle counts at the point!


Today we put on a cake sale in our uni bar and managed to raise £168 to add to our stash! We have a long way to go but we have many different things being planned so hopefully by the end of the year we will have made a good amount!

MYTHOS MAGAZINE

Alexander Jordan is starting up a new project for an online magazine called 'MYTHOS MAGAZINE' Contributors are needed to write articles for the first issue so if any of you see yourself as a bit of a writer have a read of the brief and get involved!

Mythos Magazine editorial brief: the “issues” issue.

Concept;

I am creating a magazine where the editorial images, be that fashion or portraiture, are included and in reference to the editorial texts and articles contributed to the magazine. To create this work I will need written submissions for the magazine that I can then create visual work for it to be paired with.

Because of this I am looking for pieces of fact based editorial writing, this doesn’t mean that the piece has to be full of statistics but it can not be full of un substantiated claims, other than this you are free to write about anything to do with a current issue and write how ever you like as I want variants in both the magazines content and style.

The deadline for this work is the 20^th of November, as it will then need to be proof read, visually represented and then flat planned before the magazine can be finalized for its launch next year.

Any piece is welcome but not guaranteed to be included due to the concept of the magazine, although I do plan to include some texts without also creating imagery from them. Please send a concept, just a sentence, explaining what you intend to write about before you start to avoid having the same thing being written about by more than one person.

Please email any questions and your concepts to;

mythos.magazine@gmail.com

Thank You,

Alexander Jordan

TOUGH WEEK

It's been a bit of a slow one this week! My last post was about the start of a dress I was making and the top peice of it wasnt so straight forward as I had hoped! After draping and doing the pattern for it in a day once I had sewn it together I hadn't got the fit quite right!


So it was back to the stand to adjust the pattern! it turned out i had put too much fabric to the center to make it stand out and not distributed it evenly enough so the sides looked too flat with a kind of bluge out the middle...not a good look! I took the seams apart and split a couple of lines into the top to add in some more fabric where needed.


Once the adjustments were made i stuck the paper all together again to check it all looked ok, you could tell the difference straight away the way it stood was a lot better so i hoped that it would all work out in the actual fabric this time!


I decided to make two variations of the dress, one out of standard calico where the rest will be fitted and the other like planed out of the Organdi fabric with the latex dress underneath which will have a more interesting bottom which will flare away from the body. I want to test out both styles as the two different fabric types will make a big difference and its best to be able to see it to decide which works better.


The calico version was pretty straightforward to make i fused the pieces to make it extra sturdy and it stands really well. The sillohuette is pretty different its interesting but still flattering at the same time! I really want to make myself a nice black version to wear out!


The Organdi fabric however was not so straight forward and caused me a lot of problems which to be honest stressed me out a lot. You see the fabric is translucent so the seams inside have to be finished in an attractive way. Normally a French Seam is used but when i tried that out it was just not working because of the curve in the middle. It ended up pulling and puckering and was sooo hard to sew! I know it doesn't look like it but believe me IT WAS!


So after a few different trials trying to make the seams more of a feature on the dress i had to settle for normal seems which i think i will just have to end up binding inside. So with all my faffing around with the top part to the dress trying to get the fit and finishing right i have yet to finish it! but this week it will be finished!