Chimerical Conundra - The Graduate Collection 2011

Chimerical Conundra means a wildly fanciful puzzle, the process of making has been like unravelling a knotted thread. This collection was made utilising the negative spaces created from commercial pattern cutting. Pieced by pieced together to create simple workable shapes. I designed this collection to challenge the current fashion system and to educate consumers and designers about the wastefulness of this system. The way forward is to consume less for longer, to buy quality clothes that become precious items and to transcend trends towards more sustainable wardrobe choices.

“ Creative pattern cutting is not all about mathematics and measurement... it is about space and body, balance and movement.” (Julian Roberts)

This collection was made under the umbrella of RISK design, It’s ultimate goal is to educate alongside a sharing and knowledgeable community of design practitioners this can create change. Sustainability and ethical choices are the basis for these products. It is integral to the environmental choices we make in all aspects of our lives. Designers leading the way by teaching consumers about ethical practice and the choices therein. A long term solution in revolutionising the fashion system.

Fabrics used in this collection are Silk, 100% Lycra, and Wool sourced from New Zealand and Australia. The fabric was sourced from two local businesses Adventure Outfitters and St Clair Designs, thus it has previously been through the commercial pattern cutting process. I utilised the offcuts by building larger geometric shapes, incorporating neck and armholes into seams and an integrated system for tying. Inspired to return to a more traditional way of dress. The outer garments are One Size Fits Most and are transformable to be made the wearers own.

Peace.

Knitted Dinosaur Hood - Full Colour

Knitted Dino Hood

Reversible Rectangle Top 100% Silk, Lycra Onesie

Starfish Garment 100% Silk, Lycra Bodysuit, Knitted Dino Hood.

100% silk top, Lycra Onesie

100% Silk Dress, Lycra Bodysuit.

100% Silk Top, Full Circle Skirt, Lycra Onesie, Knitted Dino Scarf

THANK YOU: Adventure Outfitters & St Clair Designs for their contribution of fabrics. Glenys Clements, Christine Hardisty & Colleen Kelly for their knitting skills.

 IMAGES: BODY: Georgie D - Ali McD Agency, FACE: Leila George, PIX: Teryn Harris.

experiment 10 + experiment 5 = awesum!!!!!!!

starfish pants!!!

Experiment 5 cut and pasted into starfish shaped pant/cape/woteva!!!!(experiment 10) wear it your own way type garment!!! I am working with a tie system so it can be worn gathered or not as well. It is a One Size Fits Most garment!!!! I am definitely beginning to see my garments in a contemporary dance situation. That would be awesum to see!!!
Although their down fall is that it takes time to lace the ties through the outer leg seams, and waist/wherever. But this gives the wearer the chance to know the garment and wear it in their own way, thus creating a relationship. excellent!!! Also made from rubbish!!!!!!
                                                                                                                                         

one hour zerowaste t-shirt !!!

zerowaste t-shirt 1

zerowaste t-shirt 2

dynamics of a simple zerowaste t-shirt

me n my new t-shirt

zerowaste t-shirt made in an hour, very simple idea, take a rectangle fold it in half sew some shoulders, side seams and a tunnel at the bottom for a tie, which had been cut off the fabric earlier to bring it down to the right size. Then hem the left over holes as arm and neck holes. I made the blue one ages ago and its one of my favourite shirts. It has small gathers in one side seam and both shoulder seams. It is cotton so is excellent in summer, the orange one however is some retro polyester and it doesn't wear well in hot weather or dancing extreme times. must remember that!!!!

cut + paste!!!!

the luxury of cut and paste. such a great way to transmogrophy some type of garment, experiment 2 has been changed and cut and sewn and cut and pasted back into so many options. it has evolved and changed my thinking, let me see the colours together and experiment with sewing techniques. it has been an integral part in my process of design and thought. to be able to cut shape and paste into onto within without through over under around anywhere, to shape and change to experiment and work in a 3D world. a working garment!!! a transmogrophier of body, shape, cut + paste!!

experiment 2 front

experiment 2.1 front

experiment 2.2 front

experiment 2.2.1 front

experiment 2.2.1 back

 

experiment 6 - exciting places!!!

working flat to start.

back

front

working towards making a one size fits all garment I started off by working flat to make a base to grow off, over time i've realised that needing a stable base to work from is the key, so for this garment I decided to start by working flat and getting some more defined direction into the garment by creating a shape by adjoining 2 of the same pieces but leaving a hole in the middle for the neck, as this is a draped garment and does not need to be fitted it was alot easier to work, once the flat sections were sewn together I then draped it over the mannequin and played around with making arm holes and a waist closure. originally intending to make this into a dress I actually stopped here and decided it would be more appropriate as a top and very simply closed the seams to create sleeves/armholes and added a tie to the front bottom which then can be tied up at different lengths, this then corresponds to my thinking in making a garment that would fit more than one size.   

this garment changed my direction into a much more exciting and happier one, I am now looking forward to the end of this challenge as I can see things growing from this point into something much simpler and more amazing than I had envisioned at the start.

experiment 5 - onesie

front of onesie

back of onesie

ah the onesie, such an awesum piece of clothing, basically just draped piece onto piece, making a very loose fitting crotch and one long leg, very unfinished at this stage but moving into the area i'm feeling more comfortable with colourwise. At the start I had been trying to avoid using black, But after reassesing my fabrics I realised I would have to use black as there was alot of this in stock. This also started from the last experiment and through this I found myself more excited about what was going on and where my garments were heading, I was enjoying the colours watermelon, teal, blue and red mixed with black, this lead me onto design a knitted hood to go with the garments which is now in production thanks to my wonderful hand knitters = Christine Hardisty, Glenys Clements and Colleen Kelly. 


But yet again I needed to move onto the next piece as I had two seperate things going on and there was a need to get atleast 3 pieces together that were cohesive and build on those.

experiment 4 - some type of pant.

front

back

So moving onto some type of pant, and I do mean some type of pant literally hahaha. You'll understand what I mean when there's a clearer picture. Mostly using drape, knowing that there is a waist fit and everything can hang from there, creating tunnels - actually building them onto the outside of the garment, which you can see on the front right hand side(the pink bit). At this point I am trying to bring things together into a more cohesive perspective and I have tried to bring colours from the wool jacket into the pant. I didn't go much further than this at this point as I was aware of timing constraints and wanted to move on as I was starting to get an idea of where I wanted to go. 
I was also starting to get more of an idea of the total ridiculousity of some of my garments, they were continuously cracking me up and I couldn't stop laughing at them, they seemed so weird and out of place, which was an original intention. I had from the start intended to make something colourful, sculptural and textural. I had also just managed to get a smocking machine which I wanted to use to bring in some more texture, at the start I just smocked a few different pieces of fabric and tested out sewing them into seams, its very time consuming having to tie off the ends of the thread. So I incorporated a few pieces into these coulottes, I had to cut some out as it was to much and it looked wrong, so this began my editing phase, deciding to use smocking but it needed to be subtle, maybe underneath things/tunnels to help lift the draped pieces up. 


So I got to this point and moved onto the next piece.

feeling funk*D

 

Front, side, back, side!!!

been feeling a little bit not into it so i decided to make something else, do an experiment see what happens. So I made this silk top. its FOR SALE $60. SIZE 10 NZ!!!!!! this can be worn frontways or backways, wear it yourways!!!!!!!.  help me fund some shoes for my collection go on you know u want it!!!!




actually i was stuck with what direction to go in next there were atleast 3 different things buzzing around in my head and i had to get one of them out to make room for the right track. so i set myself a challenge of making one garment, it just needs binding and hemming to make it finished.

that is all!!!!!

splendiferous occasions happenstance upon us!!!!

breaking the rules and taking risks pushing the boundary's of what is true and proper. 

finding the way thru piles of fabric.

splendiferous occasions happenstance upon us when we do this. 

such a way should be known.

to know. and have. and keep. and hold.

roll thru till you can see it. find it and keep it true.

it's not always there to see. 

but time is all you need.

experimentation, questions, answers and thought. 

where how why what? when?

now no yes ? i dont know.

just do it you'll see!!!!

you'll see!!

me?

you

who?

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