von der skyline zum bordstein

The business of fashion is changing constantly.
Still there were a few things you could rely on.

In the past fashion houses and designers established their unique handwriting and brand identity over a long period of time. Nowadays some big houses are changing their creative lead almost every year or season.

Is it still possible to maintain and communicate certain values?
Is there a responsibility towards the customer that is about to be neglected? What do these changes mean for the work of a designer?

CONTEXT

Semester project

MY ROLE

End to end design:

Design research

Conception

Colletion development

Print design

Print production

Pattern making

Sampling

Final production

Visual documentation

DURATION

Five month

TECHNIQUES

Substractive screen print

Dévorée

Flock print

Foil print

Dyeing

Draping

FRAMEWORK

To understand the impact of these drastic changes,

I decided to research brands that didn't survive the shake-up of the fashion industry during the 90s to 00s. The story of one particular brand caught my attention. Known and celebrated for their haute couture garments, founded in the 80s in Paris and closed in the 00s, this brand

produced custom-made pieces for an exclusive selection of customers.

Yet,- or therefore the brand couldn't survive. After the brand was sold, the new owner started to produce ready to wear clothing and everyday goods like stationary and home textiles for an average wage market.

CONCEPTION

Von der Skyline zum Bordstein (from skyline to curbstone) describes the brand‘s development as I perceive it,as an opportunity. To react to the changes of the market I decided to design a collection that's repositioning the brand in order to assure its viability. It‘s important to state that I don‘t want to lose the very specific atomsphere of couture garments.

Therefore I'am using strong references from the brand's haute couture history. At the same time the collection will be ready to wear and translate couture materials and techniques into more cost effective alternatives – combining couture‘s volumes, colours, motives and techniques with the clothing and materials of everyday streetwear.

SILHOUETTE

Searching for silhouetts and volumes by mixing and matching the findings and key points of conception, research and references.

BASIC BLOCK

REFERENCE

FIRST APPROACH
ON MALE BODY

BASIC BLOCK

Taking a closer look at one outfit of the reference pictures, it became apparent that the silhouette of this garment is stylizing the body, giving it a sharp, narrow, rectangular shape. The natural shoulder height is raised and straightened with the help of shoulder pads. Shaping the physical body into a certain silhouette is one of the key techniques of couture.

By creating a specific basic block that captures certain aspects of this silhouette, I was able to keep some of the couture feel even though it will be a ready to wear and mens wear collection. Changing the appearance of your basic blocks will dramatically influence the look of every outfit of the collection, making it a powerful method in collection development.

SAMPLING

Creating sample looks by realising some of the sketches and combining clothing references of the research. Experimenting on the body to achieve the right balance between couture volumes and streetwear references.