PLEATING

Pleating produces great textures and is extremely easy to do. It is a type of fold that is formed by folding the fabric back on itself, giving a concertina effect. It is tremendously popular with fashion designers as there are so many effects that can be created with this technique. 

ALEXANDER MCQUEEN

These couture garments by Alexander McQueen are my favourite examples. The pleats are positioned in a variety of directions which flow upwards. The use of two toned style fabric, fading from dark to light, adds to the effect by adding dimension and depth. This has also been done by layering the pleats.

VIKTOR AND ROLF

Viktor and Rolf's use of pleating has created outstanding dramatic designs. Different sized pleats have been used using thick materials, which have created structured and bold garments. This has given a completely different effect to Alexander McQueen's designs which are free flowing and elegant

Pleating is not only used in high couture fashion, but also in high street stores.

TOPSHOP

Blue pleated shorts, £30 

ZARA

Pleated Bell Bottom Trousers, £39.99

These highstreet pleats are smaller and made for day to day wear. The use of smaller pleats gives a less flamboyant look to those above. I'm in love with Zara's pleated trousers. They look detailed and structured, yet light and flowy due to the sheer fabric, perfect for a hot summers day. 

I experimented with the technique of pleating and produced samples using a variety of fabrics. 

OWN SAMPLES

These are my first pleating samples made from organza and polyester fabric. I intend to develop further, by dying the fabric as well as experimenting with size. I will also use the style of Alexander McQueen's designs above as inspiration and will use layering and think about the positioning of the pleats to create interesting effects.

Visit TEXTURED again to see what developments have been made.

Joelle

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BURNING

The technique of simply burning fabric is an absolute favourite of mine. Completely different outcomes can be created depending on the type of fabric and how close or long you burn the fabric for. I briefly mentioned in my previous post about the technique, and how the beautiful interesting textures are created by the shrivelling of fibres in the fabric. It produces a crinkled piece, which if you look closely, creates some amazing interesting patterns and shapes. You cannot control the outcome, which is what I love so much, as you do not know how it will turn out until it's finished. 

Giles Deacon's extravagant designs at London Fashion Week 2014, were what inspired my interest in burning fabric. The collection has a very Edwardian ghostly feel to it. However these two garments from the collection have a dramatic shabby sheek look, due to the giant burnt holes which are the main features on the  garments. The crispy dark edges outline the shapes of the holes made and has a dark edgy feel to them. I am in love with these high fashion designs and relates well to the kind of fabric manipulations that I intend to explore throughout my current project.

This was my first go at burning fabric. I used plain polyester, which I feel definitely works the best. It produces a light floaty piece that looks extremely delicate. Holes, ripples, creases and creators are made through the process which is extremely textural. However the process of just burning does not take much skill or effort. This is a great starting point but still a lot can be done to develop the sample and take it to the next step. 

I took my theme into consideration, and used gold thread and embroided around the raised textures made. This gave an extra depth to the sample as well as making it slightly more intricate and adding more texture. It also added colour and made the patterns that were created by burning really stand out. I was really enjoying this technique so decided to experiment with other fabrics.

I moved onto using organza as this is another fabric that I am considering using for my current project. Once again it has a free, floating feel to it, which is the effect I am going for. I came to find organza fabrics are slightly tricky when trying to burn. They burn extremely easily, so at first all I was creating was holes. It wasn't the effect I was hoping for, but still decided to add stitch to it, and it did become an interesting sample. It was thin, delicate and had a frail feel to it. I decided to try again, this time making sure not to burn so close to the fabric and for not as long. The fabric shrivelled up just like the polyester, but a lot more care was needed. Again the interesting dips and crinkles were made, however I came to find it changed the feel of the organza quite a lot. It became stiff and not as free flowing. 

The stiffness still didn't put me off using organza fabrics as I loved the transparent look about it. I tried again this time using a red organza. I used the quick far away approach with the flame. This sample shows how I then developed with beading. Beading adds extra texture and detail to the sample. 

I have definitely not finished with burning and plan to incorporate it with other fabric manipulation techniques, to see what could be created by combining them.

See what comes next by visiting again.

Joelle

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TEXTURE IN NATURE

Texture is everywhere, and all of natures textures can be used as inspiration for textile design. My project theme of 'The Seven Deadly Sins' needs a variety of textures to clearly separate and reflect the individual sins in an obvious way. I started thinking of the sin Sloth. The lazy sin automatically makes me think of floaty fabrics and soothing colours. That's when I thought of rippling, flowing water and lapping sea shores.

The rippling waters were a great start for creating interesting textures and shapes, due to the swirling and rippling, and the constant change of direction.

Straight away the techniques of gathering and burning came to mind. I love how with gathering, you can create a change of direction, almost like the sea. I used polyester fabrics which are light and floaty, which physically resembles water as well as the sin sloth. Gathering has to be one of my favourite techniques. It is so easy to do yet gives an extremely interesting effect. I also love how you can get a totally different effect and texture every time, so it is constantly unique looking. This is due to the size and direction of stitch, as well as how much the fabric is gathered. I love stitching the lines both vertically and horizontally as it produces more of a random pattern and more importantly even more texture! 

Fashion designer Liu Fang, shows great gathering on her Spring/Summer 2013 collection. A different effect has been created by using thick fabric and larger stitches. The fabric has also only been gathered in one direction. Liu Fang has developed this technique and used it as the focal point on this garment. 

The thin layer of sea foam that is left behind by the wave inspired my third sample. (Middle sample from above) I decided to use a burning technique, which is as easy as it sounds. Burning fabric allows the fabric to crinkle as it forces the fibres to shrivel up. It is impossible to control what happens to the fabric which is why the outcome fascinates me every time. Holes can also be created if burnt for a longer amount of time or more closely. This is what happened with the sample above. The burning and the polyester combined created a really intricate, delicate looking piece. I also felt it fitted in perfectly with the theme The Seven Deadly Sins, by using fire to create the sample. I wanted to add more depth to the sample and more detail, so stitched around the burned holes and crinkled fabric with a gold thread. This gave the sample a more sophisticated look and added more texture. 

For another TEXTURED post, visit again soon!

Joelle

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THE SEVEN DEADLY SINS

I am currently working on a project exploring the theme 'The Seven Deadly Sins.'  Straight away I knew a lot could be done with this theme, looking at the individual sins; Wrath, Pride, Envy, Gluttony, Lust, Greed and Sloth. All can be interpreted in different ways by using different fabric manipulation and print techniques, as well as using a range of fabrics to create a variety of effects and textures. Each sin can have its own colour mood, texture and fabric. The theme came to me whilst working, when a new range of organza fabrics came in stock. The colours being a fiery devil red, a dark royal blue, a deep emerald green, a glorious gold and a pure clean white. The idea followed at once whilst seeing how well all these colours actually complemented each other. 

I created seven colour mood boards, showing off each of the seven sins. Mood boards are a great way to get started, as they capture the mood and set the tone for the project ahead. They are also great to present ideas to others and  helps to communicate the intentions for the project. These mood boards also show where my inspiration for the theme came from. The work of Alexander McQueen, Jean Paul Gaultier and  Zuhair Murad have all inspired the theme and have given me great ideas. All of these designers have the most delicate, yet heavily embroided, fabric manipulated and textual pieces.  All are so elegant and show off the amount of time each one has taken.

ZUHAIR MURAD

ALEXANDER MCQUEEN

SEAN PAUL GAULTIER

These three garments fit in perfectly and are great inspiration for the theme.  They all show depth by using layers and by the building up of fabrics. Zuhair Murad's design fits in well with the sin Pride due to the use of bird feathers. The layered feathers add volume and a light 'floaty' feel. Alexander McQueen has also used feathers, however a totally different effect has been created. It has a fiery dangerous feel to it, relating well to the sin Wrath. The use of colour really helps by the way it starts a fiery red then becomes black, giving the garment an angry feel.

The theme of ‘The Seven Deadly Sins’ does not obviously involve objects, instead are more feelings and moods. This gives the chance for all the techniques and fabrics to create these moods in an abstract way. 

To see what samples have been created from being

inspired by The Seven Deadly Sins and the designers above, visit again for the next TEXTURED post. 

Joelle

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TEXTURED INSPIRATION

Textured fabrics in fashion have always been my point of interest and the main focus throughout my degree. The different effects created by using a range of fabric manipulation techniques fascinates me due to the unique outcomes. I love how no two samples can be completely identical so gives the opportunity to produce one of a kind pieces. 

Alexander McQueen is responsible for my passion in textured fashion. He was a fashion designer, famous for his extravagant, 'out there' designs. The extreme use of gathering, ruffling, ruching, embellishment and bead work, create outstanding and artistic theatrical garments. All are unique and could be considered 'over the top.' Some being elegant and poised, whilst others are daring and dark. 

McQueen's collections have encouraged and been the inspiration for my own work. Experimenting with different techniques and fabrics have enabled me to create samples which I shall later use to construct my own Alexander McQueen inspired gown. I love playing around and mixing different media's together, for example using photography in my work. I shall be blogging about my own fabric manipulations, embroidery and prints, as well as the influences and found textures that have inspired them.

Visit again soon for the next TEXTURED blog post.

Joelle
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