Designs

Sportswear Research

I continued to research, but this time I focussed solely on the sports side of things, including fabrics, aerodynamics etc.

Design for Stretch: Sportswear

The purpose of this project is to learn about how stretch fabrics work and can be used. In order to do that, I will make up an outfit consisting of 3 different layers...

Layer 1: This will be an under layer made up of an organic jersey, as the theme of the project is ethical. This will need to be either leggings, t-shirt, vest top or briefs etc.


Layer 2: This layer will compliment layer 1, so if I decide to make a pair of leggings, I may want to make a vest top to match.


Layer 3: This final layer will be made up of recycled knitwear and will be used to add volume to the whole garment.


So, the theme is ethical, and the inspiration will from current trends, however I would also really like to focus on sportswear as it involves quite a lot of stretch fabrics, and its a particular aspect of fashion that I am interested in. Its about adapting sportswear to make it more wearable and a bit more formal. To begin the project off, I've looked to WGSN for help with current sportswear trends.

The Jacket

I finally managed to finish the jacket after 5 long, hard weeks of work! And I'm so happy with it! Its everything I wanted it to be: minimal, masculine and oversized. I like the simple details, the pockets and the lapels, the silhouette is always quite straight and slim. The fabric is an amazing 100% wool, with a really nice lined texture and a slight shine. Its probably more suitable for a winter jacket, however I like the way the jacket has sorted of adapted the brief to become a winter piece and more of a coat than a jacket. I love that its very wearable and timeless. Hopefully I'll get many wears out of it before it falls apart!

Final Design

From the final designs, I picked one design and adapted it slightly. I chose this design because I think it matches with my concepts very well, its slightly oversized and straight to give a masculine look. Its also very minimal with panelling at the front and back and pocket and lapel details at the front. I like the collar on this jacket which is unusual, and will be the main feature, with the rest being simple. I altered the length to make it look less like a coat, also it now goes straight down as opposed to going diagonal after the breakpoint, to keep the focus on the collar.

Toiles

After deciding I wanted to create an oversized look, I used a man's pattern blocks to create this look, and decided to alter it according to a one that Sally (pattern cutting tutor) had made up.

Taking in from the shoulder down, (where it is pinned) means the sleeve will sit closer in and the side will be taken in a little, giving a less baggy look, as the mens jacket is massive! So the next step was to do a paper half jacket to test on the stand...

This is what the outcome was. So I adjusted the length as it was too long, and I was happy with the lapel, but it needed a slight reshape. From this I initial pattern draft I altered the patterns to create a half toile.

I was fairly happy with the half toile, but as ever it looks completely different on a stand than it does a person, so with a few minor adjustments, I made a full toile to trial on a model.

The toile fitting went really well. It looked a bit like a lab coat at first, but with a few nips and tucks, was looking much better. I now have quite a bit to do, including taking up the hems, elongating the lapels, taking in the side seam and making the sleeve higher, also the pockets which I have not toiled yet. So lots to do, not to mention the lining!

Collection

There are 60 designs, so I have picked the best ones....