NOTES FROM CRITIQUE

  • Consider whether customer age works with price point/market level and how they will purchase from you
  • Customer who would purchase from the brand would save up for one off, high quality garments, rather than purchasing lots of cheaper garments (fast fashion)
  • Vivienne Westwood- look at her customers
  • Narrative- what is audience- someone interested in sustainability/ alternative fashion/ rebellious spirit of punk/ anti consumerism/ anti fashion
  • Brand surrounding anti consumerism and sustainability
  • Could create poster (that could go up in store/online) from brand outline. Could include tagline (about anti consumerism/ quality garments/ rebellious spirt of punk. Similar to Brewdog manifesto one.
Image result for brewdog sustainability poster
  • Experiment with intarsia knit (messy reverse side) and fair ilse knit

IDEAS

  • Knitting from recycled fabrics- plastic bags/ old t-shirts?
  • Climate change protest?
  • Fishermans rib stitch – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v9_oQlmilBg
  • Felting- source from Abakarn
  • Knitting scrap fabric?
  • Weaving
  • Couching
  • Free embroidery- layering different fabrics and stitching over in lines
  • Could look at digital print onto fabric to create stripes/ bold colour?
  • Poem about climate change- could be added into look book
  • Images from climate change protest
  • Look into sustainable, contemporary practice
  • Punk knitting – Vivienne Westood 1976 – layering bold print underneath spaced out knitting?
  • Adding metal chainlinks onto jumpers?
  • Dries Van Noten Spring 2017
  • Christian Wijnants- oversized garments/ contrasting colours/ sections

KNITTING SAMPLES

  • Knitting criss cross onto fabric in chunky wool
  • Frayed knits
  • Frayed knits layered over each other and pinned on manikin
  • Threading hanging down knit
  • Could have fabric underneath the knitting
  • Incorporating safety pins into knitting
  • Weaving into knitting
  • Really chunky knitting
  • Embroidery illustration (for pocket)
  • Knitting with holes in, layered over each other on manikin
  • Detailed trimmings/ hems?
  • Combining different techniques/ materials

KNITTING IDEAS

  • Could do embroidery onto fabric in different directions (like image on photoshop)
  • Dropping stitches to create gaps
  • Mixing different textures/ chunkiness
  • Creating patchwork effect by joining lots of small different styles of knitting to create full garment
  • Hanging bits of thread over the arms/ at the bottom of the jumper
  • Putting hand picked buttons/ safety pins within the jumper in random places
  • Joining together the different knits with safety pins
  • Sewing patches together with different coloured wool?
  • Knitting with string?- chunky string
  • Detailed embroidery on pocket?
  • Necklaces could be attached to the jumpers? Made into one piece
  • Couching onto thick wool

CUSTOMER

Both of my customer profiles are creative people, both interested in music and art, and therefore a very bold, experimental and creative brand is desired. They both regard clothing as a way of expressing their personality and enjoy using clothes as a statement. My brand will reflect this, taking inspiration from punk music, fashion and transforming it into a contemporary, cool/exclusive brand. The garments will be bright in colour, to appeal to my target market’s desire to stand out and make an impact with clothing. Although my target market may not be directly involved with the climate change movement, the brand will convey the rising concern with sustainability as something to be considered very important when it comes to clothes. My target market is evidently students/ today’s youth and so universities/ events/ Instagram is where I will advertise the brand. Contemporary music will also be embodied within my brand to target this market. Both customer profiles are interested in quality design and so garments will be made from luxury wool and long lasting materials to accommodate this.

  • Age range: 18-27
  • Male or female- unisex brand
  • Creative people
  • Bold, confident personality
  • Environmentalists
  • Interest in sustainability
  • Interest in quality, luxury garments
  • Someone who wants to express themselves with clothing
  • Desire for statement garments
  • Not afraid to stand out
  • Very individual

CUSTOMER PROFILE 2

I decided to do an additional customer profile to gain a better insight into my target market, ready for developing my branding.

AGE: 23

GENDER: Male

LOCATION: Leeds

OCCUPATION: Undergraduate student at Leeds University studying Graphic Design.

EDUCATION: University level

FAMILY STRUCTURE: Living on his own in student accommodation.

CONSUMER HABITS

His main priority when buying clothes is how they look. He doesn’t buy clothes too often but when he does he prefers to buy quality garments that look good. Although the quality of the clothes is his main priority, he has recently become aware of the importance of sustainability and so would feel better about himself if he knew what he was buying was ethical. His favourite stores include: Oi Polloi, Patagonia, Universal Works, Adidas and Carhartt.

WHAT HE SPENDS HIS MONEY ON

He likes to spend her money on going to events, music gigs, night clubs, buying records, going to the pub and buying new clothes.

STYLE

Due to his love of Graphic Design, he enjoys wearing bright, bold colours which make a statement. He isn’t afraid of clashing colours or prints and enjoys standing out with his clothing choices. He often layers his clothing and wears oversized, relaxed fits.

MUSIC

King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, The Smiths, Skepta, Eric Clapton, Wu-Tang Clan.

LIFESTYLE

He has a busy lifestyle, working on university modules during the week, and playing small gigs/ going to events at the weekend. He is a very social person and is always meeting up with his friends. He is often getting the train from his university city (Leeds) to his home city (Liverpool).

HOBBIES

He is a very creative person, is interested in music and collects records in his spare time. When he is not at university, he plays small, local gigs with his friends in a band. He enjoys going to music festivals, a recent one being Glastonbury.