More Front Loading

Postcards from Manchester

Front Loader

The title of this project was "Laundry". I decided to study the technical engineering behind objects such as washing machines and plugs to create graphic designs. I also looked at the paraphenalia of laundry and used it as inspiration to create simple line drawings.

I decided to take these graphic designs through to menswear, mens underwear. Inspired by brands such as 'Ginch Gonch' and 'Bjorn Borg' I wanted to create fashionable boxer briefs for men aged 16-25. The culmination of the print designs were screen prints on cotton jersey. I also screen printed the elastic all with pigment dye. I then proceeded to make small half blanks of mens boxer briefs and printed on top of two pairs of plain briefs which I bought. I then created fashion illustrations of 'geek chic' to add to the quirky appeal of my designs.

Finally I gave my brand a name "Front Loader" and made original swingtags and packaging which really give a brand identity.

Modern Vintge

This unit was based on the title "collections". I am a keen collector of anything vintage or of interest to me. I have built up a collection of all sorts of objects over the years from charity shops, car boot sales and vintage shops. As a result this collection of designs was inspired by old jewellery, images from 1940s/ 1950s magazines, typewriters, vinyl and all sorts of paraphenalia which I own and which have had a life before I bought them. I used digital media such as Photoshop and mixed it with traditional elements such as embroidery and drawing.

I continued the vintage feel from print designs through to the style of clothing. I chose forties shapes with peplums and tailored touches to convey wartime fashion but updated them to suit a modern audience. I looked at dress patterns from past decades and updated the look through shortening hemlines and adjusting the silhouettes. As this is something I do as a hobby, altering old clothes to suit my modern preference, I found it quite easy.

Through the collection "Modern Vintage" I wanted to take vintage fashion and make it current. The digital media and cut of the garments are very now while the palette and styling have a very aged feel deriving from the inspiration of the past.

I enjoyed making this collection, it was my first real attempt at fashion illustration and print designs and am therefore pleased with the outcome.

Unit One: Range of Celebrity Inspired Laptop Covers: Amy Winehouse

Celebrity chosen: Amy Winehouse

Palette: yellows/ reds/ greys/gold / black/ white

Techniques Used: print/ knit/ embroidery/ Photoshop

Notes:

-Swingtags designed on Photoshop inspired by Amy Winehouse's Lyrics and the Lyrics of her musical inspirations e.g. The Ronettes 'Be my baby'. Themes of obsessive love and meltdown in the tags can be seen as representative of Amy's life.

-Tags also reference Amy Winehouse tattoos

- Some embroidered tags are Amy Winehouse quotes

- Relation and inspiration from Sir Walter Raleigh's poem "My Last Will" also representative of Amy Winehouses sad life. Oxford University students were asked to compare Raleigh's writings with those of Winehouse's therefore research led me to this inpiration.

My Blog has Moved House and Changed Name

Originally I was working on Wordpress but wasn't getting on with it too well and eventually stopped posting altogether. I've decided to give blogging another go and had a slight tweak of name, 'Handmade Theories' not 'Handmade Theory' anymore! Plural times!

Ok so I plan on updating you with the work I have done in my first year of Uni at Manchester Metropolitan where I've been studying Textile Design for Fashion. I admit to being a bloody bad blogger (tongue twister there) but will get on the case!


Let me re-introduce myself, Hannah Exall.
From Birmingham, living in Manchester
Love fashion, music, art, history, travelling

... and as you may have gathered quite the geek