We had a good look through fashion collections and choose one that we find interesting. It was suggested to avoid simple tailoring and all-black collections as these would be less interesting to analyze. After, we analyzed the influences of that particular collection and made a sneaker design for a product extension.
The one I chose was Craig Green’s Autumn/Winter 2022 menswear collection. After doing some research, I found some interesting backgrounds behind the collection. He took inspiration from the claustrophobia felt during the pandemic. His idea first surfaced as he found images of a guy who lived his entire life inside an iron lung, which made him think about sensory interactions. As I dive deeper, there were a lot of interesting facts behind his designs. I had never really looked into the story behind these fashion collections, and doing it encouraged me to find out more about other designers’ works. I now firmly believe that behind every design, there’s a lot of pieces of information that goes into their work, and finding out the process and inspiration of finding the ideas is very much interesting. It is extremely phenomenal how each of these designers has different remarkable ways of thinking in their creations. I indulge in paying attention to the details and the meanings behind them. Although the process of finding the information wasn’t entirely smooth, I was able to answer my own questions at the end by looking at Green’s profile and receiving knowledge as well as compelling facts about the designer from various sites.
I did encounter some problems when designing the shoe product. It actually was my first time creating a shoe design. I took inspiration from Balenciaga shoes and then started adding details and made some changes. I am relieved to say that I am content with the result, though, I was a bit confused about what colors to use. After done with my drawing, I tried out different colors by coloring it digitally on my phone for experimentation. There were two colorways, I also tried to add some patterns to the shoe, and I ended up going with the one with the pattern. Another problem is my illustration skills, I had visualized some details in my mind but when I try to pour them into my drawings, the results aren’t always as imagined. Especially when I drew the circle-shaped inflatables on the shoe, I wasn’t able to sketch the ‘stretched’ material effect. Other than that, during the coloring process with water-soluble color pencils, I started out by coloring it very lightly as I was afraid of making mistakes. After choosing the color that I feel compliment each other, I then proceeded to add some shadows and details for a more realistic look. I think my fear of making mistakes could be seen both in a positive and negative way. The positive part is that it shows how I cared and wanted to have the best outcome possible, meanwhile the disadvantaged part of it is that I’m scared of making mistakes and will lack knowledge and the opportunity to explore. The main reason behind this is that because I often think about how I have to redo all the work if I had made mistakes. Because of this, I always try to have structured planning. I actually do realize that I can actually learn more by making mistakes but can’t seem to dare to explore sometimes.
I’ve seen improvements in myself in terms of time management, I’d say I was able to manage my time well during the class. I was confident with my work and it’s very relieving to have felt this. I didn’t feel anxious as much. I suppose it was because I had successfully drawn the shoe base in the first place, and I felt like the next stages are going to run smoothly too. Also knowing that I can continue my work at home if I didn’t finish it on time in class made me more relaxed. One of the factors is also because I didn’t compare myself with anyone during the process, I had my full attention on my work. It was very pleasing to do my work this way as I usually start to panic every time I am starting my work. I tend to worry about people judging me when I want to ask questions to the teacher about certain parts/instructions I don’t understand, I normally ask my classmates or go to the teacher to talk in private. I should overcome this by convincing myself that it is fine to ask questions in front of the whole class, I can get clarity regarding the work, which could also be useful for my classmates in order to make a productive learning environment. Moving forward I hope I will be able to be more relaxed, have a more organized plan, better time management, be more active, and most importantly be fully confident in my work. I believe that if I’m confident in the first step, the next step will flow by itself.
Reference List of Images:
Fig. 1 – Vogue (2022) Craig Green Fall 2022 Menswear. Available at: https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/fall-2022-menswear/craig-green/slideshow/collection#5 (Accessed: 6 October 2022)
Fig. 2 – Vogue (2022) Craig Green Fall 2022 Menswear. Available at: https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/fall-2022-menswear/craig-green/slideshow/collection#12 (Accessed: 6 October 2022)
Fig. 3 – Vogue (2022) Craig Green Fall 2022 Menswear. Available at: https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/fall-2022-menswear/craig-green/slideshow/collection#13 (Accessed: 6 October 2022)
Fig. 4 – Vogue (2022) Craig Green Fall 2022 Menswear. Available at: https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/fall-2022-menswear/craig-green/slideshow/collection#16 (Accessed: 6 October 2022)
Fig, 5 – Vogue (2022) Craig Green Fall 2022 Menswear. Available at: https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/fall-2022-menswear/craig-green/slideshow/collection#17 (Accessed: 6 October 2022)