NEW BLOG!!

Yes that's right a new blog!



PCT INDEPENDENT DESIGNS is still going to be up and be used as my personal blog.


The new blog will be used for my second year where you will be able to see my journey further.


HOWEVER! posts may be slow on this blog so if You're interested then please follow my new blog , 'THIS IS DARK MATTER'

I hope to be posting soon on this blog.


http://thisisdarkmatter.blogspot.co.uk/

Knitting??

I can already imagine what everyone is thinking, a 19 year old knitting away instead of going out partying.

Truth be honest I'm not a party kind of girl so instead I keep myself busy by drawing, working and apparently knitting too.

I first started knitting when I was in school 11 years old when my teacher mentioned that she was starting a knitting club for students during our lunch hour, so I thought why not try it (I was in a lot of after school clubs so this was another addition to keep me busy). So I went and started to practice knitting, I brought my own knitting needles and yarn and started to do it from home. 

Baring in mind I haven't actually finished what I started knitting years ago but it would pop out of my draw and I would start knitting from time to time until I complete forgot about it.

So why take it up again??

One of the main reasons as to why I wanted to take it up again is because I saw this gorgeous scarf online that was roughly £200, it was long, thick and wide and I was in love with it. But obviously I don't have much money due to saving for london. So instead of forking out 200 for a scarf, I thought why not make one myself and I am.

I bought hayfield chunky with wool, 145m, black (obviously) from fenwick and it didn't take me long to finish my wool. Obviously it had been a really long time since I've last touch a knitting needle to which I turned to youtube to reteach myself how to cast on stitches and to join on more yarn. I found this very useful and I'm really impressed with my progress.

I'm guessing that I will need maybe 3 or 4 more bundles of wool depending on how long I want my scarf to be. 

The large image that displays my progress so far and how long a full bundle goes, this about just wraps around the neck and the wool is thick and very soft. Obviously when I've finished I will need to pull the scarf a little to make it seem longer and slightly stretch because at this minute when it's sat how it is now it looks short and thick. Stretching it will make the finished look longer and slightly thinner.

The following videos are the clips that have helped me restart my knitting are - 

Casting on - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWJQvsZ6kT0

Joining on - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cy__eVIDshE

Casting off - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kIhhAM5MFbQ

 <<<< Click to enlarge

It's been a while...

And it most certainly has.

So today I'm going to give an update and an inside look on what I've been up to.

So I guess I should start with my drape project, not going to lie I haven't done anything like this before so I am struggling in some areas such as the construction and creating a pattern piece.
Although it doesn't entirely help that my designs aren't exactly simple to make or recreate on the stand for the matter. But I must say I am enjoying what I am doing so far.

Some of the designs that I've made on the mannequins do look quite complex due to the way the fabric falls. The fabric that I had used in these images was hard cotton, grey which was a thick fabric that didn't entirely fall like silk instead it kept it's shape and created a 3D like effect.

I did experiment with a softer and lighter fabric which I didn't really like the feel off. Simply because I thought it made my design ideas look cheap and tacky So I decided to scrap the fabric and stick to the hard cotton.

My main inspiration for my designs were Gareth Pugh and Tainted Wool because they use a lot of over sizing to their best ability so I decided to use them in my designs.

In further posting I will show progression on my sketchbook and the collection that had inspired me with my designs.

Tainted Wool

Knitted texture and winter inspirations???

So it seems as though the summer is coming to an end, the weather is cooling, the boots are returning and so are the leather jackets which can only mean that winter is slowly approaching.

Although they say that summer is going to last a real long time, can anyone really see that happening??

So why not start looking for winter wear now so you can be be stylish as ever against the cold winds. And the perfect place to look first is 'Tainted Wool'.

Tainted wool is unique knitwear brand located in New York that produces yarn clothing and heavy accessories. 

                      

The brand produce a mixture of shapes, textures and colours that help blend and intertwine within the piece. Looking at the end produce you can see full mobility within the pieces such as the over sized scarves that take shape of a spine and an alien like effect. The work captures both softness and roughness of knitwear which creates the texture in the pieces.

'My work creates representations of how fiber and textile designs give voice to these symbiotic relationships'

The works of these creations are a total must have and would intertwine with everyones outfits during the cold weather. These are such massive and inspiring items to come across, giving me wants to change up my style again and to develop my own thoughts and aspirations.

House Of Malakai

Instagram is probably one of my favorite places to find new and creative things like Malakia.

Looking at some of his work and his bio it is noted that he is a self taught artist who comes from Bali.
He started with hard jewelry and decor in 1999. Malakai started the lable 'House Of Malakai' in 2013 which allowed him to express his artistic style and develop them into dramatic styles. The brand focuses on accessories and head wear, which has been supported by celebrities such as Beyonce and Rihanna.

His work pays particular attention to detail and a combination of hand craft and modern digital craftsmanship.

It is said that his influences are from high fashion, science and underground movements.

"Ancient tribal culture weaves seamlessly with cutting edge technology in the hands of this multi media artist. His work transcends our time – a familiar memory of something we've never seen before."

His work in my point of view is sex, edgy, inspirational and dramatic. Some of his work can look alienated and very artistic. With the photographs he hasn't just thought about the presentation of the accessory but the placement and the story of the image would tell. It is this that shows the artistic flare in the designs as well as the designs themselves.
His work is very inspirational and will come in use for future research and design ideas.

 

 

Update on the self project and personal update

It's been a while since I've posted about the self project that I have set myself but there has been some major complications.

Laptop broke and being walked over with trying to get t-shirts printed. So perfect!
Now that I have my laptop back I can now say that my self project has been put on hold for the mean time till catch up with my coursework.

I also had my first job interview on Sunday just gone, someone actually responded and gotten back to me after months of trying to get a job and it does look promising. But I have been told that if I do get the job then i may have to dye my hair, I'm not going to lie this is going to be hard for me to do as it will mean me looking and feeling like everyone else but at the end of the day I will be representing the company so if I have to I guess I will.
The reason as to why I say that this will be hard for me to do will be because not that I see my hair as everything but i love looking different from everyone, it's how i express myself. Personally being asked to change for a job or for a person to the matter is like taking away my independence but saying this I would be working in a store that is surrounded by top designer labels and brands, I would be bang on trend and it would benefit me so much with news reports and my course work.
So... I wont dye my hair till I know for sure that I have the job and maybe do one more last green top up just to say goodbye to my hair before going all black :P

This will be very hard for me to do and it will make me feel uncomfortable for a while but as time goes on I will get used to it.

So this is as much as i have to say for today/tonight so I will be posting tomorrow to show some of the drawings that I have been doing by ready to be edited but until then I will be doing my coursework and other things.

Fox and Shriek

Last Thursday I had the opportunity to help out back stage of the Fox and Shriek show as well as seeing the show.
I can not describe how much fun and an honour it was for me to be able to see and do what I had experience that day. The whole day was very surreal and I couldn't come to grips that I was backstage running errands for Paul and Matt. There's nothing like running across the street in your platforms for a pair of tights.

My day started at 11am and I was greeted by Matt and Paul and then straight away I was put to work, making 150 gift bags and running errands. I learned very quickly that things needed to be done as quickly as possible and not to be hesitance to ask if there is anything else that needs to be done. I was pinning patches to the back of bright red professor coats, moving empty boxes to a hidden area away from the show, placing stickers on the bag making sure that they all were facing the right direction, looking for a bright red bracelet to go with one of the outfits and running across the street for a pair of tights.
The day went by so fast and the next thing I new it was show time!

Although I was there all day I did get to see the outfits throughout the day but seeing it all together with the music, the make-up and the attitude it made the look complete.
The show had a dark twist with a raven portrayed by a ballerina, opening the show, dancing in between models and showing off Fox and shriek to the audience.

The garments displayed had dark and bright patterns which was shown throughout each garment. The models who displayed them wore them with attitude and sex, showing the audience that they own that piece. The show featured wips, feathers and masks showing a slight bondage side to the clothes.

One thing I will say about my experience is that I would love to start as an assistant, I loved the idea of being busy all the time, having something to do right after another task and meeting a lot of new people. I was able to see what it was like back stage and to see all the effort at the end by watching the show.

One thing that is for sure is that I am ready to work in this field and I would love to experience something like this again!