Deconstruct Reconstruct | Development

One way of developing the mannequin work to designs was to use the fabric in 2D form. I photocopied each item and cut out details and sections that I felt were interesting. Above are a few examples of the designs. Designing in this way was much easier than trying to draw from the mannequin, it produced new shapes and silhouettes and it also highlighted where details from the garments could be placed.

As well as cutting out the photocopied fabrics, I decided to change the colouring of the photocopies to see if it made certain details and shapes stand out more. The item I decided on doing this on was the stripped polo shirt and the suit trousers. Both produced completely different silhouettes and the colour change really enhanced certain details. Again I cut these out and placed them onto drawn illustrations. Although this wouldn't be possible in the time frame, it gave me ideas of manipulating the original fabrics, as well as changing the items around to create new items. The fabric that made the item could be altered, with bleach, dye and paint. The bleach could give a similar effect to the negative photocopy, producing bright whites and reversed colours.

I started drawing up designs from these collages. As all of my previous projects have been conceptual I decided to make something interesting in silhouette and detail, but also ready to wear. So instead of taking the full shapes of these collages, I focused on the details or individual shapes produced; for example, shoulders, collars or sleeves.