What is good design?
Photo: Lanvin, style.com
While creating the concept for World of Wonderful Boutique, I find myself asking an important question:
“Are my creations good enough? How do I define good design?”
Read More →
5 Most Innovative Designers - Design with sustainable materials
In my research process of design philosophy and trend of sustainability I’ve discovered some incredible creative designers who design sustainable fashion from unusual resources. I was deeply impressed by their creativity, innovation and how they change people’s perception of clothing and create fashion with a conscience.
Enjoy 5 of them I’ve named: “the best of the best”
Sandra Backlund
Swedish fashion designer, Sandra Backlund, is a wizard at sculpting hand-crafted garments that celebrate the everyday form in a most unusual and resourceful manner. Her latest, ‘In No Time Collection’, celebrates the best of sustainable risk-taking in design and fashion with a twist of haute-couture know how and DIY craftiness.
Joao Sabino
Joao Sabino’s keyboard bag is made of 393 keys that is produced in Portuguese white silver model. It is named as Keylver. This limited edition keyboard bag is completely eco friendly and surely looks pretty sweet.
Ada Zanditon
LCF graduate Ada Zanditon was showcased at the Hangzhou Grand Theatre in China for the INTIME 10th Anniversary Show on 12 November, where her show stopping full length red dress was worn by China’s premier supermodel. Ada was selected along with four other UK designers to showcase new trends from the European market.
Ada, who has worked with both Alexander McQueen and Gareth Pugh, was also awarded the Prize for Creativity at the Ethical Fashion Show in Paris in October of this year. Profiled in our Fashioning the Future Show, Ada is well and truly one to watch.
Gary Harvey
Newspaper dress, made from 30 copies of the ‘Financial Times’.
Gary Harvey’s first collection showcased nine of his stunning dresses at the Estethica exhibition at the London Fashion Week (Feb 07). The collection creates a dramatic display designed to change people’s perception of second-hand clothing and create fashion with a conscience. Gary uses material he finds in places like secondhand clothing stores to avoid waste, he says of good quality second hand clothing, people “wear it one or two times then discard it because it’s suddenly deemed aesthetically unimportant and out of date when there’s years of life left in the garment.
Winde Rienstra
A modern approach to classic shapes where the simple cream colour is in contrast with the complex cages designed in 3D and made by hand by Winde Rienstra. The collection includes various fashionable clothing design and accessories. From dress to bracelets to shoes and more.
Resources: Inhabitat | Lancia Trend Visions | iGreen Spot
From Fashion Creator to Entrepreneur - A Guide to Making the Transition
Photo source: vi.sualize.us
This is a guest editorial by Annching Wang, one of the fashion entrepreneurs I truly admire for her ambition of making things happen. This article is mainly adressed to the young or fearful fashion creatives around the world who have started to work on their own dream.
Enjoy!
I often get told that I’m good at making things happen. After all, just fresh out of school, I’ve built two businesses from the ground up, and am now venturing on my childhood dream of launching a fashion line. I could be described as a serial entrepreneur, but it really isn’t any more than experimenting with how to make a living by being me - with my mind, my talents, and my skills.
Read More →
Refreshing Timeless Fashion - Interview with Annching Wang
Today I invite you to meet Annching Wang an ambitious young designer who captured my attention with her strong belief in building a new economy with independent fashion businesses and entrepreneurs at the centre of it.
She has recently graduated with a degree in fashion and technology and has carved the beginnings of a career as a writer and communications strategist for independent fashion businesses. She has learned a lot into this period, so now she’s trying to find funds on a crowd funding platform - IndieGoGo - to launch her first clothing line named: AVERY
AVERY, is a capsule collection of art and is inspired by the power of simplicity and a love of imagination. It was founded by Annching on the idea of taking something classic and refreshing it with a sense of meaning, progress and play.
What I loved the most at her line was her the idea of creating a collection that make people look and feel good, using basic pieces to act as the building blocks of a wardrobe that express personal style and values. Annching strongly believes that intersection between beauty and utility is design.
I’m trying to help Annching bring her fashion dream to life and spread the word to anyone who can contribute on IndieGoGo with funds that may help her to launch.
I’ve talked a little bit with Annching on her passion, her vision and her thoughts on the fashion business. Firstly I’ll invite you to see a short video with her story and then read the interview.
Read More →
How to Get Started in the Fashion Business
As you know, fashion illustration and design go hand-in-hand. And I know a few of you who are interested in starting your own collection.
One of our friends from WYRT community shared with us an event which I think will interest you if you’re trying to start into the fashion business.
I thought this fashion info event lead by Nellie Partow (an actual designer in business) could help point you in the right direction and save you a few costly mistakes. Fashion designer Nellie Partow and Christine Helm, manager of FIT’s Enterprise Center, will explain how to build a successful fashion label.
So if you’re in Brooklin, NY you’re invited on Thursday, January 26, 2012 at 6:00 PM to Learn how to turn your passion into profits and get started in the fashion business.
Location:
Brooklyn Public Library Brooklyn Heights Branch, 280 Cadman Plaza West at Tillary St. Brooklyn, NY (map)
Make sure to confirm your participation here.
24 Paper Fashion Creations You Can’t Miss
The paper fashion is a unique art. You need to strike a balance between the whole creation and the details of the garment. This is why I believe that it is very hard to master.
Below, I’ll share some creations I’ve found very inspiring. These talented designers have done an amazing job! Enjoy! You might also find inspiration for your fashion illustrations.
Alexandra Zaharova & Ilya Plotnikov
Read More →
Inspired by Antonio Gaudi’s architecture
In the last period of time, I had the pleasure to work on a new collection of oversized clutch bags for Rue des Trucs spring summer collection.
Rue des Trucs are two young romanian designers which work I always appreciated and valued.
Read More →
Behind the Doors of Banana Republic
A team of talented people, an army of beautiful models, the most charming designer whose illustrations I’m obsessed with…
Banana Republic opened their studio doors to capture the process from model fittings, styling, hair and makeup tests and all the vision it takes to bring together what will be our Banana Republic in Spring 2012…
Enjoy some pictures taken by “from me to you”, one of my favorites bloggers.
Read More →
How to get exposure and market your line as an independent designer?
Photo source: Fabricly | Designer: The Thousands
Do you ever wonder if you have all the resources to execute a collection properly from the start to finish?
Are you an independent designer whether you’re already selling online or you’re just getting started and looking to market your clothing | accessories line to gain extra exposure?
Maybe you’re a simply fashion lover shopping online and looking for unique or hard to find pieces that other people aren’t wearing? If any of the above apply
Read More →
The copying of fashion design originals
The copying of fashion design originals – “knocking off” or “affordable interpretation”, depending on your point of view – is a practice that designers may have grudgingly accepted in the past, when less expensive copies took some time to reach stores and only those consumers who could afford the designer-label originals could be the first to follow a trend.
This practice is now costing designers dearly as more advanced technology makes it possible to see high-quality copies appear in stores before the original has even hit the market. While it has long been the practice of the American fashion industry to knock off European designs, American designers traditionally did not copy one another.
This article I’ve found on LEDA at Harvard Law School is an article that I recommend you to read in order to be informed on the copyright protection to works of fashion.
Donna Karan: What is design all about?
I’m sharing with you this inspiring video of Donna Karan talking at Parsons The New School for Design. It worth to take some moments listening her.
Some of the lessons I’ve learned from her talk:
Read More →
Design and the Elastic Mind
Source: TED
Paola Antonelli, design curator at New York’s Museum of Modern Art, spread her appreciation of design — in all shapes and forms — around the world.
In this video she previews the groundbreaking show “Design and the Elastic Mind” and designs that reflect the way we think now. A really interesting concept. Enjoy!
