Self Initiated Project 1 - Inspirations, Context & Development

Developed from an exploration into protest, youth subculture and social society, my first self initiated brief of third year has turned out to be one of my most successful projects to date. My interests within design revolve heavily around reacting to my personal world and the things that happen around me, this project allowed me to rekindle and enhance that way of working, with a desire to prioritise my concept as the driving force for my development. Protest is not a new subject within subculture or fashion, so it was important that the themes that I portrayed were current and relatable to todays society (See Fig.1). Since the start of this project, I have been documenting on a daily basis through reading the newspaper, watching news broadcasting, as well as researching into current, yet not always public, issues within our current society. Working with the now and being inspired by themes that are constantly evolving with the times, is something that has really sparked my creativity as a designer. 

(Fig.1 Protest Mood Board)

After most of my work in second year expanded from a fashion context, I knew this was something I wanted to continue and develop with in third year.  Finding inspiration from current designers who work in a similar way and explore relatable themes, allowed me to obtain a clearer view of what I wanted to achieve during the unit and where I saw my practice fitting within the world of fashion (See Fig.2). Finding connections between my concept and context, has been the most important task for finding a direction for my fashion output. Eventually this lead me to explore the current expanding trend of street wear, looking particularly into laid back, youthful garment styles, that use graphics and bold colours to create everyday expression. The connection between fashion and identity has been a theme that has interested me continually throughout my time at university and this project has allowed me to explore this concept further, as well as challenging ways in which to heighten the idea of fashion as an outward voice. 

(Fig.2, Contextual Mood board)

A vital component within my ‘Wear your Voice’ Project, has been my exploration into the use of denim. When conducting conceptual research into protest and the connection it has with subculture fashion, denim was a material that was always present throughout time. I decided to use denim as a canvas for my designs, treating each piece as if it were a protest banner, using multiple techniques such as screen printing, digital embroidery and laser engraving. It was suggested to me through tutorial sessions and two tutor crits, that I should explore other material outputs within this project. Even though I do agree with this to some extent, as I feel this could have sparked different pathways within the project, I am overall happy with the fact that I chose to explore one material on a more intense basis. Using denim wasn’t just about its material properties, but more so about its connection with protest fashion. This is why I felt so strongly about focusing primarily on denim, as I felt that this project was my opportunity to redefine the use of denim within contemporary youth culture.  

(Fig.3 Example of Denim Sampling)