Sportswear

The aim of this project is to design a collection inspired by a specific sport clothing and a London feature.

Research

Visiting various sports shops I sketched and photographed features such as zips, stitching, and seams of different types of sportswear. This was to help me gain an understanding of the basic composition of clothing and decide upon which sport I wanted to choose as my inspiration.

Swimwear

I opted for swimwear because I like the simplicity, streamline shape and seamlines of the swimming costumes. The colours are often bold and bright and I would like to incorporate them into my final designs.

Moodboards

Vintage leisure costume moodboard:

Modern athletic swimwear moodboard:

The london feature I chose was the Gerkin. I thought that its geometric shapes and streamline appearance complemented the swimsuits. The Gerkin moodboard:

I want to use bright, bold colours for this collection and simple shapes. Colour scheme moodboard:

Research

Prada's striking, bold collection inspired by sportswear is the perfect inspiration for this project. I love the bold colours and the collars and cuffs. The simplicity of the shapes are stunning and i like the lack of embellishments.

Before I started designing I wanted to get a better understanding of the construction of swimwear. I studied the seamlines and patterns, various forms of stitching, and the different layers of material used to make a costume. These would be important elements to consider when designing.

Development

Before designing the clothes it is important to consider the types of materials that I would like the final collection to be made from. So I made a page of material samples as a point of reference for my initial designs.

Initial designs. Using a specific shape (bottom left) I created designs of tops, sleeves, cuffs, bottoms and jackets. I used colour swatches to give an indicator of the colour scheme.

I included samples of materials to indicate how i wanted certain elements to be stitched together, and the actual material that I intend to use.

Overall I like this initial designs, there is a theme running through them so the all appear to be from a similar collection. The shapes are simple yet the overall designs are quite interesting and unusual. I deliberately combined skin tight areas with baggy areas on individual designs as I liked the contrasting ways of using the material.

Seamlines

Using 3d mannequins i designed some very simple, conceptual seamlines for my designs. I used a 45 degree angle cut from white paper to indicate the seams. I chose this angle as it is the angle of the glass panels in the Gherkin. The results are simple, chique and sophisticated. I also experimented with taking the lines outside of the mannequin to distorted the silhouette. After photographing the mannequins using pen and coloured paper I experimented with adding colour and texture to the designs.  

Inspired by the seamline experiment I decided that I like the angles of the Gherkin and wanted to incorporate them more into my designs. I traced the Gherkin and sketched it over a figure, and using only the lines from the Gherkin I designed dresses, skirts, tops, jackets and trousers.

I really like how this experiment has encouraged me to distort the silhouette and create some abstract designs. It has influenced my ideas for the shape of my final garments. As this experiment was successful I proceeded to design some more clothes using a similar technique.

I feel this experiment was successful because I maintained the themes of my designs; bright colours, simple yet bold shapes, and manipulation of the silhouette. When it comes to illustrating my final designs I shall have to adapt these designs such that they fall comfortably and securely on a real body because the clothes have to be wearable.

Finally before designing my final outfits, I wanted to create a print to add more depth to the clothes. Using shapes inspired and directly taken from the Gherkin, and photoshop I created this print:

I like the geometry of this print and the increased blue hue. However the flow of the pattern could be improved by blending the join of the images together properly.

Final Designs

Overall I like how my final collection turned out. There is a distinct theme and style running through the collection. I think that the shapes of the clothes are unique, the colours are bold like I had always intended, and there is a particular intricate pattern on each outfit. The shapes are flattering and original. However I think that some of the material i chose may not be suitable for wearable garments as it is specifically designed for swimming.