Henri Lloyd Placement

I begin work at Henri Lloyd on June 21st. I really can't wait to get there and learn so much about the industry! Should be a great few months.

Henri Lloyd jacket in FHM

This page is from this months FHM magazine which gives a lot of coverage into the new Henri Lloyd collections. Seen here is TV and film actor Riz Ahmed wearing Henri Lloyd's Alonzo Jacket.

Hurts

Hurts are an absolutely amazing new 2-piece band from Manchester I have just discovered and they are made up from Theo Hutchcraft & Adam Anderson. They produce pop songs which have an electro edge. A few fashion magazines including asos and flux have already written articles on the style and freshness of this band. Flux described Hurts by saying their "look, feel and sound like something different. There’s a swooping melancholy, but it’s backed by a bright pop sensibility. It’s this clash that gives it life."

Hurts have their own unique style of being well dressed and having slick haircuts, they are the only band I am listening to at the moment and I am luckily enough to have tickets to see them in August.

Below, is the front cover of Flux’s magazine cover from Winter 09/10.

Henri Lloyd Presentation (2nd Visit)

Last week I had the opportunity to go back in to the Henri Lloyd design studio and present my Final Major Project to Design Manager Rob Charnley, and the 3 main designers of the company. I began by showing a power point presentation which included information about my influences, and how I had developed these influences into designs suitable for contemporary menswear. I presented my portfolio and sketchbook to the group then and discussed exactly how I had approached my spec sheets and showed them my examples of outfit sheets and discussed how I wanted to set a scene and a mood for each individual outfit. Rob's main piece of feedback was to tell me how my design development and how I translate an idea was done brilliantly. Rob liked how I could take a single shape or line from an image and develop it into a really slick design. He told me that Henri Lloyd were always trying to push the boundaries whilst keeping true to their identity. He said that what his design team struggle with is what I have been able to do at certain points throughout my project, and that was to create an idea that was suited for the company by just looking at something small and quite obscure like a bit of boat decking for instance. Rob liked how I had portrayed my outfit sheets and how I showed off the style and look of my collection. He also commented on one pair of shoes which he really liked, and he commented on them by saying to his design team, "That is how you design a shoe".

The presentation went well and after I had concluded my talk, we all sat round and discussed what I had spoken about. The design team gave me some great feedback about my spec sheets and told me that having the knowledge of producing a spec sheet at graduate level is really refreshing, because usually when a graduate has gone into Henri Lloyd for work experience in the past they have never even seen a spec sheet before.

We discussed a possible work placement at the company and Rob told me to stay in touch with him regarding a placement there. He told me that he would definitely like to get me in to do some work and will now try to evaluate the companies budget and work out how to fit me in to the set-up.

The shoes in discussion:

Design influenced from decking:

Style - Aloha

Asos.com allows me to always keep thinking about new styles coming through and read up information about where a certain style has stemmed from.

The website describes the style of Aloha as a Sunwashed 50's Miami look. This piece of text is taken directly form their article...



Below, are a few images that suggest what to wear if you like the sound of this new look...

MCFC T-Shirts

During my current project for Kitbag.com i have began to research existing t-shirts from other top flight English clubs. Manchester City's latest designs have developed straight from the songs sang on the terraces during the last 10-15 years. 'we're not really here' is a song that still gets sang today, and this developed from when Manchester City fell to the 2nd division and had to play away at Macclesfield Town (a location City fans were not used to). The Banana symbolises an era from the 80's where Manchester City fans took inflatable banana's to games as an unusual way to show their support for the club. Songs are still sung today about the banana, such as, '1 banana, 2 banana, 3 banana, 4!".

These historic references are something I would like to incorporate into the Everton T-shirts, and look further into the clubs chants and nostalgic moments from the past.

Everton brief update..

Here are a few ideas for the Everton f.c. t-shirt brief I am working on currently. I produced all these designs in one day but now I am reaching the final days of my Final major Project I can allow myself more time to consider designs which are suitable for this brief.

Aitor Throup Article..

Aitor Throup is the designer of the currant England football away strip, and I was forwarded this interview with him which asks him many interesting questions, especially the section about how he got involved in fashion through his passion for football and its sub-cultures.

Here is the interview below:

http://www.fluxmagazine.com/

Everton F.C. BRIEF...

Whilst working on my Final Major project brief I have taken on the challenge to design t-shirts suitable for football fans of Everton F.C. The brief has been set by kitbag.com and it allows me the chance to create shirts for their men's range which show graphic iconography from the club, such as famous player Dixie Dean, The tower on the Everton crest, and the Latin text from the badge - Nil Satis Nisi Optimum.

I have decided to take on this challenge as well as working on my FMP because I feel it is a perfect opportunity for me to be working 2 different jobs and working towards more than one deadline. I believe this will make me a better designer as I will be producing more designs at a quicker rate.

It is a very exciting brief for me because I am a football fan myself, I am currently gathering market research and understanding the identity of Everton F.C. I'll put some of my T-shirt designs up by next week hopefully.

Fred Perry & Liberty

Fred Perry really are being quite experimental this season and have joined forces with Liberty Of London by using some classic floral and paisley prints in their quintessential Perry designs. i found these really appealing because I am currently creating a collection of clothing aimed at Fred Perry and their iconic style, and it was only last year when I was creating floral repeats which were greatly inspired by Liberty and William Morris design.