Henri Lloyd Visit

Today I visited the Henri Lloyd studio on the outskirts of Salford. I met with their designer Rob Charnley who I contacted through Helen Latimer. I arrived at the studio at 9.am and met with Rob and we sat down and began a discussion about exactly what I do at university, how I came in contact with Helen Latimer (his ex colleague at Umbro) and began speaking about a possible work placement opportunity for me. We continued our chat over a cup of tea and then Rob took me down to the design team. In the studio I met Rob's boss Craig and 3 other members of the design team. Craig called his team over to the meeting desk and asked them all to listen to me present my work. I felt confident because of the way Craig and Rob had greeted me on my arrival, and the design team were very friendly. Craig asked me to explain to the group where I studied, what I do, where i live, and tell them as much about myself as possible. Then he allowed me the opportunity to present my work to the team. I gathered round the desk with designers and firstly presented my Fred Perry project (which I am currently working on). I showed my influences, a few of my designs and a few spec sheets along with my sketchbook, I then showed my Lyle & Scott brief and explained how I had improved as a designer this year. They seemed impressed with what I had produced and admired my thought process and could clearly see where my ideas developed from. Craig then asked me to stay in touch with Rob and come back into the studio in a few weeks to do a formal presentation in the boardroom and then they will give me feedback on my work, offer me help and discuss a work placement schedule.

A Monday morning visit to Henri Lloyd..

I have been in contact with a designer from Henri Lloyd, Rob Charnley, regarding a studio visit and possible work placement. Helen Latimer who is another of my contacts in the industry has kindly forwarded me the details of Rob. I emailed Rob some work over straight away and introduced myself and my influences and told him what my area of design was. Rob replied quite soon after and asked me if I was available for a work placement and said he is happy for me to visit the studio and present my portfolio and any other design development to him and his design team. I continued discussions with Rob and I am really excited after confirming a visit on Monday 29th March at 9 a.m.

Continued Contact with Helen Latimer...

Helen has kindly given me contact details for a designer called Rob Charnley who works at Henri Lloyd, He spoke to Helen asking what I do? If I am into sportswear/streetwear? He also told Helen that he is happy for me to contact him and whether or not I can email him some design work over.

I have just sent an email to Rob which explains my current project and I have attached some working sheets that show my designs, visualizations and inspirations. I forwarded the email to Helen before I sent it over to Rob and she replied to me with some very helpful advice about layout as you can see in the image below.



Despite of her busy workload, Helen kindly sent me some ideas of how to approach creating a spec sheet layout. I will use this style of layout in the future when sending work to employers or people in the industry as it looks like it has been produced at a professional standard by a very informed designer.




Helen has also sent me a sheet which demonstrates ideas about how I could possibly present my range plan and show how my garments can be worn together. Helen has reminded me to show back views of my garments because we had discussed this when I showed Helen my portfolio.

Timeless Style... The Jam

I have discovered some quite rare snaps of Paul Weller and Rick Buckler from the Jam with some of their young fans. I discovered these photo's on a fan page about the Jam. These images feel really nostalgic and show the fashion and style of this mod band and their fans. Their style usually consisted of tailored suits, but even out of the suit Weller can be seen in a navy marine cap, big neckerchief, denim jacket and tailored grey trousers. Their fans can also be seen copying the style of the Jam with their harrington bombers, v-neck sweaters and casual trousers. This style along with their angry young music placed The Jam at forefront of the mod revival movement and these images really summarize my historical and cultural influences.

Paul Weller.

Rick Buckler.

The Street Scene, Brighton

It's a place I really want to visit at some point because Brighton's North Laine has such an exciting scene full of music, fashion and designer boutiques. I have found a page in last months asos catalogue that has a feature on the Brighton style and asks the eclectic fashion crowd about their favourite shops, bars, and hang outs, aswell as discussing fashion with them. One student says, "I feel confident in whatever I'm wearing, no one judges you here". It is definitely the place to be if you love the vintage and designer styles and shops, or if you want to see some super cool fashion on the people in the street.

Report - Selling Myself

After I graduate from university the pressure of getting a job really begins. To be a designer who can approach job opportunities and market themselves and their work is a very important skill. Promotion and marketing could be considered two of the most important aspects of being a designer.

Luckily, I have the opportunity to sell my designs at this years New Designers. New Designers provides about 3,500 new design graduates the chance to meet industry employers from around the country. It allows the media to have an insight into your work and provides them to spot new talent.

I have recently been looking on the Internet for websites which show jobs and companies which are employing graduates. One of my contacts Helen Latimer suggested that I looked on Drapersjobs.com, which is designed for people who want to be involved in the fashion industry. This website has really excited me and re-assured me that certain opportunities are aimed at a CAD design graduate, in my position.

When I contacted John Tate from Lyle & Scott, I tried promoting myself through many areas of their company. I explained on their Facebook page about the work I had done, and my passion for creating menswear. Doing this was beneficial to me as I was then put in touch with the HR department who I forwarded my design work to. Luckily, due to my persistence, my work was forwarded to the head designer of the company, John Tate. I visited John and he was keen to suggest I stayed in touch and showed him my developments. This opportunity was great for me as it could possibly open doors with the company and allow future contact and discussion regarding opportunities.

I contacted Helen again regarding this report and asked her directly about how she promoted herself as a designer after graduation and how she continues to market herself today. she kindly told me exactly what her methods after graduation were. She told me that she spoke to people who visited her stand at graduate fashion week and she supplied the potential employers with a business card which she had made herself. I was then told that she joined all the fashion job agencies and visited some to show her portfolio, and then responded and acted on their feedback and advice. All the interviews Helen got, whether it was from agencies or from her graduate fashion week, she always listened to the feedback and it made her eventually create a portfolio that was suitable for the industry and pleasing for employers. Helen then told me that she had done a years work experience at university, and she recommends this to anyone as it shows a potential employer your understanding for the industry.

Today, Helen markets herself mainly with her own website. She makes sure that all her work that gets sent to an employer is totally relevant to the job in discussion. Helen then told me that before a job is offered by a company they may ask you to complete a project, she believes that it is crucial for a designer to do their best at completing this. The design speaks volumes and could get you the job all by itself.

When selling your work, I asked what factors she needs to consider and think about. She told me that its important to know exactly what you are passionate about and what inspires you. Find out what makes you the best candidate, so you can easily point out why you should be chosen for the job. Also, Helen said that I should make sure that my work shows how I am up to date with trends, that I am are focused and can deliver a range from research through to final design and that I have understood the market I have designed it for. She followed this information on by kindly giving me advice about selling your work. She asked me to consider whether or not the interviewer or client would understand my work even if I wasn't available to present it. She told me that it is important to edit individual projects so that it only displays your best work and so it is relevant to individual clients who may want to see something different. Helen believes that it is essential to always stay professional and keep a good manner when meeting new contacts. Our discussion continued regarding selling yourself and Helen gave me a very interesting piece of advice which was to look online and read about interview tips because they always offer good advice about selling yourself as an individual.

I have learnt a lot through my research into this topic and it is definitely beneficial to me now with only a few weeks left until the deadline of my degree. I feel more confident when speaking to potential employers and more ambitious when finding job opportunities.

Word Count: 816

Specification Sheets

This is the first time when i am really putting a fashion collection together which requires spec sheets and visualizations for all designs. The spec sheets are used throughout the fashion industry and their purpose is to explain exactly how a garment is constructed. It enables a factory to be able to understand clearly what buttons, fabrics, shapes and stitch etc. you require.

I have seen examples of spec sheets from a presentation by Helen Latimer and they are very technical sheets with a lot of information and guidelines. they show a visualization of the garment with instructions about the construction of it.

I have been researching different opinions on how to design a spec sheet which is suitable for industry and found a very interesting forum on the subject at fashion industry network . One poster explained her method of creating one and it says,

"Spec sheets are important to monitor all aspects of your product. My pattern maker is inhouse, so my spec sheets are simplified- including a front and back sketch, brief description, sample size and photoshoot size needed, fabric swatches with fiber content info, lining and trim info along with group, season, delivery date, size range and style number. We use a separate size chart that includes standard measurements." Reply by Karen K on December 28, 2007

This is very useful information to me because I feel a lot more confident in creating a variety of industry standard sheets.

Below, are a few examples of different styles you can create a spec sheet in, it seems to me like they can give a flavour of your style just by the way the sheets are designed.

Matthew Horne

A.K.A Gavin Shipman from sitcom Gavin & Stacey. I have been fan of this show for a long time and to be honest the thing that attracted me to it was seeing some of the clothes that were being worn in the show, particularly by Gavin. From the very first show 'Gav' was seen to be wearing a blue harrington style jacket with grey cardigan and a buttoned down collared shirt, (very Ben Sherman!) and very mod. I really admire his dress sense in the show and it basically represents the kind of style of clothing I am currently creating. Maxim magazine have also taken notice of his style in the sitcom and described his look by saying,

"As with all stylish Brits, he’s gently cultivating a look and attitude of his own, though will gladly stick to an honest pair of loafers and Nudie jeans for down the pub. A tidy chap."

Sebago

I was browsing through Maxim's website, reading up on their fashion articles and found a really exciting one on football casuals. The article gave an A-Z list of everything you need to know about the style and attitude of these casuals. Click here for the list.

I continued to read through the list and when i reached the letter 'Y' for yachting, it explained that the only other attire a football casual would touch in the summer months (apart from tennis clothing) would be yachting accessories. The article states that,

"While the cool months of the year were taken care of, clothes-wise, in the summer the only sport that could compete with tennis for clobber was yachting. Deck shoes by the likes of Sebago were especially popular, though the nearest they ever got to sea water was wading through the puddles in the car park outside Stoke City’s Victoria Ground."

I visited Sebago's website, and found the clothing to be really appealing. Since I have been researching nautical fashion I have discovered that many companies actually specialize in this area of the market. Some are very fashion conscious and others, such as Sebago are making sure that the garments are rugged, hard-wearing and suitable for life out at sea.

Whilst being aware of what is required at sea (clothing wise) and creating clothes that would be ready for action, Sebago have also made their clothing stylish and original.

Norse Projects..

'Norse projects' is a company who have only recently began producing fashion pieces, and I have only just discovered what they do. The companies aim is to create and combine streetwear, classic culture and immerse itself in the best of it. The look of the clothing is based on the Nordic style and Danish climate.

aplace.com describes the company as being, "inspired by Scandinavian weather, natural surroundings, tailoring traditions and fashion. The collection is basic and functional with a Scandinavian and workwear inspired twist."

'Aplace' to look!

I have discovered a really informative website, which keeps updated about design, and they offer information on cool, kooky brands. www.aplace.com is a Scandinavian magazine and fashion boutique. They are based in Stockholm and the store has a brilliant range of brands which include Opening Ceremony, The Local Firm, and Norse Projects.

How I Get Dressed - Paul Weller

Paul Weller is commonly known for being in the coolest band of all time (in my opinion), The Jam! He also spent time making great music in The Style Council and now is still a contemporary artist with his solo career at it's peak. Paul Weller is a musical inspiration to me, aswell as this he is my style icon, he is the man who I look at for ideas when buying clothes and when designing clothes. Paul Weller, also known as the 'modfather' has grown up with an obsession for the mod culture and style. This was seen mostly in the Jam where his typical outfit would be a tailored suit and bowling shoes. He has carried this appreciation on throughout his life, changing styles slightly as his music has changed through the times. However, he has still kept the undercurrent of the mod style obvious in his appearance, which can be seen in his sharp edgy clothes and structured hair styles.

I have found a brilliant article online which gives you a great insight into how Paul Weller become obsessed with detail and mod culture from when he was just a young lad. He also discusses what he likes about this style of clothing, which has filled me with new ideas for completing my designs...this article was found on www.guardian.co.uk

"I come from a time when every kid dressed up. Everybody. If you didn't, you wouldn't be able to hang out. It was very tribal. There's nice things in that. It's culture, it's roots for me. Maybe I just never grew up, mate."

"When I was a kid in Woking, every week you went to the football dance, and every week the top kids would be wearing something different. You were constantly trying to catch up with them - which you could never do because, by the time you'd saved up enough to buy the item, they'd moved on to something else. That's the whole Mod thing I suppose."

"This was the late Sixties, early Seventies and we were all post-skinheads - suedeheads. We were little peanuts, too young to be proper skinheads. But those styles permeated down to the kids anyway. The main strand that forged it together was that American-college look, the Brooks Brothers look: the cardigans and sleeveless jumpers and the buttoned-down shirts and the Sta-Prest trousers. That was the common ground. It was a way for people who haven't got much to make a show."

"I can remember original Ben Sherman shirts being around till the early Seventies. I had to really save for my first Ben Sherman. We used to buy Brutus shirts, which were much cheaper - second best. But Ben Shermans were the sought-after item. The first one I ever got was a lemon-yellow one. I must have been 12, 13, and it was a bit too big for me. But being a kid I didn't realise you could take it back to the shop. I wore it till it fitted me."

"It's the aesthetic that sticks in my mind. The colours and the look of things have stayed with me. It meant everything to me. It was a statement of intent. And I thought, wouldn't it be nice to have a Ben Sherman as they used to make 'em 40 years ago, or whatever it was. So I spoke to Ben Sherman about doing my own design, based on how they used to be, as near as dammit anyway. With a few little modern touches. I just did a little sketch, put all the details in: the bigger collar, bit more like a contemporary Italian collar, a few little touches here and there. It's not rocket science."

"That love of detail, the Mod thing, it's eternal for me. It's ingrained, I don't even think about it. I get a buzz going into a furniture shop - not even to buy things. Just to see the roundness or the cut or the shape of something. It's all art, you know what I mean? There's a shop down Knightsbridge way, it's all Italian furniture - it's like walking into an art gallery. And most of the decent clothes are made in Italy as well, aren't they?"

"I think my love of detail comes from the whole skinhead thing in the late Sixties, early Seventies. But even having said that, it must come down to the individual. I'm sure my contemporaries who were little skinheads at the same time as I was, if I talked to them now about the cut of a trouser, they'd be like, 'What are you on about? It's just a fashion we went through'. Which is right in some ways. But to me it meant more than that. Evidently I was looking at all those details and studying it. So I guess it was down to the individuals interpretation of what you care to see."

Creating a Check..

This is the first project where I have ever attempted to create a check which would be used in repeat to form a pattern for a shirt. I have produced 2 checks which I am happy with and quite a lot that don't work. I want to keep researching and gathering information into creating checks because I have started to learn that there is certain ways to do it and certain ways to avoid if you want a successful design.

Below, are 2 checks I have designed which have gone into a repeat and then visualized on a shirt as you can see at the beginning of this post.

Lyle & Scott's New Archive Range

Often seen amongst young lads and gals on the street is Lyle & Scott's Vintage range of clothing which offers a slim fit and has edgy aesthetics. Their new range uses the same principles of design as the vintage range, focusing on indie and modernist principles. However, these new designs push the boundaries and really echo decades of styles from the company. I love the bold graphic approach to design and the use of colour combined with historic/modernist influence really makes this collection contemporary.

The Very Special, Specials!

Filmed at the Old Grey Whistle Test in October 1979, The Specials transformed the British music scene with their style and their sound..

"If you were 12 in 1979, the Specials were easy peasy lemon squeezy the greatest band on the planet. The sort of band you can't quite imagine not existing before. Of course, style over substance is any easy sell in the pop charts, and you have to assume that the vast majority of the millions of catalogue rude boy clones who cat walked the shithole of Britain’s high streets over the following few years were fashion victims of the lowest order (check Stereotypes or Do Nothing for the bands response). The difference being that, perfectly packaged as they were, the Specials were substance wrapped in checkerboard. Who else could mention the Irish Republican Army and the Ulster Defence Association in a dance track? It turns out I, and millions of others, nailed our colours to the right mast at the time, and try as I might I still can't find a single chink in the armour of The Specials legacy.

First, they looked fucking great. If you weren't there, Britain was transformed into a mail order version of The Wailin Wailers album cover almost overnight, though it probably didn't know it at the time. Before the birth of the woeful sports casual, the working class dressed up for the weekend and the easily attainable and striking evocation of mid 60's Jamaica was too irresistible for those who founds punks sartorial alienation just that bit too alienating." The Specials Website.

The Specials have also been celebrated by Fred Perry with a collection of clothing for The Specials 30th year anniversary. Both band, and companies message and style have become timeless. The clothing produced can be seen here.

Fred Perry Photos

I have found some great photos on Fred Perry's unofficial facebook page, sent in by people from all round the world. These clearly show the style and culture of the brand and their market. Some of these images inparticular show how the brand is worn by casuals, aswell as showing how the label is still taking influence from the 60's and the mod period.

Deck Shoes

The deck shoe is going to be big hit with men this summer, The classic look of a navy blue or brown deck shoe worn with a pair of rolled-up chino's or skinny jeans will be seen everywhere. I love these shoes and own a pair myself, because the style of them, it is perfect for looking smart and casual this summer, and they seem to go with anything! They look neat and stylish and could suit many people due to the colours available from the high street.

90's Preppy

Definitely a new trend that is coming through this year, I have found a great article on asos about this 90's preppy look which shows the full collection and video. It describes this style as being, "all about colour. Eye-popping Balearic brights are played off against soft pastels, symbolizing a culture clash between the White Isle's acid house clubs of the early '90s and the laid-back cool of modern-day old Ibiza Town". I have screen-grabbed these images from the asos article which I think strongly demonstrate the subtleties of this trend.

I'm absolutely in love with this style at the moment, and I am really excited these pastel colours and soft tones have stayed at the fore-front of men's fashion. I think the aspects of this trend which I like is the way the colours really represent a laid-back summer style, and when worn with subtle extras such as the neckerchief it works really well. I'm also glad the deck shoe is back in trend this summer, I hope to write about that shortly.

Templates for Visualizations

I have been drawing up templates that suggest what garments shapes I want to use in my final collection of clothing, I have produced 10 garments which are split into 5 casual pieces and 5 formal pieces. Here are a few examples of what I have been producing on illustrator..

Fred Perry Store, London.

My tutor at university went to London a couple of weeks ago and took these amazing photographs for me, which show Fred Perry's ultra cool HQ. The logo in the shop window is constructed from wood and can be seen to flow all the way back throughout the shop and into the desk. The construction of the logo reminds me of a wave or movement, and because it can be seen next to the red raincoat for instance, it seems to tie in with the nautical theme I am currently looking at. I think the photograph of the 6 images on the wall is a really intelligent way of showing your influences and market. Photo's such as Paul Weller showing the companies awareness of sub-cultures and the photograph of the woman's mod hairstyle alongside the image of Fred Perry during his tennis career really explain what the company is all about. When I present my collection at new designers, the idea of having photographs in picture frames to show the theme of my collection is something I really would like to do.