Author Archives: Caitlin Hinshelwood

Last week at PV Designs Paris

Posted on by

Last week we had a stand at PV Designs, part of Premiere Vision in Paris, exhibiting student designs alongside established design studios. We took a selection of second and third year work across the four pathways.

WSA Pv Design Stand

PREMIERE VISION is a textiles trade fair held twice yearly in September and in February and attracts around 60,000 visitors. The majority of these visitors are buyers from fashion companies looking for new fabrics and designs for their forthcoming collections.

There are many trend areas which show the newest fabrics and colour suggestions for the next season. The show is a very inspiring place to visit in terms of design & colour as well as offering opportunities for networking and gathering information about the industry.

PREMIERE VISION DESIGNS is a huge section of the fair where around 150 design studios from many different countries show their new collections of designs for print, weave, knit and embroidery. Buyers from thousands of companies looking for original designs visit PV Designs each season to buy artwork from the design studios exhibiting there. 

Over the 3 days the WSA Make Future stand attracted much attention from buyers around the world. A number of students sold their designs to international fashion brands and there were many comments about the inspiring and original work on display. The students that helped on the stand were able to gain an exciting insight into the industry, talking directly to clients and understanding what companies were looking for.

3rd Year Print on the Stand

Congratulations to all the students whose work was selected to be exhibited and those that sold work as well. It was a great industry experience we hope to repeat next year.

JOSEF FRANK Patterns–Furniture–Painting at the Fashion & Textiles Museum

Posted on by

A must see for fashion and textiles students, especially those interested in printed textiles!

Screen Shot 2017-01-20 at 16.53.27

Explore the work of designer and artist Josef Frank (1885-1967) in the first-ever UK exhibition of his textiles. The Austrian-born architect moved to Sweden in 1933, where he developed his colourful brand of modernism, working with Estrid Ericson on furniture, glassware, lighting and interior design ideas. Together they redefined what is regarded as Swedish Modern. This exhibition in association with Millesgården, Stockholm highlights Frank’s vibrant fabric designs for Svenskt Tenn alongside a number of his previously unknown watercolours.

Exhibition Dates: 28 January – 7 May 2017

For more details visit the website here

Drawing in Gdansk, Poland 2017

Posted on by

Drawing Escapes offer study trips for design students with a focus on drawing, previous WSA students have been on trips to Spain with the company and got some great sketchbooks of drawing out of the experience as well as meeting students from other institutions.

The next trip is to Gdansk in Poland, 18th-22nd for £315

‘A unique opportunity to develop your drawing in a stunning cultural environment with one-to-one support in all aspects of your drawing, design and concept development. Price includes return flights, 4 nights accommodation in the heart of the old town in twin or triple en-suite rooms, big breakfasts and all tutorial support and Martyn Blundell as tour guide’

For more information http://www.drawingescapes.com where you can see future trips to other destinations or you can email mart.art@me.com with further questions

Robert Rauschenberg Exhibition at Tate Modern

Posted on by

jfk_3

Robert Rauschenberg blazed a new trail for art in the second half of the twentieth century.

 

This landmark exhibition celebrates his extraordinary six-decade career, taking you on a dazzling adventure through modern art in the company of a truly remarkable artist.

From paintings including flashing lights to a stuffed angora goat, Rauschenberg’s appetite for incorporating things he found in the streets of New York knew no limits. Pop art silkscreen paintings of Kennedy sit alongside 1000 gallons of bentonite mud bubbling to its own rhythm. Rauschenberg even made a drawing which was sent to the moon.

Each room captures a different moment of this rich journey, from Rauschenberg’s early response to abstract expressionism to his final works saturated in images and colour. Seen together they show how Rauschenberg rethought the possibilities for art in our time.

This exhibition, organised in collaboration with The Museum of Modern Art, New York, is the first full-scale retrospective since the artist’s death in 2008 and the ultimate Rauschenberg experience. It is your one chance to see these major international loans together in one place, while discovering the full story of an inspirational and much-loved artist whose influence is still felt today.

The exhibition runs until 2 April 2017

For more details http://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-modern/exhibition/robert-rauschenberg

The British Fashion Awards 2016

Posted on by

Last week four Fashion Design students were given the opportunity to attend the British Fashion Awards at the Royal Albert Hall in London. The awards celebrate the best of British and international talent from the global fashion community.

screen-shot-2016-12-12-at-15-47-56

As part of WSA’s ongoing affiliation with the British Fashion Council, Programme Leader Cecilia Langemar and Senior Teaching Fellow Sophia Malig were invited to attend the awards. The students selected were Rose Appleton, Hannah Price, Sophie Lightowlers and Curtis Wu.

image1

Reminder: Silk Bureau Student Competition – Deadline tomorrow!

Posted on by

Digital printing company Silk Bureau are running a student INTERIOR DESIGN Competition. https://www.silkbureau.co.uk/student_page/

Open to all students in 2016-17 Academic Year

Surface Pattern
Interior Design
Furniture Design
Textile Design
Graphic Design

We have been really impressed with the standard that graduating students presented at the 2016 New Designers event. From fashion to interiors the students surpassed themselves with innovative design. We were so proud to have played such a huge part in their success story by printing their designs on our extensive fabric range.

Our latest student competition has been based on one of our finds from the show.

Aim: Create a design for a statement piece of furniture to showcase at the Silk Bureau.

Brief: Design a seamless repeat pattern to be used for upholstery. The design should reflect the Silk Bureau as a digital textile printing specialist. The design should be dramatic and provide a ‘wow’ factor for visitors on entry to our premises.

Resources: www.silkbureau.co.uk www.facebook.com/thesilkbureaultd/

Specifications: Repeat pattern. TIFF file format. 180 – 300 dpi. Flattened. RGB. Contact us on 01386 861122 for the link to upload your completed file. Deadline: 9th December 2016. All entries will be printed on 12th December 2016 and the winner will be announced 9th January 2017. All entries must be accompanied with an order form clearly headed ‘Student Competition – Interiors 2016’

Winner: The winning design will be printed on Poly Canvas and used to re-upholster seating displayed in the reception area at The Silk Bureau Ltd. (Furniture supplied by the Silk Bureau Ltd) The winner will be invited to visit the Silk Bureau and see the processes involved in digital fabric printing. The winner will receive 5m (worth over £140) of the design printed on Poly Canvas, selected for the upholstery project. The winner will be promoted on our website and social media.

£25 entry fee. Includes 1m of your design printed on Poly Canvas (normal cost over £46) and return postage.

winner will be promoted on our website and social media.

Interiors Competition 2016 – Terms & Conditions

  1. All entries must be submitted with a completed order form clearly headed ‘Student Competition – Interiors 2016’ . These will then be known as the ‘Entrants’.
  2. Entry is only open to current students in the 2016 – 2017 academic year and MUST be accompanied with a copy of their Student ID.
  3. All artwork submitted MUST be print ready.
  4. The Silk Bureau Limited will not make any amendments to Entrants’ original files.
  5. A pro forma invoice will be raised within 7 days of submitting the competition order form.
  6. The entry fee of £25 must be paid upon receipt of the invoice and is non – refundable
  7. Entry fees include 1m of Polyester Canvas printed with the Entrant’s print ready artwork and delivery with in the UK only.
  8. Additional postal charges will be applied to Entrants outside of the UK postal area.
  9. All artwork being entered into the competition will be printed on 12th December 2016 and despatched with 7 working days to an address with in the UK.
  10. The Silk Bureau Limited reserve the right to change the fabric without notice to an alternative also considered to be appropriate for upholstery.
  11. The Silk Bureau Limited reserve the right to refuse an order and/or competition entry.
  12. Entries will not be accepted after the closing date. 9th December 2016
  13. The Silk Bureau Judges will make the final decision and will not enter into any discussion regarding the result.
  14. The Winner will be selected on 14th December 2016 and announced by 16th December 2016. The Winner will be notified by email and/or phone call.
  15. The Silk Bureau Limited reserve the right to publish details of the Winner and winning entry for marketing purposes pertaining to The Silk Bureau Limited.
  16. The Winner will be invited to visit The Silk Bureau Limited at their Evesham premises from 10:30 to 16:00 on an agreeable date to suit both the Winner and The Silk Bureau Limited. Expenses and arrangements incurred by the Winner i.e. travel, is not included.
  17. The Winner will be entitled to an additional 5m of fabric suitable for upholstery as chosen by The Silk Bureau Limited.
  18. The award is not transferable to any other party. There is no cash alternative.
  19. The Silk Bureau Limited reserves the right to cancel or amend the Competition or the rules without notice.

Disclaimer
Any irregularities and variations in the weave of our fabrics are in NO way to be considered as defects. They are a characteristic of a natural fibre.
It is important to allow for shrinkage. Shrinkage can be up to 10% on most fabrics, however for stretch fabrics it can be up to 20%. Short runs shrink more than longer runs pro rata; however this is not a precise science. Shrinkage can vary from one batch of fabric to another.
The natural shade of fabric may vary from roll to roll and is a circumstance beyond our control.
Please examine the fabrics carefully before processing. Direct or indirect claims for any reason whatsoever will not be accepted once the customer, or any party acting upon their instruction, has cut, or processed the fabric in any way.
Claims for any defects, or shortages, must be made in writing within seven days of delivery of the fabric.
Fabric specifications given are as accurate as possible to allow for printing of images. Rolls of natural fabric may vary in size between batches, so selvedge to selvedge dimensions are not provided. Selvedge areas may not be printed on.
Colours depicted on screen and colours actually printed may vary due to the nature of fabric/textile printing and the variation of individual monitor displays.

London Transport Museum: Weaving Futures In The Studio

Posted on by

Between now and February 2017, London Transport Musuem are hosting  Weaving Futures In The Studio, part of their year-long public programme of events, and situated in the ‘pop-up’ designer’s Studio integrated into LTM’s temporary Designology exhibition.  It is a three-month focus on digital jacquard woven textile design and moquette concepts, exploring process and making, and is curated in partnership with research and design industry experts Philippa Brock and Samuel Plant Dempsey.

31237187841_7dcb75a4ac_o-645x333

Weaving Futures explores the importance and potential of woven textiles to the London Transport System and features a state of the art TC2 digital jacquard loom. The idea is to actively explore how good design makes life in London better, through residencies and participatory workshops. The work does not exist currently and as the exhibition progresses this will be made and then displayed. It also examines the process of designing for and production of woven textiles.

31316285196_1be76f51df_o

Each week there are different weave designers, researchers, artists and industry designers resident in the studio, with each resident responding to the same design brief, relating to data and transport. The residents will be working with Studio weavers, Rosie Green and Hanna Vinlöf–Nylen, to realise their final design on the digital loom. Outcomes and final designs will be displayed in the Studio and shared during the Museum’s Late Debate and Friday Late events.

Residents: Assemble, Beatwoven, Philippa Brock, Camira, Central Saint Martins, BA Textile students, Samuel Dempsey, Linda Florence, Gainsborough Weaving Company, Eleanor Pritchard, Rare Thread (aka Kirsty McDougall and Laura Miles), Josephine Ortega, Ismini Samanidou, Studio Houndstooth, Takram & Priti Veja

Drop into London Transport Museum’s pop-up Studio for a unique behind the scenes chance to experience contemporary transport design innovation through a year-long programme of events. The studio is open to the general public and one entry ticket gets you in for a year. The programme is part of this exciting Designology exhibition and includes:

·      one-day workshops with London’s best known transport designers

·      design residencies, briefs and challenges

·      intellectual late debates, workshops and talks

The workshop programme includes among others:

25, 26, 30 January 2017 – Research Collaboration with Brock, Dempsey and Veja – Designers Philippa Brock, Samuel Plant Dempsey & Dr. Priti Veja will be coming together in the studio to work collaboratively on a brief, combining their expertise in design thinking, with Brock on 3D woven jacquard and haptics, Dempsey on product design and 3D printing, and Veja on woven e-textiles. Find out how electronics can be constructed in woven structures to make integrated soft circuits, wearable technology and smart textiles. philippabrock.com I design-plant.co.uk I weft-lab.com

9,10 February 2017 – Weaving Music with BeatWoven®  – Meet award winning, avant-garde textiles label BeatWoven® and find out how they use songs and sounds to visualise and orchestrate pattern formations in textile design, particularly through the technique of weaving. Watch live as they work with our weavers to interpret a brief on the Digital Loom. beatwoven.co.uk

17, 18 February – Upholster and Accessorise with Eleanor Pritchard – Meet hands-on London weave studio; Eleanor Pritchard (Texprint alumna), designers and manufactures of upholstery and interior accessories. Find out about using geometrics and graphic reversible patterns to create clean, contemporary design and observe their approach to our transport brief. eleanorpritchard.com

For more information go to http://www.ltmuseum.co.uk

SOPHIE STELLER LIVE PROJECT WITH SECOND YEAR KNIT & WEAVE

Posted on by

We are very lucky to have worked on a live project with Sophie Steller and her trend driven Knitwear Studio for second year knit & weave’s first project this semester, leading to four work placements for two knit & weave students respectively in her studio in Twickenham, London.

A little bit about Sophie Steller and her company:

‘Our London based studio is home to a team of highly talented designers who have worked on projects for clients such as SPINEXPO, Novetex Spinners, TJ Maxx, AEO, GAP, Polo Ralph Lauren, Gant, A&F, Primark Stores, Marks & Spencer, H&M and Aroma Home.

We provide a wide range of knitwear related design services including:

  • seasonal swatch collection
  • colour & trend forecasting
  • yarn development
  • marketing & branding
  • direct studio development
  • mood & product boards
  • concept fabrics’

We worked to an exciting brief set by Sophie, asking the students to approach their work in a more trend driven way. She asked the students to:

‘Develop your ability to research in a relevant, objective, and analytical way to be able to communicate your ideas with one strong, clear message.

The role of a designer is to find ways to creatively problem-solve. As a designer, whether you are designing your own collection, or working for a client you need to create desirability and suitability of your design to a consumer of some kind, and therefore whether you set the brief or the client does, you need to find the solution of creating something that someone else wants to consume.

The students were asked to:

‘Collect a range of 30-40 research images (these can be your own drawings or photographs, collage or a combination of all) of your own that observe and explore the following:

* Shapes * Textures * Colours * Atmosphere & mood * Touch & surface *

Be able to answer the following:

Why did you choose your subject and what did you found interesting and inspiring about it?

Once you went there what did you find out and observe?

Through your visual observations what did you find you liked about it and what ideas did it give to develop further?

What key elements have you identified as being important to inspire you?

From your observational research develop the following:

  • A colour palette you can work with * Textures you like * Shapes or patterns you can extract from it *
  • A mood or direction you can see it going into? Is it for menswear, womenswear or children? Is it dressy, contemporary, casual, sporty? Then develop your research into final fabrics and resolved garment or interior ideas that continue in this train of thought.’

img_1448

The students then presented their final fabrics, presentation boards, and a Powerpoint presentation at the end of the six week project to Sophie Steller, and to tutors in their subject areas, Jane Landau for Woven textiles, and Sarah Elwick, & Lisa Burn-Hunter for Knitwear. The work was generally of a very high standard overall, and Sophie was very impressed with the work produced by the students. She will select her four students for internships in due course.

img_2029

Well done to all involved. A great start to level two!

Industry Lecture this Thursday with Rottingdean Bazaar

Posted on by

The C&E Lecture this Thursday 24th November will be given by industry speakers James Theseus Buck and Luke Brooks. Since graduating from the MA Fashion Design Course at CSM they have work on collaborative projects and styling under the name Rottingdean Bazaar.

The talk will be 5-6pm in Lecture Theatre A. Make sure you don’t miss it!

Rottingdean Bazaar