Re-invention bringing back the old in new ways

We consume less, and in the world of fashion, this means recycling, re-utilizing buttons, ribbons, hooks and cords, macramé and patchwork, a return to crafting, learning to knit and crochet, and to accessorize.

This makes it a season of contrasts and alternatives, a time to lead not follow, not professing one clear path but instead allowing a scope for diversity, fusion and an ability to construct our own unique looks.

Color plays a powerful role in this invention. Strong, rich saturation is essential with colors that are warm and positive. There is a sense of glowing that comes not only from the level of color, but also in sheen and metallic finishes.

Yarns and fabrics equally express developed interest by creating surface effects of all types: textures, sheen, diffused aspects and surface hair, and multi-color looks achieved through blending, twisting and printing. A time to be showy and expressive, novelty yarns and fabric developments overtake re-works of blends, and this is where the newness emerges.

Ref: www.fashiontrendsetter.com

I felt this passage perfectly reflected how to describe what the trend is all about. 

Images of Natural Fibres used in Contemporary art

Ref: quilterbeth.blogspot.com
This is a crown for an urban wizard made out of cotton and nylon.


Ref: gardenguides.com
This is a picture of the art of knotting cotton known as Macrame. This could be used to embellish tailored pieces.
Ref: milestinsley.posterous.com
I chose this image as I felt it would help with illustration when doing final trend predictions. This is actually noted as art on the website above.


Linda Barlow

This textile artist creates panels of hand-dyed natural fabrics, pieced, embroidered and quilted to form large, colourful wall-hangings. She works almost exclusively in natural fabrics. These are dyed and often over-dyed, painted, printed, discharged and manipulated to create the colour and texture required
for the work. The inspiration is often from travelling, in India and Australia, quotations and song lyrics. 

Ref:http://www.visualforbusiness.com/art_and_artists/
I like the textures and colour shades within these hand dyed and stitched quilted pieces by Linda Barlow. particularly the harshness of the wave.


Afghanistan. Discharged linen, silk and cotton silk stitching
Ref:http://www.edge-textileartists-scotland.com Afghanistan. Discharged linen, silk and cotton silk stitching



This is an a picture of an art quilt which are slowly emerging into the UK art scene. This is Art Quilt has been produced by contemporary artist Molly Bullick.She has combined natural fibres in which she has printed upon to create experiences of her travels in India which is what has led her into the textiles world. I love the way different moods are created and the natural earthy tones, as well as techniques used to create an atmosphere and natural touch such as bleaching and dying in certain areas. 
The proper name these art quilts are known as Pojagi in India.


Pojagi and Beyond. Silk organza, muga silk


Ref:www.edge-textileartists-scotland.com

Alison Fair Bixler
Herbs and Flax
Seileasdair


This contemporary artist lived in rural Maine after moving from Los Angeles where she learnt to"harvest colour from local wild flowers and trees. She inlays fine linens with naturally died silk from hedgerows and trees. she now lives in Scotland.


"I like to investigate the potential relationship in textiles between structure and colour: in weaving with naturally dyed silk and linen, with natural coloured Shetland wool in less loom-based techniques. Colour and image are often inspired by the fields and tides of the Solway coast near where I live".


Ref:www.edge-textileartists-scotland.com

Ref: www.artandcraftsouthwestscotland.com


I was inspired by Alison's work as she has a very natural approach to her art using natural techniques. Also the first picture shown here of hers is an example of the kinda tight and loose knit structure I would like to convey in my A/W trend for 2011-12.

Researching natural materials and their background: Cotton

"Cotton was used for clothing in present-day Peru and Mexico perhaps as long as 5,000 years ago. Also, cotton was grown, spun, and woven in ancient India, China, Egypt, and Pakistan, around 3000 B.C.

Cotton is not native to Western Europe. Around A.D. 800, Arabic traders likely introduced cotton to Spaniards. By the fourteenth century, Mediterranean farmers were cultivating the cotton plant and shipping the fiber to the Netherlands for spinning and weaving. British innovations in the late 1700s include water-powered spinning machinery, a monumental improvement over hand-spinning. An American named Samuel Slater, who worked with British machinery, memorized the plans for a machine spinner and returned to Rhode Island to set up Slater Mill, the first American textile mill to utilize machine spinners. This mill represents the beginning of the U.S. Industrial Revolution, built on the mechanism of the cotton industry."

Ref: http://www.madehow.com

"Asiatic cottons first grew wild in East Africa. About 5000 years ago, the people in what is now Pakistan cultivated cotton. The army of Alexander the Great first brought cotton goods into Europe in the 300s B.C. but the cloth was too expensive and only the rich could afford it".

Ref: http://library.thinkquest.org

Cultivation and harvesting

Cotton can grow at altitudes of 1000 m in India and is planted in late spring, when there is little risk of frost. It takes about 100 days for the plants to mature and produce fruits. Harvesting is a continuous process, as the plants flower and fruit at different times. When the fruits, or bolls, are mature, they burst to reveal masses of soft white fibres attached to seeds. These hair-like fibres are almost 90% cellulose. The bolls also contain shorter, fuzzy fibres known as linters. They are used industrially for making water-soluble polymers and paper.

Processing

Most of the seeds are separated from the fibres by a mechanical process known as ginning and are sewn together in bales. These are then shipped to textile spinning and weaving mills for thread and fabric production.

The fuzz that is not removed during ginning is later cut to provide linters, used in felts, upholstery, mattresses, twine, wicks, carpets,surgical cotton, cotton wool and in chemical industries for rayon, plastics, lacquers, paper, photographic films, cellulose explosives and even sausage skins.

Ref: http://www.kew.org/plant-cultures

Ref: bugattifurniture.com

I Like this picture as it shows cotton in its natural form. They look like pretty flowers. Look how fluffy,

natural and pure they look.

Ref:creativeclass.com                           Ref:businesswithchina.net

I Like these natural cotton plants I think these will be very inspiring for me.

Again Cotton is a natural fibre from nature itself. I think I have my natural fabrics sorted know for

my a/w 2011-12 trend prediction.

Researching natural materials and their background: Leather

"And the Lord God made clothes out of animal skins for Adam and his wife, Genesis 4:20" taken from www.leathersellers.co.uk. Thought that I would start with this quote as I feel it is appropriate as leather is a fabric included within my trend prediction for a/w 2011-12. It's important to make my audience aware that clothes from real animal skins has been around from since the beginning. It's Human Nature.





1. Warehousing and sorting
The cow skins are preserved in salt in their raw form.They are stored in cool rooms before being processed and presorted for weight and quality.



2. Soaking
The process used to remove dirt and salt from the skins.

3. De-Fleshing
A roller mounted knife is used to remove any leftover flesh, tissue and fat.


4. Liming
Lime and Sulphur Compound is used to take remove the hairs from the skin.

5. Bating, pickling, tanning
The skins are treated with acid and salt in preparation for tanning. During Tanning the skin becomes leather as it has absorbed the tanning agents.

6. Samming
 Water is removed.

7. Splitting
The leather is reduced in substance in order to achieve a specified thickness. The remains of the split leather can then be further processed into suede.


8. Skiving
The grain leather is brought to an even thickness. Irregularities are removed from the reverse side and the leather is separated into colour-batches.

9. Sorting
The leather is sorted into various quality grades


10. Neutralising, filling out, dyeing and greasing
The acid resulting from the tanning process is neutralized. Dyeing than takes place, where appropriate with anilin-dye-stuffs. The greasing procedure will finally achieve the correct softness.

11. Drying
Two methods are used to dry leather. The vacuum process during which moisture is removed by suction and the hanging process, when leather is hung and taken through ovens
12. Staking
Following drying the leather is mechanically staked in order to soften it. Further processes take place in preparation for finishing.

13. Finishing
Here the leather is given its final surface treatment and look. Through processes of base coat, colouring, embossing, ironing the leather becomes, depending on the demands of fashion, matt or shiny, two-tone or uni-coloured, smooth or grained. The art of finishing lies in working in wafer-thin layers without disturbing the natural look of the leather and its characteristics such as suppleness and breathability.
14. Quality Control
In between every process quality is controlled. Final control checks to ensure each individual production is to specification and sortation into various trades.
15. Despatch
The leather is measured electronically, wrapped and despatched


Ref:www.euroleather.com/process


Leather: I looked at leather as I feel that it is one fabric that never goes out of fashion. I am going to use leather within my trend prediction for a/w 2011-12 as its warm, durable and will look good tailored.

Ref: dailymail.co.uk

Contemporary art using leather.
 by Eva Rothschild.
Ref: contemporarypaintings.eu

Ref: furnime.com

Top end designers are using leather. Therefore you can't go wrong. Leather will always be on trend from season to season regardless.

Ref: ioffer.com

ref: fiveprime.org

researching natural materials and their background: Ostrich feathers

"Most historians believe that the ostrich was first hunted thousands of years ago not for it's meat, but for it's magnificent plumage. The history of the ostrich feather is romantic and thrilling, as feathers were originally a symbol of justice in ancient Egypt and have now taken the form of exquisite creations by fashion designers."
 Ref: www.allsands.com

Uniqueness 
"The ostrich feather is so unique that mankind, with all its technology, has never been able to simulate its outstanding qualities. The natural flowing beauty of wing plumes that dress the boas used in celebrations, carnivals and shows have never been successfully reproduced synthetically because of it's impossibility. The ostrich feather is an amazing combination of softness, durability, and flexibility. Ostrich feathers are the most sought after material for the making feather dusters because of their unique ability to remain entirely static free."
Ref: www.allsands.com


Harvesting of Feathers 
"The harvesting of ostrich feathers can be performed in many ways. Sometimes, before a bird is slaughtered for meat properties, it is plucked. More often, feathers are removed from young chickens early in life. At the age of six months, most feather harvesters clip the young chicks quills. At seven months, mature body plumage is removed. At eight months, full quilling takes place. Once fully ripe feathers are harvested, a new crop of feathers will be ready for production in eight months. While some ostrich are harvested only for meat, others are harvested only for their feathers. "


TODAY 
"The feathers of the ostrich are one of the most sought after components of the ostrich. Because of their durability, unremarkable silkiness and science's inability to duplicate, time has only increased the demand for ostrich feathers. Ostrich feather production contributes to thirty percent of the gross income for ostrich farmers today, constituting a valuable source of income."
Ref: www.allsands.com


Classes of Feathers 
Main classes of ostrich feathers ;

Whites:  male's wing 
Ref: ostrich.com

Blacks: male's wing 
Ref:eastanglia.inetgiant.co.uk

Fancies: tip of the wing 
Femina:  female's wing
Ref: featherplace.com
 
Floss:  under the wing 
Ref: sixstarsales.org


Tails:  tails of the female and male.
Ref: ostrich.com


I decided to look at Ostrich feathers as i wanted them to be a part of my natural elegant a/w 2011-12 trend prediction. they are so versatile and come in a range of sizes and variety from either the male or Female. They can be died and feel will be very inspiring when the design process starts.

Researching natural materials and their background: Wool

This is an image of a wool feather duster which I feel is an inspirational image for me. I like the energy behind each little strand of  hair so to speak and the colours although they are quite summery they can be toned right down to create soaring flashes of colour that are going to be around for  a/w 2011-12.
 Ref: ehow.co.uk

Our Lambswool comes from the pedigree sheep bred especially for the excellent quality of wool. These sheep live in South Australia and are world-famous for their unique wool.

.

When the lamb is first fleeced at seven months old, the soft virgin wool is then sent to the British spinner who creates a galaxy of classic and fashion colours.

This wool is knitted at a tight tension on special frames so the garment will not pill or lose any of its shape under normal circumstances.

We produce garments in three types of lambswools, geelong, merino and lambswool

Ref:www.williamlockie.com/fibre_info_lambswool.php

I feel that this is a good descriptive summary of the wool and its process and could help me to produce more images for trend prediction and also how to sell my ideas through words.

History of the use of wool:

"Wool was probably the first animal fiber to be made into cloth. The art of spinning wool,yarn developed about 4000 B.C. and encouraged trade among the nations in the region of the Mediterranean Sea".

Ref: library.thinkquest.org/C004179/wool.htm#Production

The first wool factory in England was established by the Romans in 50 A.D in the Winchester area. It is said that the 1797 the British took 13 of their Merino sheep and started Australia's Merino sheep' wool industry.

"There are 40 different breeds of sheep in the world producing a rough estimate of 200 types of wool with varying standards. The major wool producers in the world are Australia, Argentina, China and South Africa".          Ref: As above

The four major steps of wool production:

• Shearing - the process used to remove the sheep's fleece.
• Grading - The sorting of each piece by length, colour (shade), waviness, fineness etc plus the removal of any stains and damaged pieces.
• Making Yarn - Before this happens the wool is cleaned with detergents to remove yolk and other things that may be trapped in it such as dust and sand. Then the wool goes through a process called carding which passes the wool through rollers that have wire teeth. These rollers untangle the fibres and flatten them into a sheet called a web which are then formed into narrow ropes known as 'Silvers'.  "Carding length fibres are used to make woollen yarn. Combing length fibres and French combing length fibres are made into worsted yarn". Ref:http://library.thinkquest.org/

" Making worsted wool requires a greater number of processes, during which the fibres are arranged parallel to each other. The smoother the hard-surface worsted yarns, the smoother the wool it produces, meaning, less fuzziness. Fine worsted wool can be used in the making of athletics attire, because it is not as hot as polyester, and the weave of the fabric allows wool to absorb perspiration, allowing the body to "breathe"". Ref: http://library.thinkquest.org/

• Making the actual Fabric - Wool manufacturers knit or weave the yarns into a multiple of fabrics.

"The finishing of fabrics made of woolen yarn begins withfulling. This process involves wetting the fabric thoroughly with water and then passing it through the rollers. Fulling makes the fibers interlock and mat together. It shrinks the material and giving it additional strength and thickness. Worsteds go through a process called crabbing in which the fabric passes through boiling water and then cold water. This procedure strengthens the fabric".

Properties of the wool:

1)It is hard wearing and absorbs moisture.
2)It does not burn over a flame but smoulders instead.
3)It is lightweight and versatile.
4)Wool does not wrinkle easily.
5)It is resistant to dirt and wear and tear.

Uses:

Wool is used to make sweaters, dresses, coats, suits, jackets, pants and the lining of boots.It can also be made into blankets and carpets.

Ref: library.thinkquest.org

Ref: history.org


I chose this image not only as it shows the Shearing process, but I liked the way the sheep looks relaxed as well as the person doing the job. This indicates to me that the sheep here are well reared.


  Ref:wool.com.
                                                   A picture of the shears use to remove wool.

Ref: travelpod.com

I feel that this picture shows the shearing process as a bond between the sheep a its carer. i also find this picture very fashion inspiring.

Ref: museumwales.ac.uk

I Like the curliness of this wool in its natural form and feel that it could be used throughout the A/W 2011-12 of 
 trend almost as an embellishment or accessory instead of the usual full garment pieces.

Ref:shutterstock.com

An old fashioned spinning wheel used in the process of making yarn.Ref: high-orbit.co.uk

This is a picture of an earlier industrial yarn making machine. I thought it would be good to look the wool industry

in the early days to see how we have advanced over the years. Obviously industrial machinery was introduced 
as it is quicker than manual labour hence making it better for business and economy.

 Ref: tirotex.com

Modern day yarn spinning machines.

The earlier techniques look more interesting to me. Everything is getting quite robotic to me. 
Hence wanting to keep my trend predictions quite natural but edgy.

This image reminds me of my original idea from previous
 research, the idea of taking control of nature.

Not only has this person done that but they have
 also managed to make their creation fit in with nature 
which is beautiful.  I predict this is that this trend is going to 
be big this A/W 2011-12. 

Ref: managed-hostings.com

I decided to research wool as it is a natural fibre from nature itself, which is what my
trend prediction is for a/w 2011-12 is, and feel that this information will help me when
putting together my trend book.

These rugs are made from 100% New Zealand wool. I like the design of them as they portray nature.
Ref: luxury-insider.com