relating to my work

My Trend prediction is all about using natural materials in a more natural way that shows of the uniqueness of garments. I am currently in the process of  making flowers out of hair to adorn my garments. I first came up with the idea when I looked at the Neanderthal and how they used their natural environment in order to survive. In their time they used animal furs / hides and made clothing. The Fabrics that my research has lead me to choose shows that nothing has changed and humans today do exactly the same things it just that we have much more technology now that we can change the whole character of a materials original state. Which is why my Trend prediction is inspired by nature and natural fabrics different parts of the world.


Below is the Work of Marna Bernades Who also uses hair and other unusual materials to produce contemporary jewellery such as toothpicks, hair grips, phone cards to name a few.

Ref:greenupgrader.com


This is a picture of Music artist Jessie J taken from her music video "Nobody's Perfect". I am interested in this picture as it reflects what I am doing at the moment ( recycling jewellery to make embellishments for garments). In this case the designer has used Gold Watches to embellish her jacket. Her theme is Alice in Wonderland. I got to this point by looking at natural elements such as gold and other semi precious stones and then sourcing and recycling jewellery which would imitate that, but would still be precious in the sense of the hidden memories and stories behind the pieces.

Ref: feedlimmy.wordpress.com

Neanderthal / cavemen Clothing

As stated earlier on in blogs the bible states that Adam and eve were given animal clothing from God. The history of people such as the neanderthal show how animal hides / skins were used as clothing and protection and survival within their environment. Below is a bit of history from the Stone Age and how the neanderthal made clothing.


The beginning of design and textile techniques.

Lower Paleolithic

no evidence of clothing

Middle Paleolithic

draped animal hides, sometimes bound with sinew

Upper Paleolithic

animal hides punched with awls and sewn with sinew and bone needles

Mesolithic

animal hides punched with awls and then sewn with sinew and bone needles

Neolithic

animal hides punched with awls and sewn with sinew and bone needles, first appearance of woven plant fiber textiles

Specific Inventions of the Stone Age

draped animal hide clothing

washing of garments

detergent

dyes

bleaching

tanning hides

shoes

the needle

the awl

sewn animal hide clothing

domestication of livestock

cultivation of crops

spinning

hand weaving

The Middle Paleolithic was the time of the Neanderthal who wore clothing made of animal hides draped around the body and probably bound in place with sinew. Neanderthals did not create any surviving artwork and did not leave behind any evidence of loom or needle.

Neanderthals did tan their hides, however, as uncured hides are smelly and prone to rotting. A number of tanning methods were developed – placing raw hides in the sun, salting hides, smoking hides, chewing hides – all of which achived the goal of making a hide more suitable for clothing or shelter. Some scientists have hypothesized that even urine was used for tanning. Many dispute that fact since the first time something tanned with urine was rained on or sweated in, the resulting odor would have been less than pleasant. Evenutally a technique called ‘brain tanning’ in which the oils from animal brains were used to make a raw hide into a soft, velvety wearble skin. Later, a process called vegetable tanning was developed in which hides were submerged in pools with vegetable matter in them – tannins. The type of tanning used varied by location and resources as well as contacts with other groups.

Neanderthal burial sites sometimes contained the pigment ochre, a naturally red- or yellow-tinted clay, and could have been the first intentional manipulation of color. Scientists suspect that Neanderthals also created dyes and paints with which to decorate themselves. Some say that the use of color in burial sites may have been incidental, as ochre has anti-microbial properties and could have been used to slow decay or lessen unpleasant odors. This could have been the reason that some Neanderthal-era hides appear to have been treated with ochre during the tanning process.

As a result, it has been speculated that Neanderthals may have been the first to dye or bleach hides. A bleaching detergent can be made from stale urine which can render a hide white. Next, a dye made from ochre can be applied which would render an ochre red or ochre yellow hide. This would have been a rather long, somewhat difficult process and most likely hides of a special color would have been used for special occasions such as ceremonies or for individuals of special rank.

Neanderthals may have been the first to wear shoes, although studies of toes bones of older species indicate that they, too, may have worn shoes. ( However the oldest date documented about the use of shoes only goes back to 5000BC ( the Native American sandals).

Ref: 

bhowc.wordpress.com/2006/03/31/the-stone-age/

 Neanderthal Dressing

 

Bone Needle

 Ref: johnmariani.com

Ref: dailymail.co.uk

Ref: ridethatpony.com

 Ref: beforeitsnews.comRef: slayingevil.wordpress.com

Ref:mirror.co.uk

This is a woolly mammoth which would have lived around the period of the Neanderthal 
and were often defeated by the Neanderthal in order for them to survive. 
The Mammoth would've provided them with not only clothing but food as well.


These days it really was survival of the fittest. 




 Ref: lasvegascourierservice.com


As Man Has evolved so has innovation, design and technology.
I thought it was interesting to show this as it started with the neanderthal who devised clothing
and survival techniques that have been passed onto the human race of today in which we
play with elements to create a new.


Contemporary design inspired by the Neanderthal / "cavemen"


                 


Ref:fancydressshops.com                        Ref:rcsdirect.co.uk 

Other elements of design inspired by nature

Ref: /www.workboxdirect.co.uk/blog/index

An image of  thee Lotus Temple, Dehli.
I chose to look at this image as I thought the way it has been assembled and constructed was interesting and some of the elements would be good to use during the trend process. structured shoulders maybe. The building design is inspired by the flower.

Ref: archindesigns.com


I just loved the structure and colours of this armchair inspired by small plant
flowers.

A Sumptuous Summer Houses a Natural Look With a Touch of Natural Beauty Brazil

October 19, 2010 - Categories: House Design

A luxurious summer house was designed by Mareines and Patalano Arquitetura located near Rio de Janeiro in the lovely small beach with an amazing blue water. With the speed boat we could surround the beach, architectural design is inspired by Brazilian Indians perfectely suitable for hot and humid climate. Flowers reminiscent of the roof acting as a big leaf that protects from the sun.

Ref: http://www.dekrisdesign.com/
I like the way this new modern build in Brazil is designed and the way it is described. "The big leaves protect from the sun" which is one of the ways big leaves function in nature itself. The design and function fit in with the initial inspiration.

Sheep in London launch the Campaign for Wool

Tom Hingston Studio was recently commissioned to create a more vibrant version of the traditional Woolmark and also design a logo for a new campaign to promote wool, which launched this week at several events in London designed to focus passers by attention on wool - such as this flock of yellow sheep spotted outside Selfridges...



The Campaign for Wool is a new initiative by Woolmark that aims to increase consumer demand for wool and wool products which has, we're told, been declining in recent years. "The whole thing is about the promotion of wool as a sustainable, viable fibre," explains Tom Hingston about the project. "And it's not just aimed at fashion, it's about interiors, product design, built environment. Wool impacts all of those things as a fibre, as a material."

Hingston's studio, in collaboration with creative consultancy Keep, has created a new colourful version of the Woolmark (above), specifically for use in communication relating to the campaign. "The original Woolmark was designed in the 60s," says Hingston. "But there's a perception that it is tied to an older era – you'd only ever see it in black and white. It's such a beautiful and iconic mark and we've grown up with it, so we looked at expressing it in different ways. Woolmark wanted us to infuse the original with a new vibrancy - which is why we introduced colour, layering and transparency."

Ref: http://www.creativereview.co.uk/cr-blog/2010/october/tom-hingston-studio-plus-flocks-of-sheep-launch-campaign.

This will come in handy for case study within trend book.

Contemporary Pojagi

 housewife.splinder.com/post/22128968/reconstructed-fashion
 dragonthreadsopenbook.blogspot.com

Pojagi was the original Indian name for the art quilt made of a mixed media of natural fibres traditional to the country such as indian silkthreads, linens and cotton.
The name then grew into other areas of design where mixed medias are used.

trendstop predicted purple potion for fall/winter 2009-10

"Purple Potion was one of the key twenty 'fashion bright' shades in our Scarytale forecast story for Fall 2009-10. We also published key shades covering base, colors, highlights as well as key colors combinations around this theme."

march 2009

12 months later, it happened on the fall/winter

ref: trendstop.com