Week 18

Dash and Miller - Ralph Lauren. Conclusion of Live brief. What have i learnt? How has it helped me?

This element of the project has really helped me find what sort of designer i want to be. I now know that home interiors, more specifically fabrics for upholstery is where i see my future. The live element of any project is something that especially excites me, the buzz of creating a piece/swatch for a client makes everything that little bit more important and therefore stressful.

The final samples i have gotten from the 'Urban Darks' warp are different to any other samples previously woven. They have depth and a real sense of purpose, something that i will aim to have in all my future works. I feel the compositions are varied in each samples, making for a very well rounded and coherent collection of samples. They work well individually and as a set, which is an element that i would pitch to Dash and Miller, of the opportunity arose. My aim was to have samples that could be fit for any purpose, i feel this has been achieved to the highest level.

After two weeks of weaving at 16 inches wide, i felt maybe the samples could do with being a tad more dense. This led me to change the width and EPI count of the cloth, leading to a 13 inch wide cloth with a density level of 60 EPI instead. This was a move that i wish i had undertaken sooner into the weaving block, as the samples are exemplary and far outshine the earlier, wider samples.

As it stands i have a good body of samples to present to the client, each with different colour ways, emphasizes and pattern ranges.

See below for images of the smaller samples from the 'Urban Darks' collection.

Additional samples produced as a sideline to the Dash & Miller brief. With 1 week left to spare i opted to use my time wisely and invested in a new project, combining my ideas from the Ralph Lauren work and my previous double cloth warps.

I chose to use 4 key colours. Black, White, Grey and Blue. I want to keep the samples simple in colour but complex in structure. Set over 4 blocks the warp will be able to weave in a variety of different combinations. I have currently only been able to weave 4 simple samples up to now, but plan to utilise the next 2 weeks to complete the warp, in the hope that i will find new inspiration for Unit X! The cloth is extremely thick, dense and sturdy. Perfect for the context i am looking into.