T W I L I G H T - Textiles and fashion collaboration wins highly commended and asos pitch

Me, (fashion) Suphattra (fashion and modeling), Fran (model), Charlotte (textiles), (model) and Aisha (model)

T W I L I G H T

Three weeks ago, textiles student Charlotte Jenkin was given a brief to collaborate with fashion students to create a range of t-shirts and a business plan for the brand.

Having seen her gorgeous work (everything she touches becomes beautiful) I was really excited to be working with her.

Suphattra and I started drawing up shapes, designs and researched well into beading and draping to work alongside Charlotte's vision. We wanted very much to facilitate her, and not 'contain' the project within any trend ideas, but inside let Charlottes textile ideas flow into the design development of the actual shapes too.

After the fabrics were created; beautiful dyed and screen printed nylons and lycra, we set to work drafting and pattern cutting in the last week, running up to the presentation.

The presentation was very much like dragons den! A panel of judges (most of whom I had no idea who they were) a big camera from the BBC and some complicated questions about mass production manufacturing.

All lack of sleep and overlocking unpicking was well worth it! T W I L I G H T came Highly recommended, and our work will be presented to the buyers of ASOS (www.asos.com) next week!

Our models before a shoot for the newspaper

Fran in the printed poncho
Us lot! 
The hangers and tags for the range

Jacket Project

Here's my toile before adding the draping pockets at the sides. I've got two weeks until the final deadline, and will be recreating it in purple wool fabric and printing my workbook by then.

I'm loving the fact that I have done something unlike me - its more commercial than what I usually design. Unfortunately the colour I was assigned (blue / bright teal that I fell in love with and  will definitely use it for a future project) was swapped to purple, which is waaay too me-like! Changing it to purple makes the whole collection look tighter - altho I'm still convinced that we should have all used the same texture/ type of wool fabric to pull the collection together more.

Oh well! Check out the gorgeous digitally printed linning that I got from GoldHawk, London.

Fitted Jacket with a grown on collar and seaming details on the empire line. Vents on sleeves and draped pockets to follow.

Brelli !

So now we have a solution for those parasol lovers who don't wana hide from the sun - but shelter from the rain! Chuck your poncey material parasol and replace it with this 100% biodegradable brelli. Nope it's not made from dissolvable fabric, but a new kind that will last as long as you look after it, yet is careful to the environment. Personally I think this large size, for two people is awesome, spesh for when your trip to the arboretum turns out to be a rainy one.

Available from american websites $32 - $50