FT3013 - Design and Small Business Operations

And so we start again ........

Another module guide another project. This time the main focus is DEPTFORD !! As it will incorporate both marketing and design within this module which will make a nice change as usually the module set for design and marketing don't relate to each other whatsoever and it is a tug of war as to which project to spend your time on !!

So Deptford ...... what do I know so far ? To be honest all I really know is that its a couple of stops down from where I live on the DLR at Deptford bridge. So not much so far research needed.

The main aims of the module are as follows :

• To acquaint the students with the business knowledge; skills and techniques to successfully launch operate and control a small venture in the fashion clothing field.
• Aims to exercise and consolidate broad-based design/technical production decision making skills and to encourage students to become aware of the personal attributes which are required from a fashion entrepreneur working with limited financial support.

The work required to be undertaken for this module is as follows :-

• A3 SKETCHBOOK
• SHOP REPORT - (PRODUCT, PLACE, PRICE, PROMOTION)

• PROMOTIONAL MATERIAlL -

  label/logo mailshots, flyposters, press pack business stationary and carrier bag.

• SHOP FRONT VISUAL - Full lay-out of your shop or unit on A3 boards including: Point of sale items and visuals,Swing ticket, label, carrier bag, Merchandising plan of garments and other stock

• A3 RANGE PLAN SHEETS - These should contain details of all garments offered (minimum 12 garments with every different colourway offered) including:

  • Fabric and colour swatches
  • Style numbers/names and price points (Minimum 12 garments excluding different colourways)
  • Top to toe visual of collection (minimum 2x A3 boards) with pieces /accessorised
  • Clearly communicated label and season.

• SIGNATURE OUTFIT -Minimum two garments

  • Finished patterns and toiles with costings fabric samples and trims
  One finished outfit in fabric

• P.R. COPY -

  Statement of approximately 100-200 words which promotes your label as a new company

As well as the above for design I will also be completing two reports for the marketing side of this module. The first concerned mainly with the market research to be carried out within Deptford and the second about the actual business idea and plan as well as costings etc.

Fashion Show

The finish and Reflection

So finally the module has come to an end and is over and done with. I have really enjoyed this module some of the positive aspects that I enjoyed included the designer presentations we attended at the beginning of each lesson. I liked that it allowed us to learn about and give us an insight into many different designers some I had heard of and others that were totally new to me.

Other aspects I enjoyed included the design development exercises. I believe that by using many different media's when it came to these I have started to find my own designer hand writing and which media's work well and which don't.

I am pleased with the final outcome of my garment. I believe I have pushed my self further than usual by making something that is out of my comfort zone that I wouldn't usually design or make. I have also tried to construct it in the best way possible to make it as close to a couture garment as possible and am overall pleased with the results.

One main lesson I have learnt from this module is when toiling use fabrics that are as similar to the ones you are going to construct a garment so you don't run into problems when constructing your final garment. I have also learnt many other new construction skills during this module, especially by making mistakes and having to solve them, however with each mistake comes a new lesson. So all the lessons and knowledge I have acquired will help me when it comes to previous modules and projects.

Final Garment

Above are some images of my final outfit consisting of a tailored jacket and dress. I am pleased with the overall look and how my garments have turned out. Especially after a lot of having to re do things, going backwards starting again and feeling that I am taking one step forward and two steps back !!! However I believe that my persistence has paid off and my garment is of a lot better quality because of it .

I fell one of the main problems I have had and on lesson i will take away with me form this module is that chiffon does not act in the same way as net lol.

Styling - Hair and make up ideas

Above are some possible make up and hair ideas for the fashion show.

My Model :)

This is my model for the show the gorgeous miss Emily Holmes :) I'm very lucky as she is actually my cousin so can call on her from time to time to model for me. Above is some of her previous modelling work. I think she will be perfect to model my dress as she is tall enough to pull off the look of the dress.

One step forward two steps back

This dress is starting to send me insane now and it forever feels like it is one step forward and two back and that sometimes I am going around in circles and never seem to get any where lol. I do something and then it is wrong so have to un do it and then re do it again !!! Arrgghh But hopefully it will all be worth it in the end as I want a garment that I can be proud of and that I know is well made and made to the best of my ability !!

The current list of problems that need rectifying are as follows : -

• My first neck piece was hideous I had sandwiched net within the chiffon to give it more of a rigid look. However it ended up looking like something a clown would wear !!

Solution was to use lots of layers of chiffon that had been gathered up and sewn together the edges have also been left raw to give it a softer look and feel.

• Second was the cut outs in the side panel I had top stitched around the edges, which didn't look nice and isn't how a couture garment would be made.

Solution was to get rid of the facings to reduce bulk at the hip and then hand stitch in the panels so it did not pull and distort the dress fabric at the curved sections.

• The hem was sewn wrong.

Solution to un pick the hem make a binding for the hem bind the hem in the same fabric and then hand stitch it up with an invisible stitch so it can not be seen to give it more of a couture look.

• CHIFFON IS NOT THE SAME FABRIC AS NET !!

Solution to learn my lesson and use the nearest possible fabrics when toiling a garment so the fabric will act in the same way when the garment is made. The tu tu section at the bottom of the dress when first created looked horrible and flat as I had constructed it in that same way as I had with the net. To rectify this I had to make sure I put a lot more ruffles and gathering into the chiffon to give it more of a volumous look.