Week 1

In this unit I am excited to develop my practise as a knitwear designer, specialising in menswear.

INSPIRATION

These three images are the inspiration for this unit and why I have chosen to specialise in menswear. These pieces are visually interesting to me as they are full of colour, texture and pattern, the contrast of such feminine finished garments on typically masculine males is something which I find playful and experimental.

CONCEPT
I have continued to research the theme 'Feminine on Masculine', while researching this theme in knitwear I came across a small community which live on Taquile Island, off of Peru. Knitting is a key part of this communities culture where it is typically part taken by males, it is also an important part of their culture as  a system of clothes and colours clearly communicate their martial status. Married men wear a patterned hat that is red, while single men wear hats that start with a band of red and then turn into a white hat with a pom pom. Red detonates responsibility while white shows that the wearer can be care free. This simple, honest and open way of martial communication inspired me, as in the society we live in  is so closely monitored where we crave privacy and  others live in the opposite way, embracing it as a way of live wearing their martial status as proud symbols.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Island also celebrates the Festival of Saint James (Fiesta of Santiago), on days of the festival the village gather to dance in the plaza to the sound of wooden pipes and drums. The clothes which are worn on the day of the festival consits of brightly coloured head pieces and highly embellished clothes using feathers and beads.

 

 



 

 

 

I find these images inspiring as they are full of colour, energy, and texture. I feel that this is a great starting point for me in this unit as my research is strong in concept and visuals, which will help me to develop an over arching theme and there are many directions which I could take this further. The concept in which the male wears such feminine style clothes in order to communicate his marital status is also a concept which I am interested in exploring in more depth, focusing on highly designed and embellished pieces stating the freedom of ones relationship and less adorned pieces and styles for a male who is in a relationship and more reserved.

 

 

 

Drawing inspiration from the garments that the people wear on the island I have began to to draw inspiration from the catwalk, looking at a range of womenswear and menswear, looking at highly embellished and three dimensional surfaces. In past projects I have enjoyed working in these styles, and find this a very creative and exciting way to work. 

 



Focusing on the theme feminine on masculine, I am excited to explore the two contrasts in this concept.