Laura Antoinette

A compilation of my design work from university and beyond. Fashion, textiles and graphic design.

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For Florence by Laura Antoinette Long sleeve jacket with high pleated collar, front pockets, wrist ties, hidden button closure, contrast lining, darned panels and detailing Site photoshoot

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The Paleontologist - menswear collection

This menswear collection had to draw garment and print design inspiration from an established menswear designer. After studying Yohji Yamamoto’s practise and concepts, I took inspiration from my brother to create The Paleontologist. Just as Yamamoto says he designs around people, their passions, thoughts and actions, my design tells the story of a man who as a boy, dreamt of dinosaurs and paleontology. 

The lifestyle of a paleontologist sits in a unique place between research science and active fieldwork; it is a blending of the typical lab-coated scientist image and fun adventuring. I was most inspired in Yamamoto’s designs when I could see the boy in the man, who he was and how that informed who he grew up to be, and through my textiles print and garment design I played with duelling ideas of study/adventure, dream/reality, and boy/man.

Paleontology is a science of very warm, earthy colours. Even white bones take on the colour like the rock around it after fossilisation - the only relief in these hot colours is in the cool grey-blue seen in certain rocks. The key motifs will be drawn from the shapes and patterns of fossil bones and dinosaur skeletons, as well as the layers, lines and cracks that form in rocks.

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Textile Innovation  Textile waste is used here to create new fabrics and sculptural forms. Layers of scrap fabrics were glued together, then the resulting block of fabric (weighing 4.7kgs) was cut into smaller slices by an industrial guillotine to reveal the colourful cross section. By repurposing and extending the life of our waste we can help reduce the amount going into landfill.  This final work was the result of collaboration between myself and the guillotine operator, without his ideas and experience it would not have been the same.

Fabric scraps & padding glue

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For Florence Lookbook by Laura Antoinette

The lookbook for the For Florence collection also carries the themes of decay, delicacy and femininity. The book was made by putting duck fabric through an inkjet printer and then each page was sewn together. The duck was chosen for its similarities to art canvas, as it is paintings from the 1890′s which inspired the collection. Darned sections, frayed denim and worn detailing on the pages further tie the book with the garments from the collection.

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Decoupage botanic wall I’ve been wanting to do this to my room for 3 years and I finally found the right botanical illustration book to use! Barbara Everard, thank you so much for your lovely illustrations in “Wild Flowers of the World” they are exactly what I was hoping for.

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For Florence by Laura Antoinette Sleeveless dress with pleated neckline, low back, raw edge finishes, darned detailing around waist and sash Studio photoshoot

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Draped denim collection

For Florence is inspired by paintings of 1890′s Australia, in particular, Tom Robert’s 1898 “Portrait of Florence”. Using mainly denim, the collection uses drape techniques, darning stitches and weaving to achieve loose and feminine looks. 

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Alternative Textile Experiments

Drawing inspiration from the ocean, these alternating blue and transparent samples are both structural and soft. With great depth and interesting textures they look best viewed with backlighting. I’d been using my caulking gun a lot for other crafty projects so it was fun to apply it to textiles for once.

Silicon & food colouring

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Designing for a brand: H&M Using information on weaknesses and opportunities gleaned from conducting a brand and market report an 8-outfit collection was created aiming to improve upon the brand’s current offering.

Following the success H&M has had from their collaborations with celebrities and designers, the proposed collection is a collaboration with The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Collaborating with an environmental organisation is a unique selling point, further highlighting the good work towards sustainability that H&M does and strengthening their image as an environmental sustainability focused brand. Prints, embellishments and silhouettes draw inspiration from Kew’s beautiful Palm House and the flora it houses. Themes of plants protected in the greenhouse carries ideas of H&M protecting the environment similarly through their values and practices.

In addition to the collaboration aspect, the collection also aims to improve upon the year-around basic Conscious garments with updated prints, designs and embellishments that work on their own as basic garments but also as a part of the new collection. Conscious basics and new garments should be displayed on the store mannequins together to promote them as one desirable whole.While Kew Gardens is focused in the UK, this collaboration idea could be widened to H&M’s other major markets, capitalising on the brands wide global presence. Collaborations with a local environmental organisation fosters an image of community mindedness and promotes sustainability closer to the consumer in a way they may personally connect to, with images of familiar flora or places.

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Drape collection Drawing inspiration from late medieval headdresses and foggy landscapes, Nebulous is a collection designed entirely from draping on the stand. Silhouettes obscure the body in the same way the headdresses did to the wearers head and fabrics are dyed subtle colours like trees blanketed in dense fog.

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On The Rocks by Laura Antoinette One-piece swimsuit and dress cover-up  Beach photoshoot

Photographer: Andy Roberts Model: Natalia Krivonogova, StarNow 

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On The Rocks by Laura Antoinette One-piece swimsuit and dress cover-up  Studio photoshoot

Model: Natalia Krivonogova, StarNow 

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Full drop repeat print design for swimwear printed onto 1 x 1.45m white lycra by Australian company Jets Swimwear using digital fabric printing technology My swimwear and cover-up range, On the Rocks, is all about sitting by the waters edge, sipping cocktails, socialising with friends at 
the pool or beach-side bar and soaking up the atmosphere. In order to communicate these ideas my print has to reference poolside glamour culture rather than the beach and ocean imagery typically seen in swimwear. Cocktails are key to this culture, they represent the fun, social aspect of lounging around in swimwear in public and so my print design is made to look like one of these drinks.

There are two distinct images within the one print so that the same fabric may be used for more than one aspect of the swimwear to achieve different looks. The first is the large gradient side view of the cocktail glass which is suited for use in panel pieces, it begins a dark purple where the drink sits by itself and grows lighter in colour as the ice floats at the top of the glass. The second, suited for bindings or thinner waistbands, is the top view of the cocktail with the ice cubes and lemon slices to garnish the drink, the bright yellow providing a compliment to the purple liquid imagery.  I experimented with photographic imagery in order to make the best use of the highly detailed capabilities of digital printing. To replicate a cocktail I filled a container with water and purple food colouring, ice cubes and lemon slices. The final print was made by combining and layering the photographs of the 'drink' with various painted gouache textures to achieve the birds eye view and side gradient view of the drink. With bright colours and clear summer feelings, this print is well suited for the social, cocktail-sipping wearer basking at the pool or beach-side. Photoshop

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Swim wear and cover-up design range 10 swimsuits and 6 cover-ups designed entirely with stretch fabrications through draping and sketching. The Client The On The Rocks range is for a lady aged 20-30 who is fun, feminine and enjoying her youth, but a bit more conservative than her friends. She is comfortable in her body but not in showing more skin than she has to. She doesn’t enjoy swimming in the water as much as she does meeting her friends at the pool or beach side bar for a catch up, though she won’t be averse to a quick dip when her friends do so as well. She wants to wear something that doesn’t make her feel like she’s exposed in public, whether that be because of so little skin coverage or tight body hugging fabric. Her ideal cover-up would be almost her normal clothes, loose and modest, to provide freedom of movement and limited exposure as well.

The Design My swimwear range draws its inspiration from the 40s and 50s ideas of how much skin is ‘safe’ to show on a body and the old poolside glamour of sipping cocktails and socialising at the waters edge. Helped by a contemporary twist in the use of materials, print and revealing of the body, the final range has clear vintage vibes without being dated.

Swimwear in the 40s and 50s had fully covered fronts, the crotch and chest were disguised and no to be looked at. Similarly, my swimwear draws the eye away from the chest and crotch by the use of gathered fabric to obscure form and horizontal lines to draw views focus to other areas of the body. This is combined with the slight revealing of the midriff and open, low backs, finding a balance between conservative and prim to ensure it suits the modern day just the same.

The silhouettes will are hourglasses, with emphasis on the horizontal waist as the ‘safe’ area between the crotch and chest. Fabrications are well suited to being both in and out of water and surface decorations help obscure the body’s ‘unsafe’ areas. Colours are suitably feminine purples and bright contrasting yellows. Darker shades help conceal the figure while bright yellow becomes a feature, used sparingly.  Prints are inspired by cocktail drinks, full of ice, lemon garnishes and gradient berry colours; playful yet mature to bring the ideas of poolside glamour to the swimwear. Trims and closures are well suited to the eras my inspiration comes from,  heralding the 40s and 50s. Garment construction makes use of modern finishes and construction techniques to a degree well appropriate for the contemporary mid-price range of swimwear.

 Illustrator, InDesign and hand illustration

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Boarder print design A fun mixed-media nautical print with boats, waves, maritime signal flags and clouds. Print repeat runs not along the selvage but along the top and bottom of the fabric.  Coloured paper, gouache, watercolour, textured paper, twine and cotton balls

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Hand drawn technical sketches Brief was to demonstrate accurate rendering of various garments as technical drawings. Copic marker and art pens

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Couture bodice Brief was to draw inspiration from one of Schiaparelli's collections and design a bodice through draping. I looked at her 1938 'Pagan' collection and drew from it the feeling of being in and amongst nature. My bodice aims to feel like the wearer is lost in the forest- dark tree shadows and bugs crawling all over. 100% wool, contrast and lining 100% silk Beading and embroidery embellishments