[ CONTEXT OF PRACTISE ]

LYDIA CLAXTON

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[  E V A L U T I O N  ]

For my final response to the theme, I produced a series of photographs showing how my accessory responds to my chosen theme and how my accessory works. The photographs show the different ways the bag can transform; it is up to the consumer to decide how they want to wear it. 

I am happy with my final photos; I like the angle of the photographs and how they show my concept.

I found working out how the bag would work challenging, however once I had worked it out, it was simple to make.

I found exploring and investigating my concept extremely interesting.

If I were to re-do the accessory, I would have thought more about the photographs and background, although I feel they successfully visualised my concept, I feel I could've thought of more innovative ways to show it.

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[  F I N A L  I M A G E S  ]

My Final Images:

A series of photographs showing the positive impacts of my bag, and the different bags in which it can be converted into.

Do you feel like you need to bring too many bags around with you?

Solution: A bag for all bags: Reflective Briefcase

Solution: A bag for all bags: Briefcase

Solution: A bag of all bags: Cross-body bag

Solution: A bag of all bags: Backpack

The bag can be worn on either the reflective side or the plain black side with straps. Each side can be each of the bags mentioned.

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[  S H O O T  1  -  R E V I E W  ]

For my first shoot I experimented with the idea of waste and the amount of bags people throw away or don’t use. I photographed bags within waste to show the amount of waste. My initial idea was that my accessory would replace the many bags one person has.

My idea was to have an image of all these bags being wasted, and an image of my solution; my bag on its own showing that it can replace all the waste and provide less damage to the environment.

I liked the images however I felt I needed more context and to show a person with my accessory.

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[  R E V I E W  /  https://tazzidesign.wordpress.com/blog/  ]

Taz has shown in-depth research on her blog; she has clearly thought carefully about her issue and how she wants to make a positive change to the impacts of dyes and sustainable denim.

Taz has researched many aspects of the denim and dye issues including; the impact of dyes, the consequences of not being sustainable, brands that are helping improve denim sustainability, the true cost documentary about working conditions and the environment and she has researched how to grow sustainable solutions.

Taz also went the V&A exhibition ‘Fashioned from Nature’, she was clearly very interested in the exhibition and learnt a lot. On her blog, from the exhibition, she posted the elements of the fashion life cycle and issues to do with the environment. She also posted a video about how to care for clothes and the environment; “The video is such an inspiration for me towards making my sustainable denim accessory using symbols through my research of what I think the world should hear not just from me but also from looking at what’s happening to the world by not being sustainable.”

Finally, Taz has carefully thought about her design ideas and started experimenting with bleach, tea bag dyes and rain accumulation. She is now working on the details for her final accessory.

I am excited to see how her outcome turns out as it is clearly an important issue to her and one that would change the environment in a positive way.

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[  P R O C E S S  ]

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[ D E S I G N  D E V E L O P M E N T  ]

Looking into different functional materials and my sketches for my idea.

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[  F A B R I C  /  C O L O U R  /  T R I M  ]

One side of the bag will be plain black, for a simpler look i.e for a briefcase. The other side will be reflective and with a pocket for a more outgoing look; I have chosen for he reverse side to be reflective material as after looking at future trends on WGSN, reflective material seemed to be common and is also a safety feature.

A mood board from WGSN for 2020.

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[  M Y  R E S P O N S E  ]

Sketches and mind-mapping ideas

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[  C O N C E P T  ]

My concept is the domino effect in which fast fashion has emerged.

I am exploring sustainability within fashion; mainly the concepts of fast fashion and The trickle-down theory. I will investigate how those at the bottom of the fashion industry pyramid (although being an imperative part of the system) suffer from inhumane conditions and brutal treatments and how I, as a designer, can help.

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These are some initial sketches for my bag design, it will have detachable straps so that it can be made into the different bags. It will be multi-functional with pockets and have reflective fabric on.

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[  Sustainable bags  ]

Through researching sustainable and eco-friendly bags; I either found canvas bags, weaved bags or shopping type bags (not really handbags or going out bags), however, there are many eco-friendly and/or sustainable bags that are designer so very expensive, for example, Stella McCartney handbags are animal-friendly and eco-friendly however the cheapest one is above £400. My idea is for a bag that affects fast fashion and sustainability in a positive way but is inexpensive and available for everyone.

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[  Rent The Runway .com  /  Review  ]

Although the website seems like a good idea; a few people have been caught out. The first thing I thought of would be what happens if you lose the items? Or if you ruin them? That is the issue with the items being so expensive; consumers are worried that they might have to pay if they ruin it… and turns out, they do.

Through researching renttherunway.com I found a review on a blog (Mandy Velez 2018). Mandy was returning a £250 dress she has rented from the website and accidentally missed off a letter on the return address, the item ended up being sent back to her but was lost in the mail; whilst this was happening the company was charging a £50 a day late policy to her account and said if she didn’t get the parcel to them, she would have to pay a 200% compensation rate. She ended up having to pay just over £1,700.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/i-wanted-to-rent-the-runway-what-an-expensive-mistake

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[  Rent The Runway .com  ]

Renttherunway.com is a new way of shopping online and wearing clothes. Consumers join a monthly subscription to Access a constantly rotating wardrobe. They can rent unlimited pieces of clothing on rotation which can be swapped at any time, without return dates. It also includes free shipping and insurance. Once you wear an item and send it back it is dry cleaned ready for whoever chooses it next. The idea is a step forward in positively changing fast fashion, however, the items on the website are all designer and range from £150 to over £2,000; this might be an issue for people who aren’t as keen on brands and wearing clothes that are a lot of money; they might prefer the same idea but for more high street brands such as Topshop, River Island, Warehouse etc. My bag design is to be inexpensive and affordable for everyone and still be sustainable as I feel there is a gap in the fashion market for this.

Website url: https://www.renttherunway.com/

Website clothing available: https://www.renttherunway.com/products/clothing?action=click_clothing&nav_location=mainmenu&object_type=top_nav

Website review: https://www.renttherunway.com/plans?nav_location=mainmenu&action=click_ways_to_rent&object_type=top_nav

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[  Fabric research  ]

My accessory will be suitable for all types of people and all budgets; I sampled different types of fabrics commonly used on bags. I sampled leather, cotton canvas, reflective nylon and waterproof nylon. On my accessory, I am going to use the reflective fabric as this is a key and up-and-coming trend, it is also a safety feature. I will also use the waterproof nylon as it is flexible, waterproof and budget-friendly to buy therefore the bag will cost less for consumers.

Nylon bought from Amazon.co.uk. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Express-Waterproof-Canvas-Fabric-Outdoor/dp/B078HYD7NS/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_201_t_1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=WFND4E842N50WEZ2XB6C

Reflective nylon bought from Ebay.com. https://www.ebay.co.uk/p/Waterproof-Black-Silver-PU-Coated-Nylon-Reflective-Automotive-Outdoor-Ripstop/2258159519?iid=331717419364&chn=ps

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[  Initial Idea  ]

In response to the issue of Fast Fashion I have decided to create be a bag as it is a very common item to have, the majority of people have at least one bag. I did a survey to see how many bags the average person has and what kinds of bags these are to help with my design idea:

Most people own 4-6 bags at one time.

The five most common bag types are: Backpack, Shoulder bag, Cross-body bag, Bum-bag and Clutch bag.

My idea is to create a bag that can convert into different bags. A bag that can be more than one bag therefore instead of consumers having to be 4 different bags, then can just buy one.

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[  Fashioned from Nature - V&A London  ]

I visited the Fashion from Nature Exhibition at the V&A in London. The exhibition included sustainable fashion and information about fast fashion and how it is affecting the environment. The exhibition was really eye-opening and showed how designers around the world have and are continuing to fight the battle of Fast Fashion.

The exhibition contained protesting garments, including  ‘Clean Up or Die’ man’s ensemble, Katharine Hamnett, 1989, Britain.

Stella McCartney, Winter 2017. © Stella McCartney

The exhibition helped me gain more understanding into the issues of fast fashion and how it is not just affecting the factory workers but the environment and the world we live in. It gave me inspiration to what I, as a designer could do to help these issues. 

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[  Primary Research - My Survey  ]

I created a professional survey on surveymonkey.co.uk to see for myself how my family and friends and people around me act and feel towards sustainability and fast fashion.

I did a pilot survey to make sure the questions were understandable and thorough, I then sent my survey out, these were my results:

SUMMARY: More than 50% of people chose to have more less quality items of clothing than one better quality item.

SUMMARY: 100% of people said they bought an item of clothing and regretted it. There were options to say no.

SUMMARY: 100% of people said they had bought an item of clothing specifically for an event. There were options to say no.

SUMMARY: Following Question 3: Only 7% of people said they bought the item knowing they would DEFINITELY wear it again. 7% also said they would NEVER wear it again and the rest said they probably would/may wear it again. This shows that the majority of people buy things to wear once, not knowing whether they will wear it again.

SUMMARY: A huge 84% of people said they have items in their wardrobe that have been there for more than a month that they have NEVER worn.

SUMMARY: 40% of people buy a new bag because they saw a newer one they liked. 30% said a previous one became worn out. 20% said they needed one to match an outfit. 7% of people said their previous one became lost or broken. 3% said their previous one became unfashionable. This shows that more than half of the people bought a new bag for fashion purposes.