D&G Fall/Winter 2016-17 Collection Illustration

Folded Contours

My final garment is inspired by my research into the brief 'Folded contours'. It consisted of draping fabric on objects and recording interesting folds and shapes produced as well as exploring ways of folding pages in a book. This garment is the final outcome of my research, the minimal vest has modern buckles which is contrasted by the soft curves and folds in the skirt. My garments were photographed in a photoshoot which was a great opportunity for me to be a part of.  

Avant-garde your Icon

The first visual studies brief I worked on was 'Avant-garde your Icon' which was very different in the sense that if felt more creative and editorial. As the brief title was Avant-garde your Icon, I decided to use a blogger/fashion designer/youtuber Dina Torkia, better known as Dina Tokio (Website: http://www.daysofdoll.com), as my muse because although I do not have an 'Icon' I do find her inspiring, especially her bubbly personality. I also really wanted to create a maternity collection and it just so happened that she was pregnant at that time which was perfect! The fact that I wanted to produce a maternity collection helped me focus on the idea of having Life and Death as a theme to guide my research and design development because when women give birth, they are essentially bringing life to this world. I wanted to really portray this theme in a different light so it creates more of a 'dark romantic' mood to this collection.

This brief allowed me to really experiment with silhouettes and the placement of key details. Although, the brief asked that the collection produced had tailoring it did not specify if it had to be a full tailored collection or have some tailored features and thus as I am focusing on maternity I only wanted to include tailoring elements within my collection and this certainly impacted on fabric choice- the fabrics I employed were a mixture of knitted and woven fabrics to accommodate for both the tailored features and the maternity aspect. Below are some of the work produced which will hopefully give you an idea of the outcome of this brief.

'True Islam'

After months of planning and going to many meetings, we (the committee members from Hudds Isoc) had the Interfaith dinner along with an exhibition and Q&A panel. Although it was stressful at times and quite chaotic (my lack of organisational skills), I feel as though it all worked out in the end Alhamdulillah (praise be to God). Being part of something bigger than myself has really broadened my understanding of how much planning and hard work is involved when organising events as well as helping strengthen my faith. 

I wholeheartedly can say that this event would not have been possible without the volunteers, who gave up their free time to help, the University and more importantly the awesome committee members who are some of the most AMAZING people I've had the pleasure of meeting when I became the Education Officer. Being around them has taught me so much about myself, my faith and what it is like to be part of the 'Isoc family' and for that I am eternally grateful! It is so rewarding knowing what a small group of students can achieve when we work together- 'Individually we are one drop but together we are an ocean'. This was my first time helping to organise an event but I hope this won't be my last. 

Here's some of the photos from the evening (photo credit: committee members from Isoc)

ARTfashion//CONCEPT board

One of my recent projects in the Visual studies module is 'Artfashion' and for this brief I have researched artists/illustrators that inspired me and create 4 illustrations in their style. The idea was to select one of the four words from the brief, 'Hybridity, Identity or Technology' and explore the word in further detail to produce a theme for the illustrations, that are going to be created in the style of the artist/illustrator I explore. I decided to explore the idea of my identity and as I am from Algeria, I quickly narrowed it down to my cultural background in particular the tribes that used to live in Algeria (some still live in certain regions), focusing on the Berber people or 'Kabyle' women of Algeria. Also, I am focusing on the elaborate jewellery, headwear and the meanings behind the tattoos that they have, which I will hopefully combine with a contemporary twist by using fluorescent colours, which the artists I am being inspired by employ in their work- they are Niki Pilkington, Website: http://www.nikipilkington.com and Louise McNaught Website: https://louisemcnaught.wordpress.com please do check out their beautiful and awesome work! 

Just wanted to share this concept board I created on Photoshop which will hopefully help get across the idea behind my Artfashion project.

International Design Project- INDIA

We were given the opportunity to enter a design competition that was based on the idea of fusing modern, Western clothing with traditional textiles and fashion from India to create unique garments that can be sold in the West. I worked in a team with other fashion students, we were in a group of 6 all together, which was great as we all had a variety of ideas and different styles. This project allowed us to collaborate with DIA fashion scholars who are studying in India and they collected relevant research which helped us get a deeper understanding of the type garments worn in different regions in India- it was interesting hearing the meaning behind the symbols that are employed to embellish a garment. The designs below are the outcome of research from the scholars as well as drawings, design development and experimentation with fabric, colour and patterns. Our group's designs were shortlisted which was awesome!

Marks and Spencer Final Illustrations

 These illustrations are a part of a collection I designed for the M&S 'weatherproofing' brief, the collection had 6 outfits in total and I collaborated with Ida, who is a textile student specialising in knit. To produce the illustrations I used pencil, pro markers, pencil crayons and acrylic paint and I feel as though employing different media helped me to render the fabrics and textures that the garments would be made out of.

Quote of the Week

I was browsing on Pinterest and noticed this lovely quote I thought I'd share which is edited by me on Photoshop. I think if we all implemented these words in our lives this world would be a better place. The link to my Pinterest is: https://uk.pinterest.com/NourhaneT/ if anyone is interested. 

Experimenting with Pattern and Colour

A sneak peak of some of the work I produced for the Marks and Spencer brief which stated that the collection is for Spring/ Summer 2017 Womenswear and incorporates the idea of 'Weatherproofing'. After conducting research on the company and producing a customer profile and moodboard, I began developing silhouettes, which then lead to experimentation with patterns and colour. 

Dystopian themed Collection

The second brief I was able to explore in visual studies during my first year was 'Clothes on the edge of time' whereby the collection I was designing was mid-range urban streetwear. The brief required me to decide whether I thought we would live in a Utopian or Dystopian future and I believe that as long as people continue to harm each other as well as their environment, our future is more likely to be a dystopian one. My main inspiration for the dystopian theme was the movie 'The Maze Runner' as the plot centred around a dystopian future whereby the planet has been devastated by a massive solar flare, followed by a pandemic of a deadly, incurable virus called the 'Flare' which affects the brain of the afflicted. 

The second film, which would be released the following year, is set in a desert and this inspired me to loosely develop a collection for the upcoming film taking in the characters’ surroundings in mind as well as the streetwear element. My line-up for this womenswear collection consists of 4 outfits and I employed Photoshop to render the fabrics and coloured pencils and also a 0.5mm fineliner for each illustration.