Brixton...

Just thought I'd put a bit about Brixton and the new project we've got. Its all about transition and the outcome is basically a fashion garment to be worn at our own fashion show at Brixton market!! I went to Brixton for the first time and although its not the fanciest of places, it will still be really exciting to have our work displayed there on models and there are some really lovely little shops and cafes in the market so hopefully it will attract a good crowd and be a good night- if they put all the fish away... (fingers crossed anyway!!)

Unexpected Knotting

Also I've been to a few workshops to help with the project and learn a few more skills- macrame and pom pom making. I had never even heard of macrame but someone said it was good for people interested in construction like weave and knit so I put my name down for it! As I had no idea what to expect I was really pleased when I turned up and saw all the examples the tutor had brought of lovely, what looked like hand woven pieces and structures hanging on loops and poles all made with lots of lovely yarns and different fibres. Macrame is actually knotting and is surprisingly easy even though in the diagrams on the help sheets it looks awful!! In the day I managed to make about 5 samples which I am really proud of and I think I will use the skill in some way the project as a final outcome because it gives a really interesting texture and it is possible to make little twists and holes, which resemble the lichen structures I am focusing on.

Pom pom making was also really fun and so relaxing, it reminded me of been 7 and sat on my grandmas sofa making them all night with my sister when we went to stop over! It was funny because we all spent hours making these big fluffy balls and then the tutor showed us an easy way to do it which takes about 10minutes!! Ah well, at least it bought back some good memories...

RIP McQueen

I have literally just been crying my eyes out after watching the Alexander McQueen Documentary on More4, it so so sad. He was such a genius and I had no idea how much pressure he was under constantly to produce not only his own line, but lines for Guicci and Versace, he was making 10 collections a year which is just so much hard work its no wonder he resorted to drugs to even stay awake at times. I couldn't believe some of the stuff the programme said about his collections though, and how people didn't like them because of the way they portrayed the female body and provoked too much of a reaction, but I thought isn't that what fashion is about? Making people rethink and look again at something, and really challenging what is right and wrong? His Highland rape collection was really criticised for been too 'out there' and been derogatory to women but the garments were so beautiful and amazingly crafted I found it hard to believe what the critics said- after all everyones entitled to their opinion I guess!! If you've not seen it I really recommend it, it shows a lot of his work and gives an insight into the industry which is normally behind closed doors.

Brixton

It was my first time exploring Brixton today and although I had quite negative expectations after hearing all the bad reports on the news, I really liked it. The whole place seemed so busy and vibrant and full of different people and cultures. The market stalls were so colourful and intersting with fruit I had never seen before and everyone was so friendly and chatty, telling me how to use the different foods, and what they actually were! Although I still have no idea what I'm doing for the project, I'm looking forward to going back to Brixton!

Reflective Statement- Unit 1

During the first few weeks of the course when we started doing the Rough Guide project I at fist wondered how on earth looking round London was ever going to help me learn practical skills and become a textile designer but looking back I think it was one of the most important projects I’ve done. It taught me that to achieve a really good and interesting final outcome, design idea or image, you really need to research properly. A couple of drawings isn’t enough and it took a whole week of collecting photos, drawings, rubbish and leaflets for me to really get a sense of place and understand the area and appreciate it.

I think I have also really learnt to look at all the information I have first then start to edit and analyze it, which really makes doing lots of research important! I have learnt to look at my photos differently and also take photos from different angles, levels, viewpoints and directions to capture the most visually interesting scene I can out of something which may look very ordinary.

I have worked really hard on my blog, trying to write down what we needed to as part of the tasks, but also include a few other posts, such as little reviews of the exhibits I have been to on my own and my thoughts on how the blocks were going, with images of my work, so others can judge and hopefully write comments about how they see the work. I think it is a helpful tool to show your thoughts and work to the public in a friendly and informal way, and it is nice to decorate and make your page a little bit interesting so people actually want to look at your work! I think I have done well in the tasks and wrote quite a lot for them all, but I think that at times I totally forget I’m doing a blog and slip into essay language, which isn’t good. I also wish I was better on computers so I could make my blog look really good as I’ve seen some with lovely backgrounds, pictures in different places, fancy text, links to other pages and websites, search boxes and even movie clips and I think that these added features really make the blog more interesting and easier to navigate. I would especially like to be able to use links and search boxes properly as it would make it much easier to see my different posts and find what you were looking for straight t away with the blog, as some posts don’t have the most obvious names. When I’m next doing my blog for a task I’ll keep an eye on the language I use to try and keep it chatty and informal and like something which I would enjoy reading so hopefully others can as well!

Robert Opie Collection

I think I can honestly say that this museum visit has probably been my favourite of any museum I have ever been to. It was full of old packaging, advertisements, toys, games, clothes, furniture, food, cosmetics and basically everyday products and appliances which we use everyday and which are all branded, but we don't even notice as the names and logos are so familiar.

It was funny to see all the packs of traditional brands like Cadbury Roses, Johnson's Talc, Marmite, Kellogg's Cornflakes and Heinz Baked beans dating from the very first packaging to the one we are used to today. It was also interesting to see how although materials used for the packaging had usually changed from glass and tins, to cardboard and plastic, the imagery, colours and brand logo all remained consistent, building up in our head a familiar and trustworthy brand which we have grown up with and will continue buying as we have become confident and brand loyal.

I have decided to focus on the Kellog’s brand as I feel it is something we all grow up with from been a baby and no matter what your diet you cant escape Kellogg’s food.

Kellogg's was founded as the Battle Creek Toasted Corn Flake Company on February 19, 1906, by Will Keith Kellogg and his brother John Harvey Kellogg at the Battle Creek Sanitarium. The invention of Kellogg's cornflakes which started the whole corporation was in fact an accident. The brothers were part of a Christian group, the seventh day Adventists, who were strict vegetarians, had no alcohol, tobacco, or caffeine and believed that spicy or sweet foods would increase passions so ate only tasteless foods such as oats, corn and rice.

On August 8th, 1894 the brothers accidentally left some wheat out while they went to work and when they got back they found that the wheat had gone stale, but as they didn't have a lot of money they decided to continue to prepare and eat it anyway by forcing it through rollers, hoping to obtain long sheets of dough. However, what they actually got were flakes, which they toasted and the first cornflake was made.

On April 14th, 1896 a patent was filed for the cornflakes and from then on the invention has been accredited to the bothers. In 1906 the brand tried to mass market cornflakes and added sugar to them to appeal to a wider audience and they also started experimenting with other grains and in 1928 Rice Crispies were invented. Since then Kellogg's have invented many many more products, such as Frosted Flakes, Nutri-grain, Special K, Coco pop's, All Bran and Fruit n' Fibre. The company saw decline in it figures in the early 80's so decided to advertise the "health benefits" and convenience of their cereals and this led to a 26% rise in cereal buying among 25-49 year olds in the US and their profits rose from $3.7 billion in 1983, to $5.4 billion in 1988.

Kellogg's as a brand has a very wide and varied consumer base, both men and women, young and old, they make a product to suit everyone. Most children are brought up eating different cereals like Frosties and rice crispies, and many of the character cereals Kellogg's sell through a partnership with Disney and the Simpsons creators. Not only are the cereals endorsed by favourite children's characters's, they are sweet and tasty and many often contain free toys and offers, making them irresistible to children. For adults as well they are seen as a cheap, convenient and healthy start to the day for their children. As we grow up we usually stick with the products we have always eaten and grown up around, however Kellogg's also markets some of its products towards adults, such as Fruit n' Fibre, Special K and All Bran as they are seen as nutritious and Special K especially is marketed as a weight loss product, which appeals a lot to women.

On their website Kellogg's have a whole section devoted to their values and commitment to the environment as try to portray a very positive view of the company. They say the company has a commitment to integrity and ethics, pride in the brand and its heritage, seeks to serve and delight consumers through the quality of the products and services, promotes and protects their reputation, is committed to continuous improvement and are willing to change.

Kellogg's have also been trying hard to reduce their environmental impact across the world and becoming more green. By sharing transport they have cut road miles by 270000 between 2006-09, reduced global waste by 41.5% per tonne since 2005 and have goals to further this, reduced emissions by 10% since 2005, reduced water use by 17% since 2005 and all their packaging is recyclable. All these measures have been put into place as part of long term goals and a plan for Kellogg's to become more green and preserve its friendly, family loved appearance and so far it seems to have worked!

Decisions, Decisions, Decisions...

Just finished the print block today and I am so confused!! Margret really liked my work which made me feel so happy, she even told Kathy that she wanted me and Kim in print next year (!!) but I really don't know what to do...I do really like print and I know I can do it, but I've been doing it since year 5 and i'm almost bored with it and this makes me think I don't like it.

I also really liked weave but it seems so long since we did it, I almost cant remember it and I don't want to make a mistake choosing my pathway. Do I go for something new which I know I really enjoyed doing? Or print which I have so much practise in and know I can do well....

Change of Essay...?

After starting to research for my object analysis essay I think I will need to slightly change the subject for it as I cant really find much on Suzanne Lee and her work other than the information I already had from the trash fashion exhibit. I think I will start my essay with the same focus, why we need to be sustainable in fashion and the effects the consumer culture we live in is having on the world but then instead of just looking at Lee's bioculture work I will look at designers who use nature as either inspiration or material to create more environmentally friendly fashion. So far I have managed to find information on bio jewellery, creating jewellery using human bone, David Anderson who uses a material like plastic but made from corn and creates beautiful clothes with it and Donna Sgro who uses creatures such as butterflies and peacocks and the way they shimmer in the light as her inspiration to create fabric which doesn't require the use of water and polluting dyes. By investigating these designers I hope to see how we can return to nature to create garments instead of using man made and synthetic materials and also investigate other possible natural sources of fabric for garments. I will also use the essay to ask questions such as is it possible to create such large volumes of clothes that we buy today using natural sources or do we have to change our whole consumer culture?

Consumerism

Just thought I'd put a little about how interesting the lectures at the minute are and how relevant I think it is that we look at just how much we buy, and we we buy so much to help tackle the environmental issues which face the planet. It was really interesting to think yesterday about the extent to which we are manipulated and almost duped by the advertising industry and huge global corporations into buying what they want to, not the essential things we actually need. Products are only made if they will generate profit and we are always told to buy the newer, bigger and better version which means a constant cycle of consumerism. Through advertising we feel that by buying a certain product we can fit in with a certain stereotype or social class and create the identity we want for ourselves.

I think next time I buy something I will think a lot more carefully about why I am buying it, do I really need it or just desire it? Am I becoming the victim of the marketing industry by buying into a brand with a need to communicate a sense of identity? Or am I making a rational choice by looking at all the products on offer and choosing the one that best fits my needs? Chances are probably not...