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SPORTS FASHION:

2020, Sportswear & Streetwear:

Sportswear and streetwear have merged as one. Brands such as Nike, Adidas, Under Armour are considered “sporting brands” brands that can be used for sporting apparel, leaving brands such as Stone Island, Supreme, Off-White, Bape, The North Face to be considered as “streetwear”. In my own friend group the majority wear sports brands everyday but accompanied with streetwear brands. It could go from a full Nike tracksuit paired with a pair of Off-White trainers. The Sports Streetwear scene is always changing, encorporating one trend to the next. Comfort is key while still looking stylish and cool, whatever the season - summer to winter. Brand clashing at a time was a total no-go! Now brand clashing is almost the aim, especially since sports brands such as Nike now have both a sportswear and lifestyle section, each brand is bouncing off each other in a coherent manner. Off-White under Virgil Abloh came out with a range of sneakers by Nike. He took the most loved Nike sneakers and made them part of the Off-White collection by adding his own twist onto the Nike favourites. A very effective way to merge the two trends.

Above you will see styling I carried out while working as a Visual Merchandiser for JD Sports. You can see how I style my mannequins depending on the season but still keeping within trends over social media and influence from social change. *All images are my own work.*

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CREATIVITY IN FASHION:

The fashion industry runs on creativity and talent. Creative designs are triggered by the needs of the industry such as, brand identity, adapting to new mindsets and social change and value for money. Art is also triggered by identity, highlighting social change and reform, therefore it is easy to see how they can influence one another. Callaborations between artists and design houses are becoming something of a regular occurrence. You can see above a small example of this, myself posing in front of a graffiti wall (art) wearing a 90s inspired outfit I picked up from the vintage reworked section in Topshop. There is also a trend of taking a famous prints, for example Banksy and copying onto produce such as jumpers or t-shirts. Although this act causes complaint over copyright issues, it is a huge trend of recent.

Modern fashion is inspired by makeup, hairstyles and body image. We see a lot of new brands surfacing flourishing on their own unique identity. People in fashion like to dress unique and original, so capture the style of new unique brands, creating a trends. Fashion is a popular aesthetic expressions a particular time and place especially in clothing, makeup and hairstyles. Just as fashion takes influence, makeup and hair stylists take inspiration from new collections by brands. In the images above I posed for a makeup artist who took inspiration from a classical theme of pearls from a Ted Baker collection which incorporated pearls into the neckline of blouses.

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It’s all about the DETAILS:

The difference between an extraordinary and ordinary outfit is the finer detail, from accessories to embroidery to the colour of your nail polish. If I have an amazing NYE sequin dress with a gorgeous pair of court high-heels but chipped nail varnish... my outfit is immediately down-graded. Some of my favourite pieces in my wardrobe are because of their small detail.

In my above photos you can see various examples of detail that makes an outfit. In the photo above my mom wears tailored trousers and platform brogues with a glittery pop sock. As you can imagine, if the trousers were paired with a bare ankle it would not give the same finish to the outfit. Similarly to another photo above, I have styled an outfit with a metallic theme. I intentionally painted my nails metallic too, I think it gives an extra something to the snippet of my outfit, tying everything in together.

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MOOD BOARDS/ PRODUCTION:

The mood boards above are part of a project I undertook where I designed a mock up fashion label. My label was called “Vamp Emporium” and my initial inspiration came from a trip to Paris. I fell in love with the Parisian style and attitude which inspired me to attempt to capture the essence of Parisian fashion.

I started by gathering images of anything that reminded me of my trip to Paris. My mood board gave me motive to continue on with completing a clothing line that was coherent with my theme.

I started designing a mock up of a potential skirt for Vamp Emporium. After many sketches I came up with a design that complimented the brand and was versatile. From my first design I was able to illustrate three different skirts, as shown in my design board above. My next step was to make a production board on each individual product being sold. I produced images, sizing, quantity and price regarding each product. I really enjoyed adapting to a different style from an entirely different city/country. Creating a mock up clothing line from styles and attitude I had witnessed was a challenge but one where I learned a lot about my own personal style. I have come to the conclusion, that I love to dip into various different styles and trends, creating a wild wardrobe.

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SUMMER SILKS:

Silk is my go-to textile for summer, like cotton silk is a light fabric that can adjust to your body temperature perfect for sunny days.

When I think of silk I think of glamour and opulence from formal gowns and other luxury items but a fabric so precious, reserved for a select few is nowadays so easily affordable and available off the rack. When I wear off the rack silk, although inexpensive I still get a feeling of luxury. Especially in today’s society where luxury is defined by the brand name you wear, I find it thrilling that a single fabric can give me the feeling of luxury. Silk or fabrics like synthetic silk gives the appearance of quality and luxury without having to be expensive.

As we can see in my photos I am wearing a navy Kimono with a floral pattern. I love the soft texture of the nylon or “synthetic silk”. This kimono drapes around the crescents of my body creating a flattering curve. The use of patterned silk or nylon during the summer season is far more appealing to me than the commonly used pastel palette. The vibrant colours and patterns within silk produce are eye opening and catch attention, which I love during a fun filled season of holidaying.