The fundamental of this project is being paired up with a 2nd Year Fashion Design student at NTU, and bringing their innovative designs to life through brand strategies. Assuming my role as an agency, and the designer being my client, really excites me.
Today, 2 days after the module briefing, I met my designer, Evie Fort. Before this meeting, I ensured I had a range of questions that I could ask my designer, from her design ethos to her inspirations, to ensure I had a good foundation to begin the project. I was initially nervous about this process, not only meeting someone new for the first time over an unusual virtual setting, but also thinking, ‘What if I don’t like her ideas or concept?’, 'What if we don't get on or can't communicate effectively?'. Fortunately, it was such an enjoyable and informal process, and we really clicked on a personal level.
Regarding Evie’s ideas, I was immediately intrigued and excited by them, and I can’t wait for her to delve deeper into her design process, to inspire my branding concepts. This collection/project of Evie’s is called ‘Plastic Ocean’, and it is about the affects of plastic pollution and things like that on marine life. As a starting point, she has been looking into using sustainable materials and working with materials such as plastic bags. My first reaction was that I love this concept and is something that I personally have an interest in or want to better understand.
The conversation flowed and I continued to ask Evie a multitude of questions that would help me going forward. A few key points to take away were:
She is driven by sustainability. She designs for a lifestyle, a one-off purchase to never be thrown away.
She envisions her garments being designed for runway drops rather than collections, that are statement and emotive; more like artwork.
Fabric manipulation such as shirring and material cut outs to show skin will be key features.
Evie didn’t have much of an understanding of who her target audience might be, as well as her USP/competitive advantage. This worried me slightly as I was hoping she would be confident with those answers, but it is key for me to understand that this is a process for both of us, and these things will come in time as we continue to progress through the project together. Overall though, this initial meeting was a real success. In just 20 minutes, Evie was able to provide me with some valuable insights that I look forward to taking further and excelling in this project. She has already sent me through some sketches and her statement of intent, which I am excited to analyse and unpick, and we have already arranged our next meeting for Wednesday where we will discuss further!
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