ArtsThread July 11, 2020 “Alice Michell- Student Q&A, I-D And Artstheread Global Design Graduate Show 2020” Alice Michell, 22, BFA Fashion Design participated in i-D and ARTSTHREAD Global Design Graduation Show 2020.
Above: 1. Portrait of Alice Michell 2. One of Alices portfolio pages 3. Collection photo 4. Design process 5. 3D sketches 6. One of Alices portfolio pages In advance of the Global Design Graduate Show 2020, we interviewed Alice Michell, a graduating student from the Academy of Art University San Francisco, Fashion BFA. Our i-D and ARTSTHREAD Global Design Graduate Show 2020 is open internationally to all art and design undergraduate or postgraduate students graduating in the Academic Year 2019-20 and the deadline to apply is July 31 2020. Check out the projects also on i-D online. See Alice Michell’s ARTSTHREAD Portfolio ARTSTHREAD: Where are you? Describe your work space. Alice Michell: I am currently back in San Francisco, California in my one bedroom apartment. I came back to the city recently to photograph and hand in my final collection. It has been a crazy time. In a matter of two days, our university shut down and all of the senior designers had one day to prepare and move a
year’s worth of work and supplies from the building. The following day we got word that the whole city of San Francisco was shutting down. Next thing I know I am moving once again. In the beginning it all felt surreal. For the past two and a half months I have been in Clovis, California living with my roommate’s family, who have been exceedingly supportive. Their house sits in a cul de sac in the suburbs and has a large balcony where they allowed me to set up a large table, my sewing machine, serger, and ironing board. I cut and sewed my entire collection on that balcony. ARTSTHREAD: What is the name, theme, concept and final outcome of your graduate project? Alice Michell: I grew up playing soccer and it’s been a part of me my whole life. The competition, desire for perfection and constant drive to push oneself to be better – all qualities that soccer demands – have shaped who I am today. Although my college soccer career is done, I still maintain the same sense of competition and drive. It’s this mindset I applied to my senior thesis collection, to bring my two passions of soccer and fashion design to life. My inspiration is rooted from fashion history, looking into my European ancestry. I experimented with the stripes found from the flags with layering the abstract shapes found from the outlines of countries in different scales and colors. I also found myself mesmerized by traditional European gowns of the 15th and 16th centuries. As well as the corset, with its elements of protection and strength, particularly captivated me. I worked to modernize the exaggerated silhouettes and the corsets by making it less restrictive by using performance fabrics. I used pops of stitches, trims, and exaggerated silhouettes often found in sportswear. As a whole, my collection has a variety of monochromatic looks that conjure images of the European countries and their flags, with colors that range from neon green and red to deep navy and teal. The end result is a collection rooted in luxury sportswear with a unique twist.
Design process portfolio page by Alice Mitchell
ARTSTHREAD: Has the pandemic changed your graduate project? If so, how? Alice Michell: My original plan was to finish sewing my graduate collection by the end of April at my university. I would watch my looks walk down the runway at the annual graduate runway show. And have a photographer and stylist shoot my collection on a planned set. But Covid-19 had other plans. And I am okay with that. I managed to completely finish sewing my graduate collection outside on a balcony in the suburbs. I created my own virtual fashion film and showed it to industry over Zoom. I photographed my entire collection on the roof of my San Francisco apartment with an iPhone and a polaroid camera. And I ran down the San Francisco hills during a pandemic with a clothing rack filled with my graduate collection. While it’s not the outcome I anticipated, I feel empowered by how much I was able to accomplish in spite of Covid-19. It has been a unique experience that I will never forget. ARTSTHREAD: What’s it like working without your university’s technical support? Have you had to innovate left to your own devices? Alice Michell: Working without my university’s technical support has really pushed me to work out construction details for myself. Whether that is through trial and error or adapting my designs due to lack of machinery needed for my original looks. I am thankful to have extremely talented instructors like Robert Curry and Gary Miller. They were constantly challenging me and my peers to be better and work harder throughout the entire process. This led to me feeling 95% comfortable finishing the production of my graduate collection on my own. That other 5% was me having weekly, and sometimes daily zoom meetings with them. I have learned that I am committed to growth whether that be in a classroom setting or completely on my own. ARTSTHREAD: How has online learning changed your work? Alice Michell: My instructors have had a massive, positive influence on me irregardless of the pandemic. They were constantly checking in, explaining to us that we could reach out whenever, at all hours of the day. Whether it would be about collection or our mental state in general. Instilling that we didn’t need a runway to show our designs. Asking how we would adapt our designs during this new era of fashion. This completely changed my mindset. Once I finished sewing my garments I also wanted to use my Clo3D skills to promote my collection virtually. I created a stop motion film, combined hundreds of different snapshots from my Clo3D designs. I wanted to use the film to show the different pattern-making techniques that go into each look, not just the final outcome. My whole world went digital and I thought my graduate collection should follow suit. ARTSTHREAD:Have you had to produce less work? Has this been a positive or a negative? Alice Michell: I have not had to produce less work. I actually feel like I produced more. I had more time due to being jobless and having to stay inside all the time. At times I have felt disheartened that the design competitions, interviews and job opportunities that I worked so hard for have either been canceled or postponed to an unknown date. But there is no use of thinking negatively during this time. It’s not going to make anything better or provoke anything to change. I believe this time has been positive. It has pushed me to work harder than I ever have before and innovate my work in a new and unexpected way. ARTSTHREAD:What do you wish someone had told you at the start of your graduate project? Alice Michell: When I started researching what I wanted the inspiration and concept to be for my graduate collection I felt extremely anxious and indecisive. The decision of what I was going to use for my inspiration was constantly changing. I think I went through around five sketchbooks full of different concept ideas. Finally my instructor, Gary Miller, who I met with monthly over the summer, told me I had to come to a conclusion. If I didn’t make a decision I would not have enough time to finalize my designs and sew my collection. So I decided to combine two of my inspirations into one. And when I designed my
first line up inspired by that concept I liked it but I didn’t love it. In my head I thought there were strict rules that this line up would be what I was sewing for my graduate collection and I was uneasy about that. I felt I wanted more time. Little did I know in the matter of 5 months, due to fabric and print changes, pattern adjustments from fittings, and the overall look of the collection that it would look completely different than where I began. It turned into something that I really loved and felt a massive connection too. In conclusion of explaining that process, the one thing I wish someone told me when I first started would be that throughout the production of a collection the designs will change, through process it will adapt and grow into something completely different and that’s how you will get the strongest outcome.
3D sketches for Alices collection made in Clo3d ARTSTHREAD: What’s one thing that has helped you get through the past few months? Alice Michell: I had to remind myself daily that I wasn’t going through this alone, everyone is impacted by the pandemic in their own way. I tried to keep a normal work schedule but also take some time to myself to reflect on everything. For the past four years at the Academy of Art University I watched the seniors showcase their collections at the spring show every year, waiting for my moment when it was finally my turn. It motivated me to create a collection that I would one day see walk down a runway. But once the pandemic hit I knew things had to change. I had to find a new motivation and drive to finish my final collection. And this motivation had to come from myself. I learned I am my own engine. I felt it was on me to create a new normal. ARTSTHREAD:What are the most positive learning outcomes from this process?
Alice Michell: I would not have been able to finish my graduate collection without such an amazing support system, a hard work ethic, and my own personal motivation. Designing and sewing this collection never felt like a job to me. Looking back, I have loved this entire process. From countless all-nighters to unexpected working environments. As my final semester at the Academy of Art University comes to an end I look back at these last five years as the most influential time of my life. My university helped forge a community of remarkably talented people who have challenged and inspired me to be the designer I am today. ARTSTHREAD:What are the challenges of showing your work online? Alice Michell: Personally I find myself inundated with the sheer amount of content online. It gets to be intimidating and overwhelming at times as there is so much to consume. Due to this surplus of content the viewer’s attention span has become abbreviated, losing interest within minutes of viewing. I wanted to create something different, that would catch the eye of the public. My work with Clo3d is already digital. I wanted to use it to my advantage and show how I believe it’s shaping fashion for a sustainable future. ARTSTHREAD: What are your hopes for the future? Alice Michell: I hope that the fashion industry takes this time to adapt into a more sustainable future. Brands and consumers adapting to a “Sustainability First” mentality will push our industry in the right direction. We are going through a massive digital transition as a result of the advent of social media. It has been pushed into overdrive due to the global pandemic. By utilising programs like Clo3D, it is progressing the industry into a sustainable future. This could be applied to the fashion industry in production stages as well as creating virtual fitting rooms, fashion shows, etc. For example, consumers are no longer able to try on clothes at the store, Clo3d has the ability to create a virtual fitting room. By creating avatars that can be customised to individualised measurements it allows the buyer to achieve their perfect fit in only one try. This is just one of the many attributes that this program can offer to minimize waste for the industry and the consumer. I hope to be a part of this digital, sustainable fashion revolution. ARTSTHREAD:Thank you Alice! See Alice Michell’s ARTSTHREAD Portfolio The i-D and ARTSTHREAD Global Design Graduate Show 2020 is open internationally to all art and design undergraduate or postgraduate students graduating in the Academic Year 2019-20 and the deadline to apply is July 31 2020.