Ruby Mackenzie
Statement of intent
This project is based around traditional concepts of a shirt, I plan to keep the simplicity of that, this includes a collar, cuffs and buttons. I plan to use this an end point however I have ideas to add to it.
I have chosen Vivienne Westwood for my brand of choice as I believe in sustainability and doing what I can to help the planet restrain from global warming. I also think that trends are boring and predictable. I was born to stand out, for me Vivienne provides that. All of Vivienne’s products are all entirely unique, there’s no other brand like hers and other brands such as Urban outfitters take inspiration from Vivienne and create products that are inspired by hers. Vivienne is a trend setter. I have decided to focus on womenswear as I aspire to make clothes that make other women feel confident, seductive, powerful and a little crazy. I’m starting off with a basic shirt that I can slowly add to. I want to include plaid/tartan in my project as Vivienne has a whole range on this with so much history and personal relevance behind it, plaid/tartan also resonates with me as its apart of my family ancestry. I’m planning on doing a twist on my very own Mackenzie tartan, making it modern and timeless. I’d also like to include corset design into my garment, as of 2022 corsets have become a global wide trend and Vivienne likes to apply corsets in a lot of her collections. Along with her off the shoulder staple pieces and of course her iconic designer label. I plan to turn my shirt into a three piece in one garment, a shirt, corset and skirt which will convert into a dress. I also want to add embellishments like pearls as that’s the biggest selling item on the Vivienne jewellery collection, I want to show my understanding of knowing my customer.
Vivienne Westwood’s customer ages between 15-60- which is one of the reasons why I love this brand so much. There’s a variety of customers and a variety of choices. The garments vary from long kilted skirts to mini 90s influenced skirts, for example. Vivienne uses a lot of tweed and tartan on blazers/jackets, shirts and skirts as her husband is Scottish and has his own tartan like me, I plan to expand onto this and introduce a brand-new product to the brand.
I’m utterly obsessed with Vivienne Westwood and her entire brand; she has the exact same values as me involving sustainability, reducing waste and creating a way of fashion that is better for people and the environment. I do my best to help protect the environment and the fashion industry by shopping in charity shops, vintage shops and online car boot sale apps such as,depop and vinted. Vivienne has an entire range using recycled materials from jewellery to shoes. This collection gets larger each day. I also love the fact she uses her platform to campaign positive activism at her catwalks and uses them in her collections. She isn’t afraid to go all out on her designs, they’re all beautiful individual pieces that I consider timeless, and they all tell a story and attract different people for their looks and personalities.
However, I do feel as though there is a gap in the market, I think this because some of her products are old-fashioned and out-dated, for example, her long plain shirts and great big flowing blouses with huge bows. I know I can change this by keeping her statement blouses and shirts with bows but making them up to date and more unique. 2022 has been huge for patterns and colour and I could add that to Vivienne's legacy.
Working for this brand would be a huge success to me as my biggest goal is to see my designed garments on the runway, and Vivienne's brand is always being advertised on runways, social media and retail shops which would help gain fame for my work and give me recognition in the future for upcoming projects. This project helps me develop my portfolio and apply for jobs as I'm stepping out of my comfort zone and creating something that me a year ago would never have thought of, which shows growth and commitment. My aim is to make myself more motivated so that I can come up with amazingly unique ideas and put them all into play.
I'm going to use primary research by going to exhibitions and museums by my own according to. I also plan on asking customers and employees in the Vivienne Westwood shop in Nottingham questions about the products along with flannels and Selfridges. My planned starting point will be Vivienne Westwood's own website to find information I may not come across in person. I will also use the clan Mackenzie website as it tells me about the history on my ancestor's tartan which will help me understand the fabric and colours I'm working with and how to put it together. I also plan on taking my own initiative and ordering my own fabric to work with.
My time planning includes home study and staying later at college to ensure my work is perfect and up to standard.
I did these drawings with my eyes closed and opening them every 30 seconds to look at a shirt garment on a mannequin.
I then cut each drawing out and made a collage. This was to gain the idea that a shirt doesn’t have to be a simple shirt it can be asymmetric and creative. I then created 4 more shirt designs based off of these.
Primary Research in-store
History of plaid/tartan
• The images of tartan I've included are from each family/clan of tartan listed above, these samples are all modern.
• Plaid has been used for several reasons around the world, in Scotland it was a symbol of a culture oppressed by a monarchy. In America it served as a uniform for pioneers.
• It wasn’t until the late 1940s that plaid crossed gender lines and Pendleton made shirts for women, after that it was everywhere.
• plaid doesn’t just exist on clothing it appeared on cars, wrapping paper, shoes and even wallpaper. Plaid was adopted by the punk movement which brings me onto Vivienne Westwood.
• Plaid emerged in Scotland in the 1700s. Weavers produced different patterns based on what dyes and materials were available. The association with families came about in the later years, they grew to have a political significance too.
Q: "Our customers like to know about the history of the product, what it's made from and what's used to make it."
Q: Do you get more female or male customers?
We draw in more females than males.
Q: What is the price range for this brand?
Our store prices vary from a £25 scarf to a £6685 ak dress that her husband designed.
Trends of 23/24
•Going into 2023 project planet will still be practiced including sustainability.
•Soft utility will still be in play including cargo trousers, skirts and tops. This came from the 90s/2000s era and has resurfaced this year (2022).
•The y2k aesthetic has been extremely popular this year with lowwaisted bottoms and halter tops coming into fashion continuing into the new year.
•Another on-going trend is the formal-casual look. People have been experimenting with blazers, trousers and smart suits etc, and dressing them down for a casual but put-together look.
Q: What's your most popular product?
Our most popular product is the jewelry, mostly the necklaces and earrings.
History of Vivienne Westwood plaid/tartan
Long fascinated with Scottish lore, Vivienne Westwood first began experimenting with the kilt in the late 1970s. At their nascent punk label seditionaries, she and Malcolm McLaren draped kilts over black bondage suits. Reinterpreting “the warrior of the battle of Culloden” as a street fighting “urban guerrilla”.
A decade later Vivienne had evolved her DIY Punk aesthetic to a style that focused and Demonstrated more on traditional British Tailoring and formal dress, including Scottish costume. Her autumn-winter 1988time machine presentation, for example you saw takes on fair isle sweaters, Harris tweed tailoring and a “tartan army” of classic kilts and plaid suits strutting down the catwalk. In 1993 her and her husband (Andreas Kronthaler) designed their very own tartan called MacAndreas. This pattern is still recognised to this day and apart of many of Vivienne's collections, from super miniskirts to traditional knee-length kilts.
Primary research
Q: What's the age range for that product?
The age range for the jewelry varies from 15-60 we have a wide range of customers from different backgrounds and ages.
For my primary research on my chosen brand Vivienne Westwood, I decided to produce my own questions so I could create my customer/market profile board. I asked an employee at the Vivienne Westwood store in Nottingham city Centre some questions to apply this to my work and designs.
Q: Do you get more female or male customers?
We draw in more females than males.
History of Vivienne Westwood plaid/tartan
•Long fascinated with Scottish lore, Vivienne Westwood first began experimenting with the kilt in the late 1970s. At their nascent punk label seditionaries, she and Malcolm McLaren draped kilts over black bondage suits. Reinterpreting “the warrior of the battle of Culloden” as a street fighting “urban guerrilla”.
•A decade later Vivienne had evolved her DIY Punk aesthetic to a style that focused and Demonstrated more on traditional British Tailoring and formal dress, including Scottish costume. Her autumn-winter 1988-time machine presentation, for example you saw takes on fair isle sweaters, Harris tweed tailoring and a “tartan army” of classic kilts and plaid suits strutting down the catwalk. In 1993 her and her husband (Andreas Kronthaler) designed their very own tartan called MacAndreas. This pattern is still recognised to this day and apart of many of Vivienne's collections, from super miniskirts to traditional knee-length kilts.
Q: Who would you say is your biggest competitor?
I would say Stella McCartney because she has similar views to Vivienne involving saving waste and making the planet cleaner.
Trends Vivienne Westwood includes
Vivienne Westwood has always included the global trend formal-casual, using it in her collections such as tweed blazers, blouses, shirts and smart trousers.
Of course, this includes her signature tartan pattern.
Shes also famous for her corset designs which are always on her website and catwalks/runways.
Vivienne creates items that can be worn throughout time including the 2000s trend that has arisen in 2022 going into 2023.
Vivienne also has a wide range of items that are seen as timeless and can be worn throughout eras
Vivienne has a whole range on sustainability using organic cotton, recycled metals for jewelry and plastic.
Q: What factors are you9r customers likely to consider when purchasing an item?
Our customers like to know about the history of the product, what it's made from and what's used to make it.
Buy less, choose well, make it last
Q: What advertisements do you consider or use?
Vivienne as a brand isn't heavy on marketing, we use a lot of social media such as Instagram and her online website including her Vivienne diary.
•Vivienne Westwood is one of the last independent global fashion brands in the world, she believes we exist to do more than just produce fast fashion.
•Vivienne uses her collections, collaborations and catwalk shows as a platform to promote awareness and campaign for a better world.
•We use our voices and actions to fight climate change around the world and do our best to help mother nature who sustains us all.
•We know there is a contradiction between our activism and the industry we are a part of. Fashion creates products which are often too disposable and damage our environment. This has a huge negative impact on our planet, wildlife and people.
•Vivienne has been adapting how her brand makes clothes and accessories over the years to reflect the growing urgency to change how the fashion industry operates and how we must go further.
•Vivienne's part in this is by challenging herself and company by making all her products with greater care for the people and environment. She pushes to lower the impact as much as possible and to be part of a fashion community that we can all be proud to be a part of.
•The brand is committed to this as a community with farmers, artisans, supply chain workers, brand employees and customers.
Sustainability
Q: What's your favourite product and why?
My favorite product is the corsets because they are all different and unique designs unlike a lot of the corsets we see today.
Describe your typical customer?
We mostly get international customers coming into the store these customers tend to be Chinese or Japanese. We also attract older customers who have been buying/interested with the brand since 1980.
Q: What do customers care about the most or look for in a product?
Customers look for pieces that are unique and timeless, I feel like some of Vivienne's designs that were made in the 80s/90s can still be worn today, and of course the signature tartan pattern.
History of renaissance
The renaissance was a period of European, cultural, artistic, political and economic 'rebirth' following the middle ages. Taking place between the 14th century to the 17th century, the renaissance promoted the rediscovery of classical philosophy, literature and art.
The renaissance started in Florence, Italy, a place with a rich cultural history where wealthy citizens could afford to support budding artists. Members of the powerful Medici family, which ruled Florence for more than 60 years, were famous backers of the movement.
Sample page
La Perla
• La Perla is a highend Italian lingerie brand.
• The main manufacturing faci lity is in bologna Italy- this is where the design, research and development happens.
• La Perla is known for its corsetry and detailing.
• La Perla includes techniques such as applique, leavers lace and embroidered tulle
• La Perla was invented by corset maker Ada Masotti in bologna Italy in 1954.
• La Perla has evolved to become one of the most wellknown luxury underwear brands in the world and is sold in some of the most high-end luxury shops including Harrods in London.
Range plan
For my range plan I investigated the renaissance colours so I could design my colour palette. There's always a light blue/sky blue with nude coloured clouds, in the artwork as well as added detailed bits of gold. For my research I visited the Schönbrunn palace in Vienna, Austria to gain inspiration for my colours, materials and pattern design.
with a screen print.
Done
Sublimation, ink and heat transfer
sample using lace.
Done on a heat press with ink and a lace sample.
