Where to start ? Fashion is a vast and dynamic practice which by its very nature is continually questioning itself conceptually and contextually, steeped in historical references, demanding awareness of the present only to almost immediately discard this for the future. As a fashion designer you need to have a creative talent for design and illustration and a technical ability for pattern cutting and construction. Equally importantly you need to be attuned to market considerations and trend predictions. In choosing an area for research I looked to find the weak link in my armoury as a fashion designer.
I have decided to research ways of promoting/ exhibiting my collaborative collection that I hope to take to Alternative Fashion Week in London. I hope that my designs will be selected to go down the catwalk which is the traditional method by which designers get noticed. However, my plan ‘B’ is to use my stand as my exhibition area and bring the collection to life using the medium of film. http://vimeo.com/15530349 My initial concept is to create a film of the garments being worn in everyday situations but not in the environment you would expect the specific dress to be in i.e. A full length evening dress in Tesco Express, a cocktail dress on a quad bike rounding up sheep! Inspired by the recent talks by curators I am considering how the body could be considered as an exhibition space. Whilst the catwalk allows the audience to see the ‘clothes walked’ I see that this method is restrictive for me clothes are about movement and I design with this in mind. I want to the clothes to be shown in ‘action’ not simply ‘walked’ as I feel that this will give a truer identity to the individual pieces and allow for a more emotional message behind the concept of the collection. This research would definately be a step out of my comfort Zone as although I have worked behind the scenes at a number of Catwalk shows and styled photoshoots I have never ventured into filmmaking and this will obviously involve collaboration.
In March this year an article in The Mail Online http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1371349/Trunk-shows-new-black-How-designers-shunning-catwalk-favour-traditional--profitable--private-events.html referenced the trend amongst designers to return to more intimate in-store previews. The Trunk show is where the designer shows in various stores or locations to buyers or selected clients. The term Trunk Show originates from the fact that designers would carry their wares around in a suitcase to sell to retailers. This return to the original marketing method of promoting fashion collections comes as the CEO of Marc Jacobs admits to spending at least 1million dollars on a nine and a half minute catwalk show. (wow!) I believe that the financial implications of putting on a catwalk show bares a huge influence on new designers who are trying to break into the market place. In order to exhibit at a catwalk event of note they would very likely have to get sponsorship which in turn could act to restrict their creativity and ownership of design. I therefore feel that although this research will indulge my personal rationale of creating an exhibition space for the purpose of marketing my collection to a wider audience it will also be of benefit to others in my practice who are trying to promote their designs and so meets the criteria to have an external rational.
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