This project has allowed me to take on a role that I usually would not have access to. Having the opportunity to take on the role as a designer has been very interesting and eye opening for me as it allowed me to further develop my skills in textiles and designing. I have not yet performed in a designer role academically and since I have only ever done textiles as a hobby, I was unsure on whether or not I was following the correct steps particularly when researching. I started by looking at brands that have similar values of being eco-friendly and how they introduced this to their own designs. For example, I took particular interest in Kapital and don’t shop swap since I found that their brand was similar in ways of being eco-friendly.

From here I looked at the different types of techniques they used and then attempted some of them myself as this allowed me to develop more textile techniques that went into some of my designs. I wanted to keep in mind that we could have materials sent to us that are either damaged or ripped so I wanted to be prepared for that in these designs. I looked at techniques such as sashiko stitching, weaving fabrics back together as well as quilting techniques for smaller scraps of materials we might have. These techniques showed me a variety of ways to reuse and repurpose materials or clothes. I looked into lots of different garments and eventually our group decided to focus on skirts, tops, and dresses.

I think our group struggled at first with communicating our ideas and because of this it led to some mistakes. However, I still feel that we have created a positive brand that can offer great alternatives to the standard upcycling of clothes and materials in an eco-friendly way. For me I found that the most difficult part was making the garment which challenged my textiles skills. I wanted to keep my ideas simple as I do not have as much experience in this role and wanted to avoid making mistakes. This was the very first time I had attempted at making my own pattern and fitting the garment because of this I felt slightly anxious with how the final garment could have turned out.

I want to further improve and develop my sewing skills and techniques; however I am also proud of the new techniques I have learnt throughout completing this role. After making my garment I was mainly excited to start experimenting with the styling of my top. The material I found was floral and I wanted to create a photoshoot around this, therefore I used flowers in the photoshoot to go match the pattern of the material. I had a lot of fun experimenting with vibrant colours and textures whilst even adding props and finding a location for the photoshoot.

Throughout making my garment I kept all the small scrap materials and the thread clippings, I used these to make our garments labels and with the bigger scraps I made scrunchies. For me I thought this was a creative way to add to our brands authenticity as our customers could see how determined we are to use every piece of fabric they supply us with as I wanted to find ways our brand could say they use 100% of our materials.

Overall, I have found this project overwhelming at times but a way for me to learn so much more about textiles in fashion design. I have loved being able to combine my skills in fashion comms to create all the small details in my final design. From this experience I would take on a role as a designer again. I feel by doing this role I have been able to gain confidence within my textiles and design.