We've got the power!

In this week's fashion challenge, we encouraged wild self expression as we created super hero-popstar outfits. Aesthetics is often an important part of design: so we wanted them to upcycle something good looking! We gave the squad a mixture of vintage garments (from the 70's and 80's of course), other textiles and interesting materials (deflated mylar balloons, faux fur pieces, mesh) and asked them to make a new and theatrical outfit. The emphasis for this class was also on fun- can they make something playful and unexpected? You bet they can!

                               

Many of the kids worked in groups, using fast sketches to merge their ideas. Armed with scissors, colourful duct tape, safety pins and elastics this was an exercise in creative destruction. Sometimes we have to take something apart to design something better. In our fashion remixes we support girl and boy power, drama and individualism.

Girl Power!

Strike a pose

In this fashion session we challenged our students to make a costume which morphs: a garment that either transforms or combines two ideas together. One of our designers thought about water and lightning, another colour and shades.  

This geometric garment -black swan, white swan- uses an interesting diagonal design and feathered fabric, reminiscent of wings. The outfit is completed with a angled triangular hat, which creates a beak like headress.

This is a pattern drafting exercise. The idea is to put together a rough working idea for a uniform -not a finished garment. Our students have to fashion something fabulous using textiles, bits of old garments, ribbons, sticky back plastic, foam sheets, mylar, tape, glue and pins. 

In this design, light and dark fabrics are used to represent good and evil. 

                                            

This reversible costume is a combination cat-ghost. The headband also twists round to reveal cat ears or  ghost horns.

Ninja man and all his accessories...

This design was split down the middle, with one side decorated with fringes and colourful bows to make a  clown. The other side uses net flowers and silver tinsel to create a ballerina.

Make something awesome: Fall 2015 after-school sessions

A 9 week session is starting up on Mondays at Artscape Youngplace. There will be a pick up at Givins Shaw school. Students from other schools are welcome to join us at Artscape. 

Here's our new schedule:

Week 1 (Sept. 28th): "Moving Words"
Make a kinetic sculpture that's also a sign.

Week 2 (Oct. 5th): "Rainy Daze"
Improve on umbrella design: make it cooler, drier, more eco-friendly.

Week 3 (Oct. 19th): "Picnic Party" 
Plan the perfect outdoor feast.

Week 4 (Oct. 26th): "Spooktacular Light Show" 
Scare your friends by creating a ghostly chandelier, a haunted light sculpture or an illuminated decoration for Halloween.

Week 5 (Nov 2nd): "Come up to our room" 
Build furniture for a fabulous hangout for kids.

Week 6 (Nov 9th): "A design for good and evil"
Make one outfit that morphs from a dream to a nightmare. 

Week 7 (Nov. 16th): "Blind Store"
Experience shopping without sight then reimagine the grocery store.

Week 8 (Nov. 23rd): "Help! We've got chores" 
Build a device that can tidy your room.

Week 9 (Nov. 30th): "Mission Possible" 
Create a secret zipline drop for spies.

Oh Canada!

Ready to get sporty? In this session, our students designed new uniforms for the Canadian Pan-Am athletes. We got some advice from local fashion designer Meg Kinney who suggested that we think about who you are designing for and what they need/want. She recommended jumpsuits for our athletes.

Image from http://spinsandneedles.com/stuff/2010/06/30

We also looked at national symbols. Is the Maple Leaf really forever? Is Canada represented by any other colours than red and white? 

   Ready, get set, glue!! A gymnastics outfit evolves.

This is a pattern drafting exercise. The idea is to put together a rough working idea for a uniform -not a finished garment. Our students have to fashion something fabulous using textiles, bits of old garments, ribbons, sticky back plastic, foam sheets, mylar, tape, glue and pins. 

Little red soccer shorts. 

Stylish hat!

Love these groovy red boots!

...and the bold graphic design on this athlete's cape.

Some of the students took on our special challenge to move beyond the Maple Leaf by adding some nature elements into their design. 

At the end of the class, it was time for the students to strut their stuff on the fashion runway. They struck a pose with their teammates, tried on a new persona, or invented a special anthem. Every kid was a winner.

Goodbye to our awesome students this session.