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.

Prototyping Play

In our first class of the Fall 2015 season we asked children at TP Loblaw Boys and Girls Club to design toys for toddlers. The goal for this intro. session is to have fun prototyping (building a model version of an invention). We want them to turn their ideas into something tangible and to get comfortable with construction. 

All of our students invented toys with the senses in mind. Out  of a large mound of materials, emerged a twisting fur rattle, a wearable play centre, a whole collection of colourful crib toys, a bug twister, a mini golf set and a toddler music zone. 

                                           Here's a colourful hand rattle. 

This music zone toy, evolved as a team effort over the course of the hour long session. The inventors were careful to consider safety elements -the xylophone is squishy with soft wackers. This class introduces the kids to the concept that inventions and designs are for someone: the "user". When we're designing for someone else- it's a good idea to think about who they are and what they need or want. Better still ask them! The students had a lot of enthusiasm for this project because many of them have little sisters and brothers. So in this case empathy and understanding of the user come naturally.

This wearable toy monopolized on the fun factor. The striped cloak is decorated with knotted foam bits and crunchy mylar. The furry headband includes plenty of textured elements to explore with little fingers.

This rotating fur rattle incorporates moveable textured knobs and a reflective base.

And here's the bug stick. Baby has a selection of brightly coloured balls to twist and a bonus fly to chew on! This student worked hard to secure the beads onto the stick so that a baby couldn't pull them off.

At the end of the session in our demo time, our students had a chance to reflect on what they have designed. They explain the invention concept and why it will be suitable for toddlers. 

Well done kids. Can't wait to see what you invent next!

Move over Lady Gaga

In this week's fashion challenge, we encouraged wild self expression as we created superhero-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.

The class ended with the kids strutting their costumes through the studio. Bravo!!