FUNDAMENTAL sustainable CLOTHING PRINCIPLES
Since (even before) the very beginning of my career, I’ve been fascinated by kimonos, caftans, saris, togas ponchos, and all sorts of “original” clothing created with minimal cutting of the cloth.
THE ORIGINAL SUSTAINABLE FASHION.
- It’s zero waste,
- fits everyone, and for longer
- designed to last forever
- carries cultural memory, history, tradition
- roots of fashion, PERIOD
- hand made clothing from handmade and natural fabrics
- I like to add knit and crochet to this list because it’s also portable, lasting, handmade and fit
SOME CORE MEMORIES
I wore a kimono in 5th grade for Halloween (my mother made it).
My godmother married a Japanese man and gifted us plaid, velvet trimmed, puffy housecoats called hanten.
When I moved to Paris to study fashion design at Parsons Paris I found flea markets with piles of kimonos (silk and poly, short ones for workwear and long silky ones too).
Some kimonos were rustic, made from beautiful slubby, uneven weaves. Other kimonos were fine and silky with large natural motifs splattered across them and deep dripping sleeves. Some were cotton. Some were block printed.
Exploring -kaftans kimonos roots of fashion design sketching and construction
My fascination continues present day.
Caftans or Kaftans, Kimonos (both traditional and modified) take the often overly complicated world of fashion making and break it down.
No zippers needed, No buttons required. No ultra- specific body measurements to fret over.
WRAP and TIE to fit. PULL OVER or PULL ON STYLE.
Also, the wrap-and-tie African skirt lappa/ pagne/ wrapper (my college sweetheart was from Ghana and his mom taught me a lot about these althrough I’d already been admiring them on the fashionable African women in Paris).
Kangas and scarves that are tied on as tops or skirts in hot weather, even baby carriers and baby wearing made from squares, rectangles. Even baby diaper from squares!
Dirndl skirts (rectangles with waistbands) and super-twirly circle skirts (circles/donuts/ squares with waistbands) do this too.
SIMPLIFIED PATTERNMAKING TECHNIQUES
Although I show technically how you can make a half circle skirt from a skirt sloper in patternmaking (I also teach you how to drape one), it isn’t required.
It is very easy to cut and sew a circle skirt (and dance and twirl in it) in very little time without a pattern.
WE NEED TO LET IT BE EASY SOMETIMES! THAT DOESN’T MAKE IT LESS VALUABLE,
MINIMAL CUTTING
I have some pinterest boards devoted to these themes: circle skirts, kimonos, caftans.which could be interesting to peruse.
It’s all about proportion
So often I see students and designers stopping themselves in the fashion design process by making things so much more complicated than they need to be!!!!
There’s no need to only be interested in the fashion that we don’t understand yet.I always encourage you to work on things that you understand, while reaching forward always in a NATURAL WAY driven by your curiosity and skill level. I
t is not a requirement to be complicated, only to be… beautiful or useful in the way that gives you joy, purpose, and satisfaction!
With ethnic constructions, we focus on the size and shape of elements with focus on how these elements come together around the body- but potentially completely avoiding the whole corset-dart-restriction thing.
Fashion Design with different kind of elegance.
I often use a template with 3 or 4 sets of arms at various angles and one bent as well, so I have options to show design details and think them through.
Remember that any garments that don’t have openings, will need to be able to pull over the head or up over the hips.
My design students are often forgetting that if the waist is fitted, the garment will need a zip or opening to be able to get in and out of the garment.
DESIGN FREEDOM
Using the roots of fashion design can make a huge difference and bring you back to your fashion-making capability and creativity.
Joining squares, triangles and circles is a delightful game for fashion design.
Creating this way is so intuitive, immediate. Sometimes I can whip a garment up in just a few hours when I approach design as caftan, poncho, sarouel, wrap, dirndl, circle skirt, kimono, etc!
and,
Each time you have a successful design , you can make subtle changes to it to create your next idea.
INTUITIVE PATTERN CUTTING in the moment
Click the video above to view “kaftans kimonos roots of fashion design sketching and construction”, view here before August 25, or purchase as a part of FASHION DESIGN INFUSION ONLINE COURSE here and keep it forever.
FABRIC TAKES THE CENTER STAGE
I’ve made probably a hundred African print dresses, lappas, caftans and kanga dresses over the years. For myself, my mom, for sale, and for children. For gifts. PURE JOY, beauty, color, ease.
Knit and crochet fashion designs are often created from “granny squares” and other modular, zero waste shapes that are joined together to make endless variations.
And when you have great fabric, it’s like being gift wrapped!
I wish I still had the swatch of the African print dress from this sketch below, it’s a gouache rendering of the actual fabric swatch that I did during a livestream that has been lost.
Please, remember-
it’s beautiful to remember that fabric once upon a time was so precious once that nobody wanted to cut it.
That clothes fit everyone, beautifully.
This is what I love to reflect on.
So much harm would be reduced if we took fashion back this way.
If production happened in homes and communities in a way that was integrated into the family and the ecosystem again.
And we would remember we are beautiful.
Our bodies would be freer.
freedom of movement
CARVING OUT A WAISTLINE ISN’T THE ONLY WAY
ALSO IMPORTANT : remember that squares, rectangles, circles and triangles are fundamental components of fashion design and fashion making with INFINITE possibilities.
With caftans (falling off one shoulder) or kimonos (wrap -front) we also find that the symmetrical often becomes asymmetrical when worn.
Or, that a flat shape becomes totally transformed when the body is inside.
HOW BRILLIANT IS THAT?
SLEEVE IN-ONE WITH BODICE PATTERNMAKING
Non -constricting garments with ease of movement.
WHO WOULD DARE TO CUT INTO THIS HAND PRINTED FABRIC ??? (BELOW)
They’re even easier to sketch! But not at all boring.
Don’t underestimate the power of kaftans and kimonos
the essence of fashion design, including dirndl skirts and circle skirts, and more.
I love Karyn Kissl’s Fashion Draping book for this reason- she also recognizes in her book the traditional roots behind the fashions we see today.
They are still around today for GOOD REASON!
Zandra Rhodes is one excellent example of a designer who knew this! She learned all of her iconic fashion design techniques from studying ethnic costumes and “folk” fashion from around the world.
I teach is a lecture all about it (and her) in Fashion Design Infusion COURSE, too!
A “simple square” of fabric tekes on a different life when on the moving, living body.
THIS IS THE MAGIC OF FASHION. FABRIC AND THE IFGURE, INTERSECTING, becoming one piece of living art.
TODAY in the replay video, let’s explore. Why do we assume that fashion design has to be so hard, so complicated, … and often…. so labor intensive and ill-fitting like ready-to-wear?
And if you really want to show off the waist? Just BELT it!
GRAB YOUR FASHION SKETCHBOOK/ CROQUIS BOOK
Are we ready to experiment with something more immediate and explore?
It’s like coming home to ourselves. Why does that suddenly seem so exotic? HMMMMM.
How might we layer shapes, lengths, widths of fabric with minimal construction?
What fabrics would we bring together?
How do we want to feel in these clothes?
LAYERING LENGTHS- PIECING COLORS AND TEXTURES
IMPROVISATION: DESIGN IN THE MOMENT
Why not dive into immediacy and improvisation while sewing and designing?
Explore using basic sewing and measuring, sketching, pattern cutting and design skills.
What if you could take the skills you ALREADY have and cut intuitively into a piece of fabric to create a new design?
Inspiration plus courage is all you need.
Kaftan/ Caftan, kimono, poncho, wrap skirt fashion invites this approach.
So modern, and so ancestral and ancient at the same time.
And then, you could embroider, hand paint, embellish, or dye….
EVERY CULTURE, at some point in time, has historically had their ways of creating unique and beautiful fabrics, in harmony with the environment.
So, you can MAKE FASHION NOW!
#kaftans #caftans #kimonos #dirndl #circleskirt
#slowfashion #slowsumption #makersmovement #ethicalfashion #expressyourself.
A WHOLE OUTFIT CAN BE MADE FROM RECTANGLES OF FABRIC.
Wear it, sell it, share it, gift it, paint on it, knit it, crochet it, macramé it.
Just don’t delay it!
Dive into your fashion design and fashion art creativity. You deserve it.
And someone needs to hear your special voice.
REPLAY roots of fashion video
I love this webinar video replay not just because we cut, drape, sketch.
But because I also get to talk to you and share examples of one of my favorite fashion and textile designers.
And I get to invite you to sketch and sew from the inspiration.
To leave, changed. Overflowing with ideas and inspiration.
Welcome to my classroom!
I’m grateful you’re here.
If the link isn’t enabled, just email me at info@fashionillustrationtribe.com.
BELOW:
One of my senior fashion show designs from the Parsons Fashion Design Department Graduation show in 1995.
FASHION DESIGN INFUSION ONLINE COURSE
So far there are 8 videos in the MASTERCLASS learning series:
Pencil Design Sketching, Croquis book with watercolors, model drawing, and Roots of Fashion, Color and Design theory, and more.
Plus homework and private course discussion area.
Also, SOULFUL FASHION FOUNDATION IMMERSION is enrolling
Love always! Create always!
YOU ARE CREATIVE BY NATURE.
How about NOW?
WHERE WILL YOU TAKE THE KIMONO?
Laura V
