A Fabric Story

Designer's at Work...

Designer's looking for the perfect fabrics for their collections.

Carrie discussing her fabric swatches.

Christine organizing her fabrics by main, secondary, and finally novelty. 

In week 3 of our Fashion Design Course, we focused on fabrication.  I conducted a burn test so that we could see the difference between synthetics and 100% Silk.  It was interesting to see how the different fabrics curled or crumbled under the flame (I recommend conducting this test with a bowl of water close by to drop the fabric in should it burn quickly).
Following the burn test we discussed the importance of a fabric story...
The group was given a challenge: I pulled an image from an old Vogue cover as their source of inspiration/concept; the students, in turn, were to "shop" from a pile of scrap fabrics to pull together a cohesive fabric story that best represents their concept. By following the chosen color pallet, shapes and movement, the fabric story should compliment and build upon the concept.

Sue's interpretation of the image and concept, GREAT job!

"A successful fabric story enhances the attitude, customer lifestyle, and price point of the collection.  The weaves, varied weights, and colors support the collection's attention to detail and mix-and-match separates".

Source: Fashion Design Course by Steven Fearm