Imogen Vaughan Link ‘Heritage’ (Being Human 2021/22) by Imogen Vaughan

Research
IMAGE: An initial mood board showing images of garments given to me by my Nan which were set to be discarded. Next to each garment I have put imagery which I feel bears a resemblance to it. I have also shown layouts of the garments folded next to one another which was a step I took to explore possible colour palette opportunities.
IMAGE: A page showing how I analysed each garment to inspire further design work. I looked at each garment in detail, annotating its features and working out how it was constructed and the shapes that it was made up of. I created a new label for each garment to help me to think of it in a more creative light - I named this blouse 'sheer seaweed/coral' because of its sheer fabric which I felt resembled seaweed or coral. I also created an inventory for each garment, thinking of the shapes, quantity of fabric, trims and fastenings that made them up and how the pieces could be useful in the design process to follow.
IMAGE: A final line up of my collage designs created digitally on Photoshop using images of the initial garments given to me by my Nan. To create these collages, I looked at the features of the existing garments and considered how they could be used in combined and rearranged to create new design ideas.
IMAGE: A developmental mood board showing my final inspirations for the project following the collage and research stages. When looking at the collages that I had created I realised that the clashing patterns and silhouettes reminded me of imagery by other artists and designers and that the general style of some of the designs resembled the clothing worn by the Hippies of the 1960s and that others reminded me of cultural garments worn by some indigenous tribes throughout history. On this mood board I have also shown a visual comparison between modern youth culture and that of the 1960s Hippie counterculture.
IMAGE: An illustration of my final garment design drawn in pencil, coloured pencil and felt pen.
IMAGE: A flat design layout of my final garment design idea with front, side and back angles, design notes and a colour key for fabrics intended for use in the final garment. Drawn in 2B pencil, ballpoint pen, coloured pencil and felt pen.
IMAGE: Pattern design and dimensions (in inches) for my final garment. I calculated each pattern piece by undertaking in depth measurements of the intended wearer, considering seam allowance and fabric quantities available in the clothes given to me by my Nan. Based on this pattern design, I created pattern pieces to scale on paper, cut out the pattern on fabric and constructed a garment using my four of my Nan's unwanted garments.
IMAGE: This image shows my final constructed garment, made using four of my Nan's unwanted garments. I used zero waste fabric cutting techniques to fully utilise the garments and donated any fabric scraps to other artists in my art school for use in their creative projects. Front, side and back views of the garment are shown. No new fabrics or fibres were bought to create this garment with; I used only the garments donated by my Nan and sewing thread that I already owned. I have styled the garment with inspiration from the 1960s fashions worn in the Hippie counterculture.

Humans have damaged the planet with their unsustainable and fast paced lifestyle, and I feel that it is important to reflect on our past behaviours; the theme of my project is ‘heritage.’ My Nan donated her unwanted clothes to use for the project and analysing them revealed lots about her personality, adding sentiment to them. I have compared the youth cultures of now and the 1960s (the era of the ‘Hippie’ counterculture and my Nan’s youth). An essay will document my project, from starting inspirations to design developments and creating a final garment design from my Nan’s discarded clothing.

Experience:

Being HUMAN 2021/22