Graduation Collection
Living Coral is a collection that embodies the dazzling collage of colors and activities that were once at their prime but are slowly fading. To reminisce on such a sensational sight will hopefully allow for the resuurgence of care for such a pinnacle ecosystem .
You will see an explosion of color and texture to replicate the intricacies of a coral reef also known as the "Rainforst of the Sea". With a blend of fashion and interior textiles I inspire to build a collection that lived beyond the fabric with an alluring tough of the hand and a compelling visual. Living Coral will show a variety of fabrics from knits, wovens, and silks.
My mood board is inspired by a profusion of color and texture; to ultimately create a collection that lives beyond the fabric. Something visually appealing, but also has an interesting touch of hand.
Mood Board
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Prints
Inspiration and Original Motifs
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Exhibit Room Sketch
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All designs are made on Procreate and Photoshop. Printed on a variety of fabrics including Satin Twill, Cotton Sateen, 5mm Silk, Warp Satin, cotton lawn, glossy and matt wallpaper. Printers: HP Latex 335-CMYK,LM,LC,OP & Mutoh 1938TX-CMYKc, blue, orange, red, gray
To showcase all of my home interior designs this is a mock-up drawing of a booth with my products staged.
Woven Portraits
The portraits really signify the relationship between humans and the coral reef. Human beings are a big factor in the destruction of the coral reef, so I found it important and valuable to have a visual of "us, her, humans" in this collection. These portraits are distorted, yet beautiful at the same time embodying that with change, coral reefs can be as beautiful as they once were.
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Inspiration
I was inspired by the woven blanket of my grandpa. When i first saw it, I was amazed at its detail and accuracy. I knew i wanted to create something like that, but with a twist.
Product Design
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Photoshop File
I used my own original photographs I took of my model to create this textural portrait. I used Photoshop to create my templates and to experiment with sizing. Once my photoshop file was completed I transferred this file over to weaving software, where I was able to choose which weaves I wanted in this project. There was a lot of experimentation and trial and error when it came to picking weaves that would make the right blend of color and also create a concise image.
2 End 4 Pick Weaves
Final
46" x 24" Canvas
Texture Woven
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Sample 1 Sample 2 Sample 3
After working on my woven portrait fabrics, I noticed the color mixing that was happening in the background was super interesting visual texture, so I decided to focus on a small portion and make it its own new fabric. I experimented with sizing and colorway and I found something interesting in all of my samples, so instead of scraping samples, I decided to combine my samples into one big piece to make a blanket and matching pillows. To add a pop I incorporated an embroidery technique called couching to the top of the pillows and blanket with a thick boucle yarn.
In Progress: Jacquard woven; PPI: 84, JC5 Loom; 2 ends 4 pick weaves
Back Pillow; 18"x18"
Final
Front Pillow; 18"x18"
54"x54"; To get different coloration you have two options. You can either switch and change the order of your yarn or you can switch yarn colors in certain positions.
Woven Rug
I was inspired by bubbles coming up from deep down below. I really loved their composition, so I decided to recreate the phenomena. I also imagined it would create an interesting texture given the right yarn, so that was also something I wanted to experiment with. During some research of latest trends I saw there was a focus on textiles with beautiful texture. With that knowledge I wanted to create a small rug with thick texture. The way I created that texture was to use a pile weave and tacked weaves to make certain areas lift up.
Inspiration
Original Motif
Photoshop File
Final
Small Rug 54" x 45"
Dobby Loom
Inspiration
There is so much texture in a coral reef to accommodate all the life it sustains. A dobby loom allows for a lot of experimentation and texture, which I found is the perfect way to create the texture you would see in a coral reef.
Small Samples off of the loom
High texture; Mixture of thin and thick yarns
Final
Long Pillow 38" x 18"
Throw Pillow 18" x 18"
Table Runner 63" x 14.5"
Pendant Lights
Magnolia Market’s hand-woven lanterns inspired me. This season, they chose to illustrate the theme of rhythm using yarn and fabric. The fall issue of Magnolia Journal opens with a passage that reads, “thread by thread, the weaving of fabric tells a story of rhythm.
Inspiration
Sketch mock-up of lights
To make these lights I found lampshade frames of the size that I needed. The next step was to wrap the frame in the desired yarn of material. I chose to do a two-toned shade with varying thicknesses in yarn. To secure the yarn I used fabric glue.
48in circumference x 22in height
50in circumference x 39in height
Embroidered Pillow
Inspiration
Imogen Melissa inspired me. She is an embroidery artist living in Surrey, England. She aims to modernize perceptions of embroidery. She creates intricate embroideries with playful color combinations to bring sunshine and joy to homes.
Hand embroidered, Warp Satin Printed backing, Piped with a zipper, Materials: embroidery yarn and different size beads
Front Pillow 18"x18"
Back Pillow 18"x18"
Tufted Rug
Inspiration
I wanted to create something that will bring all the colors in my collection together, so it needed to be something big that would grab your attention. That led me to tuft a giant rug in the very shape of a coral. To create visual interest but to also stay accurate with the source material I created holes within the rug to recreate the crevices of coral.
99inx56in Hung on a Wall; Scanned
99inx56in; Flat on the Ground; Scanned
Materials: Wool and Acrylic yarn, Tufting gun and frame, dog shaver
Fashion Collection
This is the beginning of all my fashion pieces for this collection. With the same vibe as my home interior collection, there is high contrast in color in a mix of silk and knits.
Look 1: Ripple Allure
Inspiration
I wanted to create a piece that was fun and beachy, but also something that could be worn out in other sceneries. I was also inspired by the designer Roberta Einer Spring/Summer 2020 collection which has a blend of knit and silks together. That blend in texture really compliments each other so well.. For the knit top, I was inspired by the ripples in the ocean surface, which I find very flattering on the body. For the silk bottom, I chose one of my previous print designs that had an overall contrasting color.
Knit Top
SRY Machine 14 Gauge, Fully Fashioned Jacquard knit Panels, Shima Seiki knitting software
5mm Silk Skirt
Mutoh 1938TX Printer: Reactive dyes, CMYK + Blue + Orange + Red + Gray
Look 2: Sand Swirl
Somewhere in this collection I know I needed something that is super flowy and silky. I found it important to do this because I was super infatuated with the look and flow of a fish’s tail (as you see above). This picture was super important in the creation of my collection, and I know one of my garments needed to be represented. I chose this specific print to symbolize the sand, the bottom layer of the coral reef. I wanted each layer of a coral reef represented in this clothing collection.
Inspiration
Mutoh 193TX Printer: Reactive Dyes, CMYK + Blue + Orange + Red + Gray. Printed on a Silk Twill
In-Progress
Inspiration
Look 3: The Underwater Web
For this look, I was really inspired by Roberta Einer’s Spring/Summer 23 collection. She focused on knits with structures that were see-through allowing for the design to really pop through. I also love the idea of mesh and how it mirrors the crevasses of the rocky coral surface. Originally it was a two-color dress, but because of production issues, I simplified it down to one color.
SRY Machine 14 Gauge, Fully Fashioned Jacquard knit Panels, Shima Seiki knitting software
Look 4: The Coral Mecca
Inspiration
For this piece, I wanted to create a piece that would embody the whole coral reef. I was told my hand embroidery really resembles the colorfulness of a coral reef, so I decided to embroider the whole hem of the dress. I choose a bold color for the background, with a plain knit to stand way for the immersing embroidery
SRY Machine 14 Gauge, Fully Fashioned Jacquard knit Panels, Shima Seiki knitting software
Photoshoot
Photographer: Chloe Belton
Editor: Chloe Belton
Exhibit Room Showcase
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The FTD Emerging Designers Showcase debuts the senior collections of students graduating from the Wilson College of Textiles’ fashion and textile design (FTD) program
The FTD Emerging Designers Showcase celebrates collections made during the capstone course for students majoring in FTD.
Students in the fashion design concentration will send six looks down the runway during a show at NC State’s Talley Student Union. Collections range from ready-to-wear to avante-garde.
Those concentrating in textile design will display collections of home textiles, apparel, fiber art and more during a three-day-long exhibition at Talley Student Union.
