Hello!


I am Pippa and I live in Hawkes Bay, New Zealand. I study a bachelor of design, majoring in fashion and business marketing at Massey University in Wellington. I am in my second year. As part of our fashion project this semester we are required to create a blog which we will use as our workbook throughout the project; updating it regularly, posting our research, inspiration, design drawings, samples,  final illustrations and everything in between - so this is it!!


The first project we worked on in this semester is going to be the basis of this next project. My project collection looked at my history  - being born and brought up in Zimbabwe until the age of ten then moving to New Zealand to start a new life, also looking at my environment in Wellington; some of the buildings, sculptures and patterns that surround and interest me. The collection I designed is based on the feelings I felt moving from Zimbabwe to NZ. Feelings of unease and shyness, a weight on ones shoulders.  These are communicated through the sickly colour palette, heavy definition on the shoulders and mesh turtle necks repeated throughout the collection to hide ones face behind. Although sickly, the colour palette is designed to be fresh suggesting a fresh start in a new place.


Our second project (which this blog is for) must have the first projects concept as the starting point and is designed to be a "diffusion" line - the secondary line of merchandise created by a high-end designer that retails at a more moderate price. We can either design for a "sustainable mid/diffusion fashion market" or "mid/diffusion fashion market". We are designing for the Southern Hemisphere Autumn/Winter 2013, designing 8-10 outfits.


 At this stage I think I'd like to go with the sustainable one as it'd be great to use some natural/organic fabrics and do some interesting but comfortable designs. I have had a few ideas as to how to develop my concept...
- keep the same sort of colour scheme (as from what I can see with the market research I have done, bright, quite garish colours are in this season) and do a comfortable everyday line that features lots of interesting cut pants, layering tees and knits with an added aspect of some prints too. Keeping the colour and prints (from the last collection) going through into this collection will make for a much less dull winter! Keeping the fabrics all organic, the cuts easy to layer and dress up and down will make the garments popular and useful.
- Having just been in Africa and on lots of safari game drives and to a few safari lodge/camps, I am interested in having a safari wear/colonial african style influence on the collection. Going sustainable/organic could work well with this theme as being "in the wild" you want to be natural/wearing natural fabrics too.


All just ideas at this stage...