From scraped silicone to embossing machines, chiffon rose petals to sketchy beading, 2015 was filled with different types of embellishments for fabrics and textiles. Often what made these embellishments feel relevant was how loose and organic they were, giving a feeling that was spontaneous rather than densely laboured. At the other end of the spectrum, some of the fabric details were based in geometry and repetition with small modular designs used to create all or part of a garment.
Lucy Simpson, 2014.
Silicone Texture by Lucy Simpson
Some designers start with their end product in mind, and experiment endlessly until they can turn their mental images into a physical form that exactly replicates their original idea. Other designers start from a point of experimentation and allow the happy accidents that occur along the way to encourage their research into new directions and evolve into new ideas and methods.
Christian Dior, Haute Couture, SS15, Paris.
Ribboned Pleats at Dior Couture
From a construction point of view, there are a number of beautiful and clever details that have been used for the Spring-Summer 2015 haute couture collection at Christian Dior. One of the most striking details is one of the textile embellishments where rows of ribbon have been sewn to a base fabric to form pleated skirts and to create bouncy silhouettes.
Textiles and “The Emboss Machine” created by Tiffany Loy 2012-2015.
Embossed Textiles at Tiffany Loy
One of the areas where industrial design and fashion design often crossover with amazing consequences is in textile design; a medium where sculptural and textural experiments can sometimes take place more creatively in the time before the textiles are assigned to a specific garment or product. As is often the case, the method used to create the textures of textiles can also sometimes be just as innovative as the end result, which is the case in the embossed textiles created by Tiffany Loy.
NIHL by Neil Grotzinger, Graduate Collection, SS14.
Embellishment and Painterly Prints at Nihl
In his graduate collection for Spring-Summer 2014, artist and designer Neil Grotzinger created textiles that had an unconstrained and spontaneous quality with placement prints that appeared to be dripping with paint and beaded lines creeping across dresses like iron filings on a magnet.
Alexander McQueen, AW15, Paris.
Constructing Roses at Alexander McQueen
The rose is a motif that often features in fashion design, but it was specifically the degradation of the rose that was used in the Autumn-Winter 2015 collection at Alexander McQueen. The idea of petals becoming slowly more bruised and ragged was played out in the fabrics and textiles with shredded chiffon and shaded organza petals with torn edges.
Noir Kei Ninomiya, AW15, Paris.
Smocking, Macramé and Modular Patterns at Noir Kei Ninomiya
It comes as no surprise that someone who used to be a pattern cutter at Comme des Garçons would produce intricately designed garments, however, based on the collection shown for Autumn-Winter 2015, it is also clear that Kei Ninomiya has a particular flair for ingenious modular patterns and contemporary updates of smocking and macramé.
Chanel, AW15, Paris.
Fabric Manipulations at Chanel
Mixed among the traditional tweeds and bouclés of the Chanel Autumn-Winter 2015 collection were a number of fabric manipulations that added volume and texture to the garments.
Junya Watanabe, AW15, Paris.
Honeycomb Pattern Structures at Junya Watanabe
The Autumn-Winter 2015 collection at Junya Watanabe was filled with repetitive structures created with a mathematical sense of precision. While the shapes hinted at a rigorous pattern making process, the garments themselves often had a softness and a sense of bouncy movement.
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