Execution MELTDOWN

Okay so, I've been doing this project since the start of December, and I think I'm going a bit crazy. As much as I've loved learning things about my trend, nobody really wears it and I'm not entirely surprised. I've spent the last couple of weeks with one single idea in my head. I was adamant that this was it, THIS was the idea that was going to make my project stand out to lecturers.

If you've read my previous blog posts, you'd know that I'd decided to focus on the fact that my trend was very much a reflection of previous trends. As are most, but still, it was a link. A link that I liked, kind of. I looked at designer, Justin Zigerli to influence this as well as his actual AW16 collection. I had this idea that I'd use my curliest haired friend to sport a long bobbly jumper and tassled trousers to be in keeping with the trend, but also use the reflection of a mirror to show an image of the 'Wild West'.

This was the craaazy, stupid idea I liked. And when I came to execute it, I hated the images. Don't get me wrong, the actual pictures were decent, if you wanted nice pictures of a pretty girl. Aside from hating my idea, I'd had to use a different model and a different background as I was home for the weekend under unfortunate circumstances, so the stress was real.

I just had a complete blag.

So I went for a drive, visited my best friend and just let myself relax a tiny bit. I came back, picked up my laptop and looked at my original Pinterest board about Native Nomads and came across Fritz Scholder. Now, I know I originally chose to save pins of his work because the colours stood out to me. Although some make me want to heave, they were a nice comparison to the trend we see now: the palette has been so subdued and muted that the heritage of the trend is almost lost. So in reviving the product (Fabric Shaver) I also want to revive the roots of my trend via colour.

I had discussed block colour previously in my project, with pattern samples on WGSN showing just how simplified the Native American inspired patterns had become. I then wanted to take this idea forward into execution, as I feel that this approach would easily fit into modern art, graphic campaigns and how they are so effective on social media. We wake up to bold, bright and attractive gifs on Snapchat every morning, and colour 'themes' on insta being a very important thing in people's lives (guilty) enough exposure to colours could do some serious marketing damage.

So I cleared my mind and made a new mood board:

Logically, I re-reviewed my photoshoot. I could see potential. I mean there was particular reasons that I'd chosen this model, other than her aesthetic, she has fur throws and cushions that imitate products featured in the Ralph Lauren Home images used in my research. Her room is also white, a good base for any potential post production. She has shutters on her windows much like those found in films featuring cowboys. Which was unintentionally ideal, as I'd asked her to hold the Fabric Shaver as a gun in some parts of the shoot. I wanted to isolate this though: the shutters, the cushions. So I began experimenting with cutting out the image and the placement of colour on the shadows and highlights and I've got to say, I'm pretty damn proud of the end result.