140BPM
140BPM My graduate collection, 140BPM, has been heavily influenced by the grime music industry and culture. With grime music been an active part of my life I wanted to collection to represent grime music and change people’s perspective of the views which individuals have about the music genre, the people involved within the grime music industry and the garments which they chose to wear.
Finalised inspiration and colour board for the 140BPM collection. The board shows influence from grime artists such as Stormzy, Dave and Skepta. The fashion desginer influencers include Stone Island, Astrid Andersen and Moncler x Craig Green. The board also features the Balforn Tower, this iconic tower block of flats in London has a massive connection to the history of grime as this is where some of the most famous and influencel artists such as Dizzie Rascal, started sharing there music via pirate radio which aired from these tower blocks back in the early 2000's when grime first emerged.
The fabrics used for the garments in the 140BPM collection. I used a range of fabrics from typical sportswear fabrics such as sweatshirt materials, to more technical fabrics such as flame retardent fabrics from Misan Textiles, London and waterproof fabrics from Cloth House London. The trims are also shown on the board used across the collection as small design details.
The silhouette board shows where I got my inspiration from for the silhouette's of my designs for the garments within the collection. Looking at this board the silhouettes are big for the outerwear and then tight for the garments underneath the larger silhouettes of a coat for example. This is what I wanted to recreate within my press outfit as I thought it made all of the garments stand away from each other.
Key design details 1. Showing and explaining key design details from garments within the collection.
Key design details 2. Showing and explaining key design details from garments within the collection.
Coloured technical flats front and back views of the 140BPM collection.
Technical flat drawings of my line up front and back views with fabric swatches and trims.
Illustrative line up using photoshop skills to develop final outcome. I chose grime artists faces, old and new, to show my line up on. Due to Covid-19 I had no access to models to be able to get photographs of my collection, so to fit with the grime influence on the collection I thought that this was effective. Also using the classic Air Max 90's and Air max 95's as the models shoes as these have been some of the most impactful trainers within the grime scene when it first emerged in the early 2000's
Fashion illustration using photoshop skills to develop the final outcome. The illustration shows the front and back view of my press outfit and also is set in a similar scene where grime once originated from. The print which is used on the t-shirt is also edited into the back of the illustration to really show the print clearly but also has a qr code linked to my fashionn design Instagram.
These images show the full press outfit. The coat was the main peice within this outfit, it is an over-sized, floor length puffa jacket with machine embroidery on the back which represents grime. The coat also has a double-ended zip, press stud half side panels which allow the wearer more movement and also over-sized pockets on the front of the jacket which means there is no need for a bag when you wear this coat.
The 'KISS MY AIRS' embroidery on the back of the coat represent the influence which Nike has had on the grime scene. Nike has and still does have a massive impact on the careers are the artists and also other involved within the grime community. Nike have also collaberated with grime artist Skepta creating several pairs of limited edition trainers which were very popular.
The tower block embroidery which is also featured on the back of the coat represents the London tower blocks from where grime first emerged. With many artists suffering from institutionalised racism at the time it was hard for them to start careers for themselves. This is were pirate radio came in. Artists would 'battle' or 'MC' against and with each other in the small flats in the high rises of London and this is where grime begun, from there is has contiuned to grow and has now developed into one of the best music genres within the UK.
The collar and the zip covering the face allows the wearer the hide their identity if they are ever in need to do so.
These images show the press outfit without the coat. The print on the t-shirt was a collaberation with a graphic design student, the print features several aspects of grime, from D Double E who is an OG within the grime scence, his lyrics from the song Street Fighter Riddim and Stormzys vest which was painted by Banksy.
The neon accents within the shorts tie in the neon elements used within the coat. The neon colours used within the collection are to represent the police presence which is shown in the grime scence and also compliment the neuatral tones also within the colour palette.
Outfit 2 Gilet. The gilet for outfit features the neon flame retardent fabric from Misan Textiles, London. The unusual design makes the gilet stand out from the crowd and not just with the bright coloured fabric. The 'KISS MY AIRS' embroidery is also featured on the gilet to show the influence which Nike has had on the grime industry and how the brand has helped the grime industry grow and develop.
Project Tags
Companies
Graduate Fashion Foundation
- Fashion and Textiles
Leeds Arts University
- Education & Research