Range Plan to be stocked in HQ store

Progress!

Through the meters of thread and hours of sewing I have been neglecting my blog! So here is a catch up on what I have been doing over the past few weeks! :-)

Here are some of my initial print ideas

This is my final print which has been used for my quilted lining for the coat and for the trousers.

Here is my final designs of a coat and baggy trousers.
My inspiration was the youth and street fashion down in Deptford mixed with a funky and bold twist.


Colour Board

Mood Board

Toiling

Some photos of the toiling process

Trousers

I had to see the trousers on a body to see how low the drape would sit on the legs. As I thought it needed some adjustments.






The Coat

Shop Report - The Hideout

The Hideout - Place, Price, Product & Promotion

Shop Concept..

As HQ will be set up in the Market town of Deptford, I thought it would be a fun idea to bring a little of the market that every one loves inside... Here is my initial shop concept board....



I want to display basics and hoodies folded up in produce boxes and stacked like a market stall around the store.
Vending machines displaying a range of t shirts is also an idea I love and found in Dover Street Market.
The grass idea came from a butchers fridge where they display their meat. I thought this could work quite well on the tops of the clothing rails where rare trainers would be positioned to look as if they are walking on grass through the store at eye level.
I want to keep the store quite street so exposing the brick work on the wall interior will give the store a roughed up edge.
The random fluffy bunny is to represent the element of humour I want to fuse into the HQ brand and again bringing the outdoors, in.
I hope you are beginning to form a picture in your mind as to what I envisage the shop to look like :-) this store is fun and fashionable!

Little more direction!

After having a little struggle with deciding what direction would be best to take my collection, I have finally cracked it!

My new brand named "Head Quarters" is a hybrid of modern street wear and classic gentlemen demure........heard it all before I hear you say? Difference with Head Quarters is that things are not what they seem... sleeves come off, hoods come off, trains come off, pockets here there and everywhere! One garment can be up to as many as you wish and worn how ever you want!

As well as the combination of new and heritage fabrics I will be playing with new imagery/prints on linings, snoods and leggings! (I see men shrieking at the thought of leggings for your macho kind, but trust me it will work ;-)). All very exciting stuff but what's next is limited time and an abundance of work... achievable if I get my head down!

Here are some of my recent sources of inspiration and some very early design ideas... Watch this space for the slicker pages later on!..

Playing with images and Logos

An amazing and quirky designer... He plays with the same hybrid of concepts...

Art work I spotted in Shoreditch, Street art, I could stare at this stuff for hours!

Billionaire Boys Club

Did I mention my fetish for books?....

Few initial design ideas.....

The early stages of the coat with many styles in one...

Fun starts again! :-)

Firstly I would like to apologise for the lack of posts on my blog over the summer! I have been a very busy bee!

After a brief break after our very successful UEL Fashion show in May I started to work for WGSN, a fashion forecasting company as an intern.

I worked within the Marketing department and learnt a great deal as to how they promote WGSN. I also learnt what is involved with the build up of a trade show that WGSN attended in Cannes Lion in France. I helped with an internal presentation across the whole of emaps offices to show what each department is getting up to regarding their marketing.

As well as my main role within marketing I also shadowed work from the content team who control the entire journalist and literature side of WGSN, which I found fascinating.

Overall I thoroughly enjoyed my time at WGSN. I made some great contacts and friends that I still stay in touch with.

* * *

So that was the interning. Now onto the new job I have taken on and currently still working for that I absolutely love! I now write for an online London lifestyle magazine called WeAreHQ! The founder Magdi Fernandes offered me the role to be one of their Fashion writers so now I write weekly posts on their site about anything that I feel our readers should know about. I have also interviewed new designers and shown their work on the site. If your curious, check it out! www.wearehq.com

* * *

So along with this, visiting family, moving house and popping to Portugal, I have been working on my 3^rd year university brief. This has been very time consuming but very interesting.

The brief was set:

Design Project outline:

A3 SKETCHBOOK & SHOP REPORT

You will be required to demonstrate thorough design research in a sketchbook containing ALL visual and design development work with relevant and extensive fabric and textile research.

Produce a shop report of a particular area of London (Spitalfields). This should include other relevant aspirational retail establishments by way of contrast to the Spitalfields area.

The report should include:

• PRODUCT-Existing collections
• PRICE
• PLACE
• PROMOTION

PROMOTIONAL MATERIAL

To be presented where possible on A3 boards all labelled with logo and season.

• Promotional visual ideas and finished presentation including: label/logo mailshots, flyposters, press pack business stationary and carrier bag.

A3 RANGE PLAN SHEETS

These should contain details of all garments offered (minimum 12 garments with every different colourway offered) including:

• Fabric and colour swatches
• Style numbers/names and price points (Minimum 12 garments excluding different colourways)
• Top to toe visual of collection (minimum 2x A3 boards) with pieces /accessorised
• Clearly communicated label and season

SHOP FRONT VISUAL

Full lay-out of your shop or unit on A3 boards including:

• Point of sale items and visuals
• Swing ticket, label, carrier bag
• Merchandising plan of garments and other stock

P.R. COPY

Statement of approximately 100-200 words which promotes your label as a new company

SIGNATURE OUTFIT

Minimum two garments

• Finished patterns and toiles with costings fabric samples and trims

One finished outfit in fabric

So this is my Brief for design. As well as this I need to keep half my mind open for Marketing. Marketing this semester is to understand the Deptford area and its consumers. From this I will write a Market Research report on my findings along with a Business plan of how my brand will sit in the market and what it will provide! :-)

* * *

I now have my bearings in Deptford and the place has definitely grown on me. In a nutshell, the people are friendly, the prices are cheap, scratch the surface and you uncover a big art scene but the area needs a lot of development. Market stalls are the craze in the Deptford area so I had much fun nosing round the area and having lunch in the gorgeous Deptford Project Café!

Market research wasn’t too much of a chore and I have found my primary consumer to design for.

Let the inspiration begin!

Shoreditch

Insa