The Fundamentals: Mood and Market

I remember way back in first year (well at least it feels like way back), the concept of a 'mood' board to summarise fashion was a little confusing. I always had such trouble with it; getting the images and words right, getting the layout out right...needless to say I could never get it quite right. What I have learnt this year is that it's just about doing it in your own way, in your own style. I'd never been one for fancy photoshop skills and all that jazz, so I decided to stick to what I knew and kept it simple.
A few key images, if right, can set the mood of a collection. I like to add a few word descriptions in too, for the words you just can't find images for. I like to put in a personal image like this photo from Barcelona, and contrast it with a fashion image that summarises my designs best. Then other images like the sunflower for example, help to create an uplifting, summery and chilled feeling to the collection.

Colour is a great way to distinguish mood, which is why I always like to put my colour palette in my mood board. As we all know, colours have connotations with different feelings and emotions, therefore including colour in a mood board helps tie together all the images and create an overall wholeness to the collection.


A market board on the other hand brings us back to the reality of fashion as an industry. Some would say the most important part of fashion is how it sells; if the market isn't right, it won't sell. Market focuses on where in the fashion market clothes are aimed at, from high street to couture. It then creates the 'ideal' target market, whether it be male or female, of a specific age and the context of which the clothes will be worn. In-depth research would look at the 'type' of person in your market, suggesting a personality, interests, and lifestyle, as this can all affect how someone chooses to dress.

My market has developed from my current collection, which was smart, sophisticated day wear and outerwear for Autumn/Winter. For this Spring/Summer collection, the clothes are slightly more casual and simple. I thought Zara would be the ideal high street store to suit my designs, as they have a strong focus on simplicity and classic styles for my suggested age range. I have also focused my designs to be suitable for holiday wear; something that's practical but stylish and comfortable all at the same time.

I hope you have enjoyed all my uni work updates. With our fashion show at Free Range in London next week, more photos alongside my general chit-chat will no doubt follow shortly!

Breathe Easy for Summer '13 Fashion

I know we haven't even seen 2012's summer yet, but when you work in the fashion industry, you have no choice but to work at least a year ahead. Yes, it gets a bit confusing sometimes, especially when trends follow through from one year to another, but it does feel great to be ahead of the game, just that bit. (Little tip, peplums are still on trend for next summer, so make an investment).

So here's my mini collection developing from my current catwalk collection, taking themes and inspiration from Barcelona through to next summer and its key trends. My market is still aimed at around 25 to 35 year old women, but focused more on casual summer holiday wear, that's easy to mix and match, and more importantly is practical for those active holiday-goers. 

As you can see, a lightweight jacket and cape are part of the outfits, taking care of those cooler summer days or spots of rain. (British weather was an influence when designing this collection, as you can probably guess from my frequent references to it recently...) Being in off-whites and pale greys,  the outerwear pieces are easy to put with any outfit.

Traveller chic and safari prints were also influences on this collection, mainly on colour and fabric choices. The sunflower yellow, dirt brown and jungle green reflect this, balancing out the paler colours in the palette. Not only this, but yellow is key for next summer, and totally oozes 'summer', even if we can't see it!

Maxi skirts with wrap-over features are also something I have highlighted, as well as cargo shorts and loose shirts and tops for comfort. Design features that I have tried to carry through from my current collection are pleats, and column-like style lines, while looser fits and feature patch pockets are new.

Working on this 'What's next?' collection has been a great insight for reinventing collections for different seasons, something that many designers do to some extent. With some new inspiration it's surprising how collections can differ making only a few changes, to colour, fabric or even a new target market. My next post will focus on the mood of my collection, so  stick around!