FASHION AT THE ROYAL WEDDING

Kate Middleton married her Prince Charming (William) and surprised the public with her stunning gown. Speaking about the gown, Kate made a great choice when asked Sarah Burton from Alexander McQueen to design her wedding dress. The stunning ivory and satin dress looked fantastic and combined both the traditional and the modern – the way Kate wanted it.

Kate Middleton’s wedding dress featured a fabulous lace appliqué bodice with 9ft train. It is said to have been inspired by Grace Kelly’s gown for her marriage to Monegasque Prince Rainier III. To finish her look the new Queen opted for a 1936 diamond Halo tiara by Cartier, pear-shaped diamondearrings designed by Robinson Pelham, and of course the veil, made of layers of soft, ivory silk tulle with a trim of hand-embroidered flowers. Gorgeous. Absolutely.!!!!

You can definitely never go wrong with Alexander McQueen and Sarah Burton. It’s great Kate Middleton knows that because she might have looked not that impressive if she opted another brand and designer to create her wedding gown and the dress for evening festivities.

The wedding gown was beyond fantastic, but I liked her another dress, too, very much actually. For the grand evening Catherine wore a white satin gazar and strapless gown, with silver diamante embroidery at the waist and a circle skirt. She teamed it up with a cropped angora sweater. Doesn’t it look brilliant?

Trend Forecast – Views from India Fashion Forum 2011

  The fashion segment is almost second largest in India after food. In the next five years we can expect a 2-3 fold increase in apparel with a similar pattern in jewelry, if gold prices do not increase. So, there is a huge scope for business in fashion.

  India is a youth - dominated country. New categories are emerging as the youth gets a wallet and a voice. What is true and fascinating is the emergence of fusion. They are making discontinuous changes to their definition of fashion. Though the over lying want is of not being clones of each other and showing their cool quotient, the underlying commonality is promoting green and organic and the love of tradition.

  One of the speakers has underlined the need to look for the unexpected, in terms of proportion, colour and most importantly, texture. For Autumn 2011-12, the details would be hidden. Cancelled button plackets and pockets would allow fabrics and textures to play the key role. Digital printing would provide interest with subtle optical patterning.

Printing would move to jackets, coat and even trousers. Perspectives would be from futuristic to technological aspects to ancient rural traditions. Clever cutting and precision construction would really put shape at the forefront. On the colour palette the greys, chambray, reds and greens would dominate.

  For accessories, quite chunky knits and furs on bags and shoes would have the home crafted look and designs driven by functionality would rule.

  Ancient primitive aesthetics mixed with a very precise contemporary look will be seen during Spring Summer-2012.

  An important trend in the retail segment would be do-it-yourself. More and more brands would invite customers to translate their preferences into products, such as creating own fragrances and customized t-shirts. Technology will play a vital role in the future of the fashion retail industry.

  Constant change through innovative ideas about product range and display will keep the interest of the consumer. Surprise should be the key element. 

Non-Store Retailing

In the world of internet, virtual stores (on-line stores) are becoming more popular. This solves the problem of increased real estate prices. Marketing is also done purely through news paper, catalogue and television. While it is nearly impossible for every brand to reach all the cities through stores, virtual retailing has made it possible.

  Online retailing has its own disadvantages. The most important one being the delivery of the purchased product to the customer unlike in physical store retailing, the customer walks into the store, picks, buys the product and carries it along.

Secondly, it is about setting the right expectations with customers. Sometimes the product looks very good on the screen or the catalogue but it may not meet the customer’s expectation when he gets it. This may have a negative impact on the brand’s image.

The next challenge is the payment as most of the people are not comfortable with credit cards and net banking, so cash on delivery is a good option. Equal amount of focus on physical and non store presence is what is needed to get the best of both the worlds.

The Unique Art of Thewa Jewellery

The origin of the Thewa form of jewellery is said to be from Partabgarh (or Pratapgarh), a small province in Rajasthan. Unique to this small town, the Thewa art is a secretly guarded technique. It has been handed down from generation to generation of certain craftsmen who call themselves Raj Sonis. 

Thewa locally means setting. It originated in the eighteenth century. This form of jewellery gained popularity among the British residing or visiting India at the time. The Victorian and Edwardian women of the time incorporated finely crafted Thewa pieces into their jewellery. It was often picked up as souvenirs and several magnificent pieces of this art form are found among estate jewellery.

Historians of the time often described this technique as “quasi” enameling or “imitation” enameling as the jewellery often resembles the enamel technique with its coloured glass background. However the actual craft is very different from enameling which uses ground coloured glass melted onto the metal.

The technique starts with fine gold sheets of the highest purity (24 Karat) patterned with the design. Traditional Indian subjects are often used as designs. The gold is worked on lac to enable the delicate openwork creation of the design. This is then heat fused on to a clean piece of glass with extreme care and skill. A bezel unit which is similar to the closed setting used in Kundan style of setting is created. This probably is the origin of the name of this craft form. A highly polished piece of foil which is made of silver or tin is placed inside the bezel unit to form a backing for the gold and glass unit. This increases the light passing through the glass and intensifies the colour and brilliance of the piece. Sometimes the backing foil is also coloured to improve the hue of the glass.

Today Thewa Jewellery is produced in several popular forms like necklaces, pendants, earrings etc. The art form is however unique and specialized. This makes every piece of Thewa Jewellery a treasure to possess.

Men’s Jewellery - The Emergent Market Segment

Women have always been considered the connoisseurs of precious jewellery!. But this was not always the case. History has shown that men have always worn jewellery to some extent and even surpassed women sometimes. Kings and leaders have worn jewellery as a sign of power and to stamp their authority over others.

Ancient civilizations like the Egyptians, Aztecs, Greeks and Romans to modern rulers in India, Britain and Europe have worn several forms of jewellery according to their status and power. Crowns and diadems have always served as the supreme authority. Signet rings were often used as official seals or stamps.

Even religious heads have fallen for the appeal of jewellery with several articles of religious significance being worn by them Jewellery has always had some significance for men, whether as a sign of commitment with a simple wedding band or an affiliation to a club or educational institution. Celebrities from movies and music alike have also influenced the trends in men’s jewellery.

In today’s retail scenario, men’s jewellery is seen as a fast growing segment. With men across all age groups willing to buy jewellery as a fashion accessory, several designers have introduced special ranges of men’s jewellery. Younger boys are more influenced by fashion trends while men prefer classic styling.

The articles of jewellery available for men are rings, pendants, bracelets,cufflinks, tie-pins, hat-pins, chains and the list goes on. While gold and silver are classic metals, platinum, steel and titanium are also gaining favour.

The styling for men’s jewellery is also different. Geometrical shapes, crisp lines and angles are preferred. Colours if used are masculine and bold like red, navy blue or black and white. Themes also cater to male interests. Sports like grand prix, golf, football etc serve as inspiration to designers.

The technical and mechanical fields also influence design with circuits, rivets, bolts etc used as elements in men’s design. Symbols like crests, coat of arms or special league marks are commonly used on rings or cufflinks.

Precious gemstones and diamonds are also preferred by affluent men. However stone cuts

like the round, emerald, baguette, asscher and trillion are desired for their clean geometrical lines.

Designer and branded jewellery for men is a very viable business for designers to tap into as men are ready to spend the money to own that distinctive piece of masculine jewellery.

WRINKLE – FREE PROCESSING OF FABRICS & GARMENTS

A resurgence of demand for easy care cotton containing casual wear led to the introduction of WRINKLE FREE cotton trousers. Blends of Polyester and Cotton and 100% Polyster suitings are naturally wrinkle free but the polyster being hydrophobic material it cannot give the comfort to the wearer what a 100% cotton suiting can give. The hygroscopic nature of cotton makes it a sought after material for garments especially in hot and humid climate. With global warming, 100% cotton material is preferred material for garments. But the problem with 100% cotton garments is that they wrinkle badly as they have poor wrinkle resistance. That is why 100% cotton material is given wrinkle-free treatment. 

         Wrinkle-free finish can be achieved in three different ways: PRECURE, POSTCURE & IMMERSION (Garments). For pre-cure, the resin is applied to the fabric & fully cured at the mill to crosslink cellulose. Precure gives good after wash, smoothness, imparts good dimensional stability & requires no additional wet processing treatment by the garment manufacturer.

         For post cure, the resin is applied at the mill but not cured. After the garment is assembled and pressed, the resin is cured by heating to cross link the cellulose and set the crease.

      For immersion finishing, assembled garments are soaked in or sprayed with the resin, dried, pressed & cured. Immersion finishing gives a very soft hand, & premature curing is not a problem. Distressed looks can be incorporated prior to curing and garments soiled during processing can be cleaned prior to immersion.

ENZYME FINISHING OF GARMENTS

       ENZYME FINISHING

In enzyme finishing Cellulose/ Amylase enzymes are used. The single component CELLULASE enzyme, alkaline-neutral cellulose, was introduced in 1992. This mono-component enzyme produced high – contrast abrasion & gave very good fabric strength retention. Hydrolysis of the cellulose, which is catalyzed by enzyme, causes the surface fibers to become weakening & later removed when subjected to fabric to fabric abrasion or fabric to pumice stone abrasion during the washing. The temperature & pH used are dependent upon enzyme used. Usually neutral cellulose (2 – 4 gpl) is applied at pH of 6-7

Vogue institute of fashion Technology

      PEACH SKIN FINISHING USING ENZYMES:

Peach skin finishes are given to Chinoes suiting materials, Denim material and for Tencel fabrics. Tencel has high strength ( In dry & wet state) & dry tenacity is almost equal to that of Polyester. According to Mr. Rodgers production of the   Peach – skin effect requires that fibre be PREFIBRILLATED, DEFIBRILLATED & REFIBRILATED.

   Prefibrillation splits the surface hairs on the fabric similar to stripping back the bark on a twig. It requires mechanical action also such as tumbling in a wet processing stage. Prefibrillation creates tangled masses of fibres. Defibrillation of the pills of fibre (Entangled mass of fibres) with enzyme produce a very smooth fabric with almost no protruding fibres. Any of the acidic, mildly acidic or neutral cellulose enzymes are suitable for defibrillation. Refibrillation or secondary fibrillation produces SECONDARY HAIRS on the fabric surface, generating the peach skin hair. Prefibrillation is carried out in the desizing stage. Defibrillation takes place in washing stage & for Denim garments the same process is used for color washing also. Refibrillation is accomplished by agitation in the normal softener application stage of wet processing. 

Contributed by Vogue institute of fashion Technology

DENIM WASHING AND FINISHING OF GARMENTS

INTRODUCTION

The art of garment dyeing is an ancient one. There is evidence that prehistoric man applied colored pigments to vegetable & animal matter such as fibers & skins. Garments made from various fabrics are now being dyed & delivered to the customer in a short period of time. With today’s exploding clothing markets of casual & sportswear, garment dyeing has emerged as one of the better production routes towards meeting the quickly changing demands of the fashion market. Though any kind of material can be dyed in garment from but cotton is more popular to dye and finish in garment form than any other fibre. Processing of DENIM and some CHINOES is more common fashion in garment dyeing field.

VARIOUSTECHNIQUES OF WASHING & FINISHING:

Denim goods finishing has a longer history, the techniques used for denim finishing has been extended to other items such as chambrays, solid color indigo dyed fabrics & chinoes suiting. A variety of washing effects are achievable on denim goods dyed with the traditional indigo dyed, which is selected on accounts of it’s brilliant blue color & excellent fading characteristics to washing, finishing or abrasion. Depending upon the dyeing method, goods dyed with indigo dyes have poor color penetration with ring dyed yarns; thus after finishing them they give good acceptable faded look.

Some of the most popular common & advanced washing & finishing techniques for denim garments & others are given below.

1)      CONVENTIONAL WASHING :

This entails the desizing the materials with enzyme & detergent followed by washing at an elevated temperature. The degree of color fading is comparatively slight, but uniform.

2)      STONE WASHING :

Volcanic rocks also called as PUMICE stones are added to the garments during washing as abradant. Colour fading by this process is more but not uniform. The degree of color fading depends upon washing time and stone ratio (i.e. Wt. of stones: Wt. of Garments), size of stones, liquor ratio & garment load. Generally washing machine is run for 60 min. to 120 min. & it depends upon degree of fading.

3)      DENIM BLEACHING :

In this process a strong oxidative bleach such as Sodium hypochlorite or Potassium permanganate is added during washing, with or without stone addition. Discoloration is usually more apparent depending on strength of  the bleaches, liquor quantity and treatment time. A strong bleach with short treatment time is preferred for better bleached colors. The bleached goods should be adequately anticlored or after washed with peroxide to minimize subsequently yellowing & tendering of the goods. Some times optical brightening agent is added to get brighter appearance for white or near white shades.

     A recent innovation in decolorizing Indigo, referred to as enzyme bleaching using LACCASE enzyme(Mediator system). Laccase is an Oxidoreductase enzyme that accepts oxygen from air & attaches it to a mediator, which then reacts & decolorizes the indigo molecule. The mediator, which is an organic molecule, consumed during 10 – 20 min. period so the process is self limiting without any degradation or weakening of the product or no danger of over bleaching.

   Color can also be removed in denim washing by reductive processes. One process, some times called Sugar bleaching, uses carbohydrates like Dextrose, which contain reducing groups. The process requires high pH, elevated temperature & large quantity of Carbohydrates. The use of high level of Carbohydrates produces waste water & high BOD & COD.

4)      ACID WASHING ( STONE WASH) :

Acid washing is usually done by tumble drying the garments with Pumice stones presoaked in a solution of Sodium hypochlorite (5 – 10%) or potassium permanganate (3 – 6%) such that localized bleaching takes place resulting in a non-uniform sharp Blue/ White contrast. The color contrast after tumbling can be further enhanced by a subsequent optical brightening. Soft stones that are usually dust off are suitable for this process.

Vogue institute of fashion Technology

Vogue college of fashion technology, Bangalore offers Fashion designing courses, 

Jewelry designing,  Diamond grading, Retail Management, Fashion Merchandising and management courses. 

It also provides classes on graduation and certifications including BBM, MBA and Diploma on many professional courses.

CAD systems in Designing and Apparel Production

Computer Aided Designing (CAD) is a mainstream tool; companies that hope to compete in the fashion market place, especially at the mass level, cannot prosper without some level of CAD technology. And for an aspiring designer it is an added advantage to have basic knowledge of Fashion CAD.  In textile designing CAD systems, a motif can be designed, resized, recolored, rotated, or multiplied depending on the design goal. Some garment designers are more comfortable drawing fashion illustrations using CAD rather than by hand drawing and coloring. Fashion Illustrators are often trained as graphic designers.

The CAD course at VogueInstitute of Fashion Technology provides a platform for students to get trained in CAD programs like Auto CAD and CorelDraw for drawing, paint program like Adobe Photoshop, and Lectra. Each program will have its own particular functions, but in most cases, for representational purposes, a student will be able to achieve the results with a combination of drawing and paint programs.

Some advantages of CAD-

Making a pattern for a style takes about an hour and the grading process assuming there are five sizes would take another hour. Using a CAD system will reduce the time spent on making the patterns. Patterns once created for a particular style can be stored for eternity in space saving hard disks or floppies instead of storing physical patterns. And just imagine storing physical patterns and retrieving them after a lot of searching only to find they are defaded or torn! One can imagine the waste of time, space and cost when a company is dealing with thousands of styles. There are variations of CAD systems available for apparel production. Lectra’s CAD solutions, for example, focus on the product development lifecycle, from creation of the product to fabric cutting.

Supposing a designer wants to redesign one of the core products, he need not have to start from scratch. He can start with the silhouette developed last season, retrieve it from his design database, redevelop it in minutes, automatically update the collection database and push it directly to the supplier with all the specification data.

Textile Designing

Textile designers are responsible for creating two dimensional patterns that appear on a variety of different fabrics. Textile designers, sometimes referred to as fabric designers are involved not only in clothing and carpet designs but upholstery, too. The field encompasses the actual pattern making as well as supervising part or all of the production process.

To become a textile designer, a person needs to have strong fashion sense, research skills, and design skills. An interested person will need to constantly research the market for trends and keep up-to-date on developments both in style and on manufacturing end. Textile designers work within and alongside industries such as  interior design. They may also move into designing paper goods, ceramics or other items that require patterns. Textile designing encompasses not only drawing skill but business savvy and customer relations as well.

A student interested in textile design should consider a degree in textile design from a university. Alternatively, she/he may consider an art degree or an associate degree in computer related field. Computer aided design skills (CAD) skills are important, since the student will need to both sketch her designs by hand and recreate them in computer. Understanding color theory and key design principles is also important for a textile designer.

So anyone who wants to become a textile designer should keep a portfolio of her work. This portfolio usually includes hand drawn sketches and patterns, and any  finished or sample products.

The degree course (Fashion and Apparel Design) and diploma course for fashion designing are available at Vogue Institute of Fashion Technology. The fashion design training institute prepares aspiring designers  for careers in the textile and garment design fields and general fashion design.

Fashion Illustration

The fashion industry is mostly hard work with a little bit of glamour thrown in for spice. The industry is 99% hard work and 1% glamour. It can be a really rewarding career option, and there will be glamorous moments, but you're going to have to work for them! Technical training and creative schooling in the fashion arts will provide an invaluable foundation for a future in the industry.

For an aspiring designer, fashion illustration forms the foundation for building his or her career. A training course in illustration will develop the skill needed for fashion drawings and students will learn to draw using a broad range or art media and techniques from hand sketching to sketching using graphics software.

Before manufacturing a costume or an accessory the first thing a fashion designer prefers is to see a visual picture of what is to be created. A fashion illustrator does this by means of his or her drawings. There are specialists who create eye catching fashion illustrations are called fashion illustrators. The fashion illustrator works in a specialized area of advertising and marketing, producing drawings for promotional magazines and newspapers as well as publicity material for catalogue and stores. Fashion drawings are also used for window displays and exhibition stands!

A beginner needs to study the anatomy of human body, the human figure proportions in 8-heads. For fashion drawing, the proportions are exaggerated for glamour purpose. In fashion sketches, it is also essential to know how to draw fabric and more importantly know how to draw the folds of clothing. The lighting effect, shading depth will enhance the quality of sketch and gives a three dimensional illustration.

When sketching a design on a croqui (drawn body form), the designer is not making a pretty work of art. Instead, this drawing will be the focal point of discussions between himself and his pattern and sample-making team. Because of this, the sketch must be precise. A wrongly-placed waistline or strangely-drawn crease can mean several different things in reference to fabric type, seams and draping.

Let us be completely frank: you don't need to be able to draw a pretty face; but you do need to be able to effectively communicate your designs visually, on paper, to the media, to your contractors or to a pattern-maker. Proper use of visual communication will allow you to transplant your design concepts into the minds of other people at your firm, or on your team. Again, this is a good example of why a formal fashion education is essential. Offered with a variety of other courses, fashion illustration will be one of the courses accessible to you at Vogue Institute of Fashion Technology.