Level Two Semester 1 Design Development - Yohji Yamamoto Customer Research

The Yohji Yamamoto research also involved customer research, and spending time in the London shop observing the customers and talking to the staff was really interesting and gave a real insight to the designer and the people that he appeals to.

Level Two Semester 1 Design Development - Yohji Yamamoto Competitor Research

A few pages of research into competitors as part of our Yohji Yamamoto research. It's quite interesting to look at the similarities and differences between the designs that come from these designers from similar backgrounds.

Level Two Semester 1 Design Development - Yohji Yamamoto Research

At the beginning of the Semester, each group picked a conceptual designer from a list of 4 or 5. Our group chose Yohji Yamamamoto, and these are a few of my research pages looking at the designer and the brand.

Level Two Semester 1 Garment Technology Boards - Rever Collars

Primary and secondary research into different applications of the 'rever collar'. It adds a sense of formality to most garments and added details to the shape or fabric of the collar, such as the shearling in image 8, or the decorative shape, stitching and gold braid in the historical jacket in image 6. In general, I prefer the use of rever collars with double-breasted fronts, as they don't over-dominate the garment too much, which is why I feel they often work better on coats and jackets than on jumpsuits or dresses that are normally single-breasted.

Level Two Semester 1 Garment Technology Boards - Gathered, Pleated and Circle Skirts (& Dresses)

A mixure of primary and secondary research, historical and modern, I particularly like the 19th Century dress and its use of pleats, shown in image 11. I think it's just really elegant and beautiful and knife pleats often look a bit mumsy or chunky but here seem quite neat.

Level Two Semester 1 Garment Technology Boards - Sleeves

Again, looking at both historical and modern source. Complete range of price range, from primark to Yohji Yamamoto and Armani. I have to say I normally hate jackets that exaggerate your shoulders because my shoulders are fairly broad and square in proportion to the rest of me but I LOVE the jacket in image 11 from zara, with raised, slightly pointed shoulders and twisted cuffs. The whole jacket was gorgeous and if I weren't a poor impoverished student it would have been mine immediately. I also really like the swisted seam sleeve found on the All Saints top (image 17), it's characteristic of All Saints and a detail that we used in one of our t-shirt designs in garment tech group work last year. I'm a massive All Saints fan!

Level Two Semester 1 Garment Technology Boards - Fitted and Bra-Topped Dresses

Historical and modern sources help to inform about a variety of interesting fitted and bra-topped dresses.
I particularly like the 1980s bra-topped dress, numbered 4 on the first board, and the fitted, panelled Karen Millen dress, numbered 15 on the second board.