Garbage bags, we all use them every day and we wear clothes everyday as well. So, we are going to combine these two elements in the assignment of today. You are going to turn a garbage bag into a tailor-made suit.
Fashion and identity
Fashion plays an important role in our identity. You have to feel comfortable in it, you want it to look nice on you and sometimes you also look for a connection with peers or with a certain group or culture. Often the identity of a country is also determined by clothing. When we think of England we think of a bowler hat, a Frenchman wears a beret and for foreigners we all wear clogs in the Netherlands.
Designers Victor and Rolf were inspired by the Dutch identity. Many designs by Viktor and Rolf are controversial and have been acquired by museums. For the autumn-winter 2007 collection, they looked at traditional costumes.
Image 1: Left, Victor & Rolf Autumn Winter 2007. Right, traditional costume from Zeeland 1894
Questions
- If you compare the photos you will see similarities and differences. Which elements of the traditional costume did V&R use? Where are the differences?
- If you look closely you see that the model is wearing clogs. V&R also intervened there. Which one do you see? The models walked with these clogs at various high-profile foreign fashion shows. Why would they use these clogs to reinforce their identity / the identity of the V&R brand?
- Looking at the clothes and clogs, would you call V&R fashion designers or artists?
Tailor-made suit
Supplies
For this assignment you will use:
- Garbage bags
- Clear tape
- Scissors
- Lipstick
- Nail polish
- A model (human)
You can do whatever you want with the ingredients. Before you start, make a sketch of what you want it to look like. This can help you better know what you're going to do while designing.
But if you want to start right away without a plan and want to see in the moment what comes to mind, that's also possible. Thus, for the first assignment you are going to orientate and maybe sketch your design. You can use the information below to orientate or you can use the internet.
Aandachtspunten
- If you think creatively, it is good to open up to yourself. What's possible? Which is more common, and which is more unexpected? Anything goes, if you want to make something that looks more normal or something that no one has ever seen before. We secretly find the latter more fun as an assignment.
- What are you going to do with the garbage bags? You can make holes in it, make flowers out of it, tape them together, cut something out and many more things of course.
- What is an outfit? Is that a ball gown or a mini dress, or a pantsuit or just something weird? Does your model get a hat or jewelry, or shoes made from garbage bags or do you prefer to focus on the garment?
- What can you do with a lipstick and eyeliner? You can give your model beautiful red lips, but also a red head or make a print on the garbage bags with it.
Playing with identity
You can play with your identity. Put on completely different clothes and you're someone else. Clothing can indicate whether you are male or female, but that line has been disappearing for a few years now. There are more and more people who are neither male nor female, but both or neither. For example, think of singer Kindness.
David Bowie
Long before the emergence of LGBTQ in the 1970s, David Bowie was already playing with his identity. He had several alter egos with different names and different clothing styles. Like Ziggy Stardust an androgynous appearance, someone with both masculine and feminine sides. At the time, that was quite provocative.
One of the most startling pieces of clothing Bowie has featured in is the pantsuit seen in image 2 (left).
The suit he is wearing in image 2 (right) is inspired by a theater costume designed by Oskar Schlemmer. Oskar Schlemmer belongs to a movement we call Bauhaus.
Image 2: David Bowie
The Triadic Ballet
In 1922 he created one of the most talked-about modern dance performances of that time. The triadic ballet, in which the costumes are more visual objects than clothing. In fact; the clothes determine the movement of the dancer. In this way, the clothing determines the identity of the dancer in shape and colour, but also in the movement.
Image 3: Examples of costumes from Oskar Schlemmer's Triadic Ballet
Character and identity
Choose one of the costumes from the triadic ballet. Take a good look at which shapes are used, which colors, what material the costume is made of and if you can find a fragment of which movements the character makes. Now describe the character and the identity of the character in 5 sentences. Also give it a name. Use your imagination.
Video 1: Oskar Schlemmer's Triadic Ballet
Tailor-made suit
You have gathered all information needed to make your design.
Now form groups of 2 (maximum 3) people. Take a close look at each others sketches and decide which sketch you are going to choose. Of course, you can also combine the best of multiple sketches into one new, even more spectacular design!
After you have finished your design, you will put the dress on your model and use the eyeliner and lipstick to finish the entire look.
Assessment criteria
- You have used all materials mentioned in the assignment.
- You have uploaded both the group picture and the model picture to your teacher.
- You have added a ‘crazy’ element in your design.
- The outfit is suited for a person and fits the model.