Palette Collage.

Coral nails, wooly jumpers, dusty pinks + powder blues, colour palette collage. 

The Waste Project/ Co-Oproduct.

What is Co-Oproduct?

The other project I've been working on was in partnership with Co-Oproduct; an online platform that focus on creative re-use of everyday waste, where people post Make-It-Yourself tutorials on how to produce new products from raw materials. As part of the project, we were required to make a garment out of waste, influenced by aspects of our trend. (See The Colour Project for our Trend Forecast).

Interpreting the Brief...

Experimentation: I chose to use white plastic bags because I found that they had alot of potential in terms of the delicate, glossy aesthetic. Using tesco bags and white bin liners, I produced this beautiful leather-like texture. Taking aspects from the trend project, such as the Industrial detailing (curtesy of Paulina Geidrojc) I added steel hinge fastenings to the front of the garment.

I began experimenting by collecting white plastic Tesco bags and bin liners, as I knew I wanted to create a garment that was pure + lucid in colour and more decorative on its surface. I appreciated the potential of the delicate, glossy aesthetic of the plastic, and through layering and ironing the bags, I discovered that the heat produced this beautiful, ruffled, leather-like texture. I then went on to create a garment out of the material, using nothing but an iron to create the fabric, and bond the seams together.

Below: a few shots of the creative processes that went into making the Plastic Bag Box Top. Full DIY tutorial can be found HERE on my Co-Oproduct profile.

Garment Design/ Photography: Jessica Leigh Haughton

Ideas for Industrial Fastenings: Paulina Giedrojc

Model: Chloe Bampton

The piece was a success, as I took my waste products, broke them down and moulded them into a new textile, creating a basic, conventional garment that was completely unrecognisable as a plastic bag. So far developed from it's 'natural', initial state. A garment that incorporated fashion design techniques, but a simple enough construction method that can then be replicated through DIY tutorials, by anyone at home. Sticking to the ethos of Co-oproduct and the essence of sharing creative ideas within a community, I produced my own textile out of waste, creating a garment that is wearable and long-lasting.

The garment was even chosen as one of four out of the year group, to be photographed as part of a professional shoot!

Little brainstorms.

Colour Palette / Sweet Details + Fastenings

So I made a collage in relation to my colour palette of pastels and my theme/concept of childhood. Rainbow cheerios, candy-floss, marshmallow, milkshakes and sprinkles.

Over easter, I want to photograph vintage sweet shops, looking at colours and shapes for palette and details. In terms of experimentation... I want to integrate the technology aspect and colour-graduation detail, through spraying the sweets silver or white. Exploring the sweets as embellishments/ fastenings. Playing around with strawberry laces/ wires and cables.

links to all the images above can be found on my Pinterest + Tumblr.

The Colour Project: Further Experimentation.

Just a few shots of the group in studio, experimenting with dye samples and industrial fastenings.

Industrial fastening samples and pastel tie dye samples - Polly Giedrojc

Silhouette drawings - Jessica Haughton

Silhouette 3D development - Jessica Haughton, Polly Geidrojc, Emily Roberts, Kaylah and Amaris.

Photographs - Jessica Haughton

The Colour Project: Experimentation.

So after today's tutorial with my group, we experimented with some of the samples we all brought in. Together we've come up with a really beautiful colour palette - a combination of pastel pinks, blues, deep purples, indigo's and we want to integrate silver in there too. For Silhouette, we're inspired by crystals and hair, hard and angular intwined with soft and delicate shapes. For detailing, we're thinking industrial inspired fastenings, silver bolts, nails, pins etc. contrasting with the delicate aesthetic. We want to create a capsule collection for Spring/Summer.

Here are few images of us experimenting with colours and printing...

Inspiration for silhouette - crystals and minerals, taking suggestions of silhouette from the shards of glass and different formations... useful in terms of garment length perhaps. Working with the concept of weathering and wearing out. Asymmetrical in structure, top heavy.

The concept of breaking up materials and reforming them. Samples above - Polly Giedrojc

Dye samples and sketchbook work - Emily Roberts

Experimenting with an array of pastel shades.

Delicate, smoke-like imagery on top of gridded paper - in terms of theme - exploring the idea of measuring, the concept of us constantly trying to measure and figure out the natural world around us. Grid sample - Kaylah.

Painting on top of recycled, ironed plastic, printed onto paper... created this beautiful texture that resembles that of skin. Print samples - Jessica Haughton

Print samples - Jessica Haughton

Kafou: Haiti, Art and Vodou, Nottingham Contemporary.

Went to the Haiti Exhibition at the Contemporary gallery.
Gained inspiration in terms of the embroidery and embellishment applied to the rugs. Thinking in just white materials - brought back some ideas in terms of experimentation. Initially, I thought the exhibition would allow me to gain knowledge about the spiritual and supernatural aspects of the Haiti culture, and possibly develop ideas for my projects theme and concept, yet that element didn't quite resonate with me as much as the textual components.