November

Happy November! We're creeping up to Christmas and it is actually and surprisingly to me starting to get a little bit cold here.

After another month I have plenty to talk about, starting with a very memorable Halloween, I posted for October just before halloween and so that's why it's in my November post. Obviously in England halloween in a huge deal and for weeks before all major supermarkets and stores do entice it in some way, here it is completely different and I think it could actually be easily missed. Other than select costume shops no where sells halloween outfits and as I'm discovering with everything in Milan the ones that do are so overpriced. It terms of where to go flyers were given out around my Universities area on the week before for various parties and events but other than that there wasn't a lot of advertisement I saw. As this was our first real night out since we arrived we decided to spend the night with the majority and joined the other erasmus students going to a bar called 'D'oor' which we now refer to as 'the dirty D'oor' located on Corso Di Porta Ticinese. Dressed as three glittery vampires we had the usual pre-drinks at our house and turned up so drunk everyone told us to go home! Another lesson learnt, people here do not drink to get drunk like us British hooligans but instead it's very rare to see someone really drunk! In the end all three of us went home at different times I myself going to McDonalds on the way back and falling all the way down the stairs, massive cringe. As always though in the morning you can laugh about it.

The bar we visited that night has actually become a bit of a regular place for us because it is student cheap. It's not much to look at or very nice inside and some of the people in there can only be described as strange but they do cocktails for 5 euros that are 4/5 spirits to soft drink and so if your going out it's a cheap night. It is also very close to a square in front of the 

St Lorenzo Maggiore Basilica where it is a thing to take a drink and sit down to chill out. I stumbled across this walking back from a late night of Shopping on a Friday but from about 8pm people start to sit down in the square and drink and then at 2pm in the morning the police come to move everyone out and the area is cleaned. It is legal to drink on the streets in Milan and most the bars in the area offer cheap drinks to take away and sit in the square or walk up and down the street. Music is usually played from somewhere and in the few times I've been someone always has a guitar. When full the square has an amazing atmosphere and it's definitely a spectacle to be experienced. The pictures below are the square itself, empty and us with a couple of friends from NABA feeling worse for wear after several rum and colas.

It is also this month that I have tried plenty of aperitivos. Aperitivo is a Milanese thing held daily at most bars and cafes between the hours of 6pm till about 11pm, although this changes bar to bar, where with any cocktail purchased you can also get a buffet. The idea behind it is to help the busy working people to catch up with there friends straight after work having a drink and a nibble to eat before then going home to have their evening meal. For us this is dinner. You can go up to the buffet as many times as you desire but it can look rude if you do over indulge. The best one I have found so far is at a bar called Ginger Cocktail Lab on Via Ascanio Sforza, Milan. The cocktails themselves are absolutely incredible but the food which is tailored towards vegans is also the tastiest I've had plus it's in a fantastic location on the second canal. 

Most the bars I've tried have been in the popular district of Navigli where I live, this is the area with two canals and is one of the main districts for going out at night. Naviglio Grande is the busier of the two canals and is split into sides. If standing at the top of the canal, on the left side are the more competitive bars which offer aperitivo and on the right are more expensive restaurants where you have to order from a menu. The canal is pretty long so you have plenty of different places to try.

Last week I had the joy of attending the Andy Warhol exhibition at Palazzo Reale in Piazza del Duomo next to the cathedral which is a pretty big gallery that seems so far to always have about two or three ever changing exhibitions on. I've never really had the chance to easily visit exhibition before so I plan on really taking advantage of this. The Andy Warhol exhibition was fantastic and so informative showcasing such a variety and collection of his personal work as well as other people involved in his artistic career, it was incredibly interesting. Currently other exhibition on show are Rodin and Il Vottol Del '900, exhibitions that are to be installed in the near future are Pollock and Kandinsky. As it is only 9,50 euros to get in as a student under the age of 26 I'm going to make the statement that I will attend most of these exhibitions by the end of the year. It is better to visit during the morning is the week if possible as when queuing for Warhol on a Saturday it did take us about an hour to get in. 

Also in Piazza del Duomo is a department store called 'Rinascente'. As a fashion student, design student or food lover this is somewhere that HAS to be visited. The department store is huge and sells designer goods on all levels. To me the best floors are the following;
BASEMENT - It is the home wear section with an staggering collection of quirky items, lighting and electronics as well as a heineken SUB bar and coffee shop, most the items are so expensive you could cry but you may be able to afford a pantone mug if you save up.
1st FLOOR - Womens accessories, oh-my-god it is heaven. A complete floor dedicated to designer handbags and scarves, imagine it. 
5th/6th FLOOR - Womens clothing a shoes, you can actually touch Mary Katrantzou's creations along with a list of designers too long to write.
TOP FLOOR - the food hall, complete with supermarket. Yes. Up at the top there are plenty of different places to eat along with specialist foods like chocolate, olives, hams, teas etc. and a rooftop terrace bar to sit on in the sun and look directly at the cathedral. This picture is taking from the 1st floor women's accessories but unfortunately I'll have to go back again and take some more photos to share with you the wonders of the other floors.

Unfortunately the bad news about my time here is this, WE STILL DON'T HAVE THE INTERNET IN THE APARTMENT! As bills are extra on top of rent the apartment was not fitted with internet, of course in order to sign up for the internet you need an Italian bank account. To get this I waiting till the end of October when student services arrange an appointment for the bulk of erasmus students with the bank manager. This has now happened and I have signed up for the internet with the provider fastweb, they are an awful company! After the promise of having the internet fitted within a week we are still waiting after they haven't turned up three times and no one on the phone or in the shops want to help. As the Italians say 'bahww'. Hopefully it will be sorted next week but in the meantime it has made doing work for university incredibly difficult as the computer rooms at NABA are only open till 8pm and the campus is completely closed on weekends. Dare I say I miss the library?

In terms of classes it has been so busy again and already we're starting to prepare for the February exam period. 

For textiles by the time of the February exams I will be the proud creator of 15 different textiles all presented with corresponding care labels and fabric compositions, isn't that exciting. I've decided to use the same theme as my fashion design work so that the collection and fabrics can work alongside and compliment each other but have tweaked a couple of parts of the colour palette to make it a bit more vibrant and exciting. Within these samples I have to use three different methods of my choosing such as knitting, weaving, printing of any type, flocking, needle felting etc. etc. so there is plenty of choice. Development is now starting and I am required to keep an experimental diary of what methods I'm using.

In knitting I have been set the task to create a box of any size that represents myself which inside showcases my knitting ability as best as possible and may contain other forms of construction e.g. clay work, woven fabric etc. So, as I am completely obsessed with what I wear and when not dressed well genuinely feel a little bit scared to leave the house I have decided that really all I am is what I wear hence using my very pretty armoire and it's contents as the inspiration for this project. 

So far I've started by selecting the more textural parts of my wardrobe and taken photos to then try to imitate as best as possible by finding matching yarns and using the same stitches. I have made the bold decision to try my best to do this to scale which means I am going to measure everything!! EVERYTHING! Meaning my sketchbook will probably contain more numbers that anything else but non the less it should work out an awful lot better than 'winging it'. To construct the box given the curves and details I've decided laser cutting is probably my best bet and so this week I'll start work on the illustrator file, hoping I don't set anything on fire in production.

For fashion design our professor is making us draw. I can't draw. I'm really bad at drawing. I can admit this is helping though. The lesson is 9 till 5 in a single day in the same room so is pretty full on but pretty much works as us independently developing our collections and drawing skills and one by one having reviews with our tutor. Helen although incredible sarcastic is fantastic and already I've learnt so much about how to tackle the design process and I'm understanding more the absolute importance of function. 

For pattern making I've finished the waistcoat and am now making a ladies blazer. Our professor has told us that to make a blazer is the most difficult pattern cutting and I really hope he is right as so far it is hard. 

In marketing it's still very broad but still taught in a unique and interesting way, mostly our professor is setting us group tasks to use our marketing skill then explaining what we did via a presentation to the class. Usually I'm completely against things like this but it is working very well. Equally he is also showing us a lot of films and brands that utilise marketing in the best or worst possible way. The film he showed this week was the  September issue. For anyone interested in fashion it is a documentary of British Vogue following their progress on the production of the September issue of 2007, their largest issue to date, and an absolute, complete and utter must watch.

After a little bit of browsing on YouTube I've found a copy with the full film, prepare to watch the real life Devil Wears Prada. Of course the book of Devil Wears Prada is in fact based on Anna Wintour and written by her ex-assistant so you shouldn't really be surprised but speaking for myself I couldn't believe how accurate it really is, happy viewing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCRJNXccclA

October

This post is being wrote in Milan, in Italy, at the Arts Academy of NABA where I am  studying for the next year. Let's me just reflect, I've not done badly here.

I've been in Milan for a just over a months now and it has been quite a journey so far what I may say is that you can never be quite prepared enough for moving country and it is amazing how much comfort Ikea as well as the golden arches of McDonalds can bring when struggling. Italy's lifestyle and culture is entirely different to the British way of life. How? I've come to realise that we are all workaholics, hooligans and are spoilt for choice with pretty much everything. Italy is far more relaxed and has took a while to adapting to, be warned 24 hours opening times do no exist here! Even between 1pm and 3pm for lunch on weekdays a lot of supermarkets and shops close and on a Sunday it's most likely that whatever you need is shut unless your heading towards the centre of the city. If you need anything it's always better to buy in advance when you have the chance rather than be caught out. I've been left in a shortage of wine and thus have now learnt my lesson.

On arrival in Italy on the 3/10/13 I alongside my two other peers from University we were face with the task of finding a flat and moving in within a week whilst living in a hostel. In hindsight this now sounds like and probably was complete madness.

As a serious piece of advice if moving country really do try to pre-arrange your ongoing accommodation before arrival, searching on a time limit is not fun. Not at all. Desperately try not to do it and persevere over the internet. As another piece of advice to visit the city before is a fantastic opportunity before moving over if financially possible, it just helps suss out how the transportation system works and get a vague idea of the different areas and way of life.

When I first arrived I stayed in a private room with my two other peers at Ostello Burigozzo 11 on Via Burigozzo about 20 minutes from NABA and only 5 minutes from Porta Ticinese which is a very central part of Milan. The hostel itself was perfect and not to expensive, it was clean with a shared kitchen that can be used throughout the day or night and friendly staff that speak fluent English. The only issue we did have with the hostel was mosquitos. We all got bitten, a lot. I'm not sure if it was just this one hostel as since moving out we haven't had any issues but just be warned. 

Although I'd searched the internet thoroughly before arriving in Milan it was very difficult to find anything as I had no idea what the different zones in Milan were and how easy it would be to commute to University if the apartment was far away. When emailing estate agents it was often common that I would not receive a reply because, I suspect, the email was in English and most of the estate agents I've visited don't speak English at all. For the first couple of days here we had a look around close to NABA to try to find local estate agents who may have properties in the area. This didn't work at all and turned out to be a complete waste of time as most of the estate agents are closed unless they have pre arranged appointments.  

Fortunately NABA where I am studying have a student services office where you can go as an exchange student for them to help you with pretty much anything including helping you search for a home. They have a detailed database of available accommodation across the city as well as English speaking tutors who are able to ring estate agents and landlords to book viewings for you. When looking at accommodation in Milan most apartments are two bedrooms and it is very common for students to share a single bedroom with two single beds. Equally is it also challenging to find landlords willing to give a lease shorter than a year, we rang a lot of estate agents where the minimum tenancy length was 2 years and strictly non-negotiable. As we were trying to find an apartment for all three of us with separate rooms for 9 months within a feasible price range there was only a very select number of apartments we we're able to view and by this point we only had 4 days left to move in so to put it mildly the stress started to sink in.

Luckily for us and I do honestly still feel blessed for this the first apartment we viewed a 5 minuted walk from University was a beautiful 4 bedroom apartment that was newly renovated. All the rooms we're huge and even two had amazing features like a piano and armoire, there are two bathrooms and a front and rear balcony as well as a small but functional kitchen and the landlord had no issues with a 10 month lease. It was completely perfect. The next day we had several more viewing lined up that we're around the same price range but because of the short time scale we cancelled these and instantly started negotiations to move in.

Each room in the apartment is 550 euros a month plus bills and in order to move in each of us needed to pay the first months rent, 550 euros, three months rent as a deposit, 1650 euros, as well as estate agency fees of 10% of the annual rent, 550 euros. In total costing us each individually 2750 euros. We we're utterly shocked at this figure but  after speaking to the student services they confirmed that this was completely normal and other apartments would be exactly the same so take my advice and insure you have plenty of capital to invest or someone who can support you if your hoping to study here. In order to sign the contract for any apartment in Italy it is also required you have a Codice Fiscale which is the Italian equivalent of the British national insurance number. It is simply a code related to your personal identity in Italy and can be attained easily by visiting one of the Agenzia Delle Entrate buildings, again NABA gave us the relevant sheets and directions to the building so unfortunately I can't remember which branch we visited. It is essential to get there early! Even when I arrived at 8:00am there was already a significant que. Once there you are allocated a number and wait to be called through to an advisor where they check your passport and documents then issue your number simple as that. All payments made to the estate agents and landlord are done via bank transfer online so if you don't already have internet banking get it, if you do have internet banking insure you are authorised to make international payments, I wasn't and had a very expensive overseas call to the bank, and also check your exchange rate and charges for making international payment. Between the three of us we are with three separate banks Lloyds, HSBC and Barclays and the difference in making international payments between them is HUGE. Exchange rates for sending money abroad can deduct a lot and each bank also had a charge for making a payment. The best out of our three accounts was HSBC offering the most competitive exchange rate and only a £4 per transaction charge and so we paid all the money to the landlord and estate agents out of this single account. Due to the amount of money being transferred I would highly recommend setting up another bank account just for the year.

So after much panic and plenty of surprises we did manage to move into the apartment on time and two weeks later we we're joined by an Italian roommate Adelaide who is lovely. Unfortunately at the moment we don't speak much Italian and she's doesn't speak much English so we have a lot of sign language going on. It is fantastic though as I am learning little things pieces of Italian from her, getting an insight into what Italians cook and even picking up mannerisms. She's actually a graduate in Economics from Naples searching for a job and so is a little older but non the less it's nice to have her around. 

So after a crazy Intensive week I've enjoyed a way more relaxed month of exploring Milan. I've found what I believe to be a couple of the main high streets, Via Torino and Corso Vittorio Emanuele II. Via Torino is leading up to the cathedral if approaching from the south of Milan and Corso Vittoria Emanuele is just behind the cathedral itself. It's not a huge area so I'm imagining there has also got to be a lot of different shopping areas across the city but it still has brands such as H&M, Mango, Zara, Accessorize and United Colours of Benetton as well as some Italian brands I don't recognise so there is a bit of choice. The apartment I'm staying in located on Via Ludovico Lazzaro Zamenhof is only about 5 minutes walk from NABA and still only about a 30 minute walk from Duomo itself so I'm in a great location. There are also tram stops absolutely everywhere around the city that can get you anywhere, I have two on the road just outside my apartment each about 100 meters away that take me straight to Piazza Del Duomo where the Cathedral is in about 15 minutes.

Here in Milan the metro, tram and bus network is known as the ATM. By going on to www.atm.it you can put in your location and destination and it will plot a route for you anywhere across the city specifying what trams you need and how many stops etc. In order to use the trams and buses you must purchase a ticket BEFORE getting on to the transport itself, these can be purchased in most Tabachinist or Cafes or in the Metro itself at one of the self service machines. Once on the transport there are little red or blue machines that you have to feed your ticket into in order for it to be validated. Once validated a single ticket that cost 1,50 euro is valid for 90 minutes of travel on metro, tram and bus. You can always check how long you have left my looking at the stamp the machine puts on the back of the ticket which prints the date and time. Although there isn't anyone to check that you have validated your ticket when you get on the tram ticket inspectors can appear at any time without warning and if you are caught without a validated ticket its a 25 euro fine on the spot so it's always best to have a ticket on you, I know several people already that have been fined.

Travel cards are also available but as I haven't got one I can't guess how much they cost but I do know they can be applied for at any of the big Metro stops that also have a train station such as Romolo, Cadorna or Centrale FS and require a photo ID. The metro is also very easy and works just the same as the London Underground.

In terms of Milanese cuisine so far I've learnt the following;
1) They are crazy about icecream
2) They are crazy about sushi
3) Other than the above everything else seems to be very Italian e.g. pizza and pasta everywhere!

We also like the icecream.. 

Just behind the Duomo on Via Santa Radegonda there is a famous take away bakery called Luinis that you actually have to que for in order to be served. It is an absolutely tiny place and looks nothing from the outside but they do the most unique panzerotis across Milan. Panzerotis are, forgive my description, 'deep fried filled dough ball things'.. I think. If in Milan though this is a must try as they are particularly tasty, I recommend the salami one. So good. So, so good. Across the road there is also an Icecream place that is equally as popular where you have to take a ticket and wait for your number to be called in order to be served! I think it's called Cioccolato Italiano and the special thing about this gelateria is that they actually fill your icecream cone with melted chocolate before added your icecream on top, a-mazing right!? I haven't had the chance to try one yet but can imagine I'll definitely be righting rave reviews on here soon enough.

As for work, I've chosen to study second year Fashion Design and have been impressed considerable by the structure of NABA's course and how much I've already learnt in each class.

My modules this semester are composed of Fashion Design, Knitting, Marketing, Textile Materials and Pattern Making. It may be wrong to admit this, especially as my tutors will be reading it but oh my lord this is makes the work given in Coventry University in comparison look like nothing! Our timetable here is pretty much full time 9-5 and every moment within University is productive.In terms on my study here at NABA the curriculum follows a weekly format and classes are broken down into knitting, marketing, fashion design, pattern drafting and textile studies. Each practice is completely separate with a different tutor and individual work which is much more like being back at school in comparison to the way the British University system works. Extra modules can also be selected or if the class isn't for you dropped so the course is completely tailored to your own needs.

In knitting we're learning techniques by hand and starting to understand how garments and textures of knits are formed learning how to create rib, jersey and links and later in the term it becomes more complicated learning how to create shape and volume, we are keeping all our samples in a sketchbook to be submitted at the end of term alongside a final project. Our teacher is Denise Bonparche and is fantastically patient. I've never knitted before I can admit that I'm being a huge granny and am really enjoying it. Later on this term we will cover more complicated knits such as cable and nut and also learn how to crochet and use the knitting machines.

For the fall term in fashion design we’re currently working towards designing two capsule collections for the current autumn/winter season both stemming from the same initial concept and research but each collection must focus on a different aspect of the concept. The research method our tutor British born Helen Field has set us to follow is to choose 12 initial non fashion related images to then base the entire collection on. Each image has to represent a different part of what creates a collection for example 1 is the initial concept, 2 and 3 are fabric, 4 and 5 are colour and so on. To me this is a completely bizarre concept but I can instantly see its merits for stopping you as a designer following tangents and getting lost on what it really is what you want to create. So far I'm still brainstorming on a theme but I'm playing with the idea of using some aspect of Science as inspiration perhaps Chemistry as I've always been fascinated by the glassware, colours and equations.

In textile design our tutor is Australian born Angaharad Rixon who's family have produced cottons for years and who also works as a fabric historian and so has an incredible wealth of knowledge! In our first lesson we started by looking at manipulating fabrics through stitching using a technique called Canadian smocking. Although a simple technique it can be widely manipulated by changing the size and regularity of the grid used, incorporating curves and playing with threads. This term we’re going to work through different techniques ranging from dying to devore, pleating and weaving. For the February exam period we are required to have produced our own range of 12 different fabrics with accompanying headers using at least three different techniques learnt in class focused on our own theme.

As one of my previously favourite subjects I'm finding pattern cutting especially amazing. Our class tutor is Chinese and so far I've grasped his first name is Miao (said like the cat noise) last night Ran. We’re already half way through making a man’s waistcoat and have been taught how to create a pattern without using a block and also how to check any pattern which of course is just about one of the most important skills to have when it comes to making.

Marketing is being taught by American born Damon Pittman who originates from the state of Washington who I seems to be one of the most enthusiastic and cool tutors I've had. This is my only lecture based lesson and so far we're only covering the basics but I'm hoping it's going to be an interesting look into the world of Marketing.

Overall again it’s been a very intense and fast paced month with lots to take in but I'm starting to feel settled. I’ve got a feeling this year is going to go very quickly.

Intensive week at NABA

So I've been in Milan for just over a week now, unfortunately we do not have internet in our apartment and so this post is being written in NABA the school that I am attending. This is just a brief overview of what my first week at University here has been like but I intend to blog monthly in order to keep some sort of method to my writing so an October post will be written later in the month giving more details of how I got to this point.

For our first week at NABA we were placed in a mixed group of Erasmus students all studying fashion and had an introductory intensive week which was amazing. 

The brief was to design a capsule collection of six T-Shirts that represent your personal style as a designer without using printing and then produce two of the T-shirts to be photographed and presented with boards or a look book at the end of the week. The T-shirts could be made from fabric or reconstructed shop bought T-shirts however had be mostly made from jersey. The tutor who led the week was very inspiring and suggested lots of critical feedback and possibilities of what to do once he had looked at initial research but let each student follow whatever path they desired with no restrictions. One of the really lovely aspects to the week was that sketchbooks we’re not at all required and although I chose to use one as a research aid the freedom to quickly change decisions without having to document the story through your sketchbook as I had to do previously at Coventry University was great. For my project I chose to looks at the futuristic and holographic trends and settled on using a mixture of neoprene, jersey and acrylic decoration. The boards and photographs below are some of the sheets I presented my project with, in criticism the photos are not nearly good enough quality and will be re-done at a later date.

The presentation at the end of the week was fantastic as we were able to look at what everyone else had produced over the week and they had the opportunity to to explain where they had drawn their inspiration from. Our tutor gave feedback on each project of what was done well at what could have been done better, our group included about 16 students from years one, two and three and was a good size and range of abilities. 

The campus at NABA is great I've put some photos below to prove my point! The campus is actually an old army barracks that has been renovated for purpose to it's very interesting looking, there's loads of area outside to sit and eat or relax which is summer I'm sure will be swarming. In terms of people it's amazing to be in an environment with so many creative peers and such interesting and passionate tutors. Milan of course is AMAZING and so far I've only had the chance to explore a very small part of it but already I'm starting to get my bearing more and find the best areas and interesting places to visit. 

At this point the future is definitely exciting.

Pre-erasmus thoughts.

So this post is my pre-erasmus thoughts. 

I'm moving country. I'm moving to Italy. I'm moving to Milan. Shit.

Even after knowing this for about 5 months I'm still slightly daunted and don't feel fully prepared. Luckily two other peers of my Fashion course at Coventry are also doing the same Erasmus programme as myself and so I'm not completely alone but all the same know that it's going to be a wonderful yet challenging experience. 

Having never been to Milan I was hoping to visit before actually moving in October however due to working all summer in order to afford this adventure it hasn't really been financially viable. I have however googled it ALOT. I'm not sure how much this will help me but if your moving abroad I know your going to be doing the same! 

So far my Italian isn't very good, even after attending the night classes provided at Coventry I'm still stuck to the basics. This is one of the main reasons for doing the Erasmus scheme, I want to learn the language. I'd love to come back speaking a good level of Italian so I'm able to get by although our course is taught at an English speaking academy and don't believe we have the option to attend Italian lessons so I think I'm mostly going to have to try hard to pick it up and teach myself.

The course I'm attending is fashion design and is run at an arts academy called NABA that looks fantastic online. I've found it very difficult to find much out about the area around NABA through online research but have managed to get in contact with two of the girls form my university who attending the school from January to June last year. So far I have a slight bit of knowledge about how the transport system works and how different the culture is but not a lot else. 

In terms of finding accommodation in Milan this has been a huge challenge as to date most the people I've contacted haven't replied to me or won't make an appointment to view until I'm actually in Milan. The website are also incredible confusing and most apartments seem to have shared rooms. We've decided to stay in a hostel for the first week once we arrive in Milan whilst we find an apartment and move in to be sure that we're actually finding a suitable place to stay rather than going by the pictures online, hopefully it shouldn't be too difficult? In the hostel we have opted to go for a more expensive shared room between the three of us as we have expensive belongings such as laptops etc with us and also a hefty amount of money to get us through until our Erasmus funding is provided by Coventry University.

I've booked my flights to go from Birmingham to Milan Malpensa flying with british airways and have a mammoth 40kg of baggage plus 10kg of hand luggage and so can already see myself walking through the airport like a pack mule. 

All in all I feel like I'm as prepared as I'm going to be, which isn't very. I already know that this is going to be a fantastic and enriching experience and I'm going to take a wealth of life skills and knowledge away with me it's not just a case of getting started.

Wish me luck, I'll be updating regular. 

DIY Mannequin heads..

Naturally as a student everybody knows funds are always tight and there are only so many packets of 11p basic noodles one individual can eat so for my mannequin styling I've tried to be as budget savvy as possible. Alongside my studies I also work as a seamstress and print designer at Obsession Dance Design which are a company that create bespoke freestyle dance costumes and head pieces, they're work is AMAZING by the way, will have to create a post soon enough that shows what they do! Luckily for me though they use polystyrene heads to work on whilst they create their head bands and because of the nature of the work the bases often snap or crumble which is where I've swooped in and asked to have the broken heads..

Unfortunately I've been a dimwit and failed to take any before pictures so I can only share with you the final product but all I've done is give each head a single layer of paper mache to prevent the spray paint dissolving the polystyrene and develop a smoother texture and then put enough layers of white spray on till the heads have even coverage before adding random burst of colour with other spray paint. In order to solve the base issue I've gone for beyond simple and used thin rods of wire bent into shape and pushed into the head then fixed with glue to keep them steady. Easy as that, have a crack at it!

Laser Cut Clothing Tags..

 Keeping the flow and continuity of the other VM pieces I've had a darn good play with some clothing tag designs to get to my finals for the Summer 13 collections. What I've used to make these bad boys is left over  scrap acrylic from around the University that otherwise would go to waste so again I'm trying to be as eco-friendly as possible and play on the concept of using waste and (what I believe to be) a synthetic medium weight Nylon that when burnt seals itself to eliminate the worry of fraying! Had this fabric left over from a long time ago so forgive my feeble brain for forgetting exactly what it is..

I've still got a variety of designs lurking in my sketchbook so it's possible that from time to time the design of the tags is going to be mixed up dependent on what materials I'm able to get my hands on but I'm hoping that this is a way of keeping the brand fresh and exciting? Below is just a snippet of my sketchbook development work that led me to this conclusion..

Finishing touches to the VM, I HAVE CARRIER BAGS!

So it's coming towards the end of the label launch now and it's surreal to see everything coming together and looking at a full brand. This morning I finished making my carrier bags and I'm a little impressed at the final thing! When considering the design of the carrier bag I had to consider the packaging must be easily replicated and not time consuming or expensive to produce which I found was pretty difficult! After getting in touch with a couple of independent companies I quickly realised the quantities that would be required to have the bags made for me was ridiculous (as was the pricing!) So I resorted back to making the bags myself and here is the result, VOILA! 

Trying to keep continuity from the business cards and window display I opted again for a water colour splash finish the the bag but unfortunately because of the type of card used the pigmentation of the colour seems a little more washed out which it a shame but something I'm sure can be rectified with a little bit of experimentation! The bag itself is check this LASER CUT! Like most of the other VM products I've been working on I've found this method to be a god send once you get to grips with it and it means extremely fast and cheap production which of course is every brands dream right? Took some working out to get the dimensions right but for anyone wanting to have a crack at this themselves the net I used for the design is just below..

Now I'm on to getting some clothing tags sorted.. Keep looking for updates!