PV / Indigo: Sept 2010 report, Nicola Perren.
Please find below an overview of my observations from trend shows (I always find strange as they are basically a round up of what is already in full manufacturing process! Still it is an overview of the work that sits on the edge / forefront of production). It was, as ever, inspiring not only to see the work but to have ‘textiles is a huge industry’ blast you in the face – and only a representation of those who can afford and are focused at the fashion industry.
It was busy but I found every stand I visited, accommodating, welcoming and openly pleased to discuss modes of practice, the state of the business and to hear that we have students from a variety of courses who I feel have something new to bring.
I am rounding it up in our key specialism’s but I did find that some idea’s crossed all area’s and will just repeat those. My text is a round up of words that came to mind / open dialogue rather than wonderful prose…. (sometimes I also mention a craft student name – can point them out in catalogue if you do not know their work).
Please excuse any dreadful misuse of terminology…
OVERVIEW ROUND UP – key words:
Doubled up (double cloth, two sided, multi process)
Timeless (chanel, fine (oriental) paisleys, liberties in scale of pattern)
Chain effect (open weaves, grids (structurally), lace)
Faking it (printed knit structures, embroidered lace effects, embroidered dogtooth check effects, printed embroidery, printed water drip marks!)
Tame Laura Dowey – but subtler (all mixed up: plaids with florals, thickly printed process on fancy wovens, oriental fights paisley)
COLOUR (from prediction forum):
Night time (rich, space, silky, velvety)
Foody (olives, satay, smoked tea, cookie, quince)
Landscape (leaden horizons, ambiguous landscape, full bodied coldness)
Overview – fullness, roundness, rigorous, elegant, warm, desirable, nourishing.
KNIT.
Fairly plain but when there was something else it tended to have an ornamental feel – usually through cabling (hand knit) in a mid chunky state, nothing overtly chunky / oversized. Jersey fabic to die for in terms of touch, it felt soft, luxurious but not at all synthetic, raw silk feel (slightly dirty?!). Design studios a plenty had knit with an emphasis on small scale patterns (sorry but my knowledge is limited in terms but could point out a picture!), hand knit cables and crochet. The crochet tended to be used as on overlay on plain woven cloth – adding surface textures.
Mohair / fluffy surfaces but the BIG thing (everywhere) was lace from sophisticated beauty – vintage fine to quite simple and open (knitted open squares). There was some interesting mixes – knitted laces cut into strips and stitched onto knitted laces – DOUBLES.
What was missing (across the board) was the 80’s, this may be translated differently by the fashion designers but it was not clearly evident in the textiles or colouring. If anything it almost felt timeless, moving towards classic, vintage in process but not the ‘vintage’ look (no tea staining!).
There was a lot of knit presented in Indigo by british companies, but my observation was that what was being shown in there was not in PV itself – possibly be there next year but not too convinced of that. Possibly these knit design are manufactured in process’s that avoid shows such as PV – i.e. out sourcing, home industries? Chris / Ruth could answer this I’m sure.
Over all, on the knit front – v. positive, lively, real.
EMBROIDERY.
Quite a lot of quilting (but not in V&A exhibition way) but two fabrics stitched together with wadding in middle. Various play’s on this – double sided: leather / fur, nylon / felt, also – stitching that holds it together was done in an ornamental manner with a wool / mohair which was subsequently felted resulting in felted overlays on sporty / crisp nylons – interesting and quite a bit of it in forums.
Overscale broderie anglaise, cross stitch effects – small stitches building up a large scale repeat. Stitched lace look.
Woven bases – worsteds, felts, moiré effects, velvet, voile, netting.
Sequins – heavy application but then with chunky over hand stitch, patched sequins on fake furs which are then printed on.
Giant home made sequins – foam discs with patent surfaces – glued onto cloth – not stitched.
PRINT.
So so so soft, sumptuous, melting, INKY, rich (but soft), old tattoos, bleeding, brush marks, fluid - stunning. There did not seem to be edges as such, bleeding, water drips, ink applied to wet cloth – think star steamer gone wrong with an impatient hand painter…. but the effects were quite breath taking and EVERYWHERE.
The print seemed on the surface – not saturated (double sided effect?), not much devere but I did see a few pieces that used a students technique of ours who was selected for texprint a few years ago (name avoids me) – a new technique apparently where the print remains in the devore’d parts – devore was structured chunky stripes with small floral prints.
Printing onto silks, voiles, velvets, obvious weaves (!) - (chanel and paul smith types).
If there was a vibe at all it was mainly apparent in print it was for 60’s / 70’s softness – oriental paisleys, Laura Ashley meets Liberties at some washed out hippy festival (?) – I can smell the campfire smoke and patchouli coming off them (faintly).
With regards to indigo there was once again so much print it made you giddy – to pick out anything in particular was impossible. What I did notice was the colour – it was intense, there was no time to breath / stop: it just seemed like a colour overload with pattern to be honest. There were some quieter places where it became very graphic and clean (Peagreen) alongside companies selling vintage samples from sample books (included a lot of weave).
Animal prints (a la Robyn Lyndsay) – large scale but photographic (not hand drawn) – eagles, deer with big antlers – powerful, digitally printed and tones of grey. Power – not cute.
WEAVE.
The least represented but maybe held the greatest changes / movement (possibly a personal opinion). There was little in Indigo (except Paul Vogel) but it was clearly evident in it’s use as alternate bases for printing / embroidery and crochet overlay.
DOUBLE CLOTH madness, very clear differences in sides – nominated for virtually all the PV awards. From uber fine synthetics and silks to textured chanel derivatives and worked fur base cloth. Fur (tufted) was structured – carved / cut (embroidery technique whose name totally escapes me).
Sheens in plain, nylon jacquards with wool and subsequently felted (pretty much only sign of jacquard).
Dobby was king & queen: mohair plaids (quite open – reflecting similar moves in emb / knit), non twist – very thick – chunky extra’s, loop yarns – solid woven,.
Oversized to medium dogtooth / houndstooth – cotton / fur combo’s – contrasting yarns.
- Finally – two more observations from indigo (probably mainly useful to crafts).
VINTAGE: Quite a few companies had developed a Vintage department in which they ranged from selling non altered 2nd hand clothes (!) to completely restructured mixed up garments with a contemporary feel, they were re-made, mixed with new textiles and felt quite fresh – it was the idea / concept that was being sold (thinking of a great ex student from Glasgow on crafts).
HAND PAINTED: Came across a few companies who focused on hand painted (non-repeating) prints – felt very raw and canvassy - but utilised a number of base materials from cotton, silk to linen and knitted jersey. Mainly Como, Italy based. - Quite refreshing in the sea of digital / transfer prints. Did find a company in London and another in New York (Japanese, very established - so anti computers does not have a web site! – music to the ears of some craft students).
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