PERFECT TEN.Better Materials

Better Products

Better World

Limited number of copies printed for the sole purpose of designereducation on sustainability.

3PERFECT 10.

When we first met with the Nike Sustainable Business and Innovation team in December 2011, it quickly became clear that many of the values and ideals that London College of Fashion promotes through our curriculum, research and beyond were closely aligned with their forward thinking business ethos. We all saw an opportunity to bring together two seemingly very different institutions towards achieving one shared goal and our role in the Mobilize Makers project emerged. Collaborating on such an urgent and compelling initiative has been a seminal learning experience for us and provides a blue print for London College of Fashion’s role in challenging and redefining the way our industry operates .Professor Frances Corner, Pro Vice Chancellor – University of the Arts London

A product is the manifestation of a series of relationships and when individual distinctions dynamically connect, we create the otherwise unimaginable. Within this book lies stories of an incredible set of relationships borne out of mutual respect, trust, curiosity and tenacity, focused on better design inspired through new knowledge. This project changes things, for all of us involved and for all makers whose design possibilities are made greater through the NMSI app. Crossing boundaries of place, generation, culture and profession, we have navigated new territories to design and make the futures that we dream of, rather than trying to make what we’ve got less bad. The Centre for Sustainable Fashion at London College of Fashion has compiled this book to showcase one of eight stories. These stories demonstrate how the raw talent of students, wisdom of designers, vision of tutors, genius of technicians and agility of communicators has excelled through the absolute belief that Nike places in the possibilities for a Better World .Dilys Williams, Director Centre for Sustainable Fashion

INTRO.

5PERFECT TEn.4 OuR ChallEngE.

OUR CHALLENGE.

“ The one non-negotiable was that we had to demonstrate our commitment to sustainability”

The Nike Sponsored Studio brief challenged us to work collaboratively, designing, developing and making a small collection or series of outfits, inspired by an athlete or a team of athletes participating in the 2014/2016 winter/summer Olympics.

Athletes have many seminal moments during their Olympic journey and we were asked to think metaphorically and literally about the moments of ‘arrival’. Our designs were expected to reference specific events, such as the opening ceremony or the medal stand and we were asked to develop finished prototypes for one or more of these scenarios.

The one non-negotiable was that we had to demonstrate our commitment to sustainability through the design decisions and material selection we made along the journey. We were given access to the working prototype of a digital app, developed by Nike to help us select the best materials to suit our aesthetic, performance and of course sustainability needs. With the app loaded up and the brief in hand the challenge was to explore a collaborative design process drawing insights from the culture of sport and filtering every decision through the lens of sustainability .

Gymnastics is a sport that embodies femininity and grace alongside strength, endurance and flexibility. As an all female team we felt these qualities strongly reflected our own design philosophy and so we chose this, the most feminine and yet the most powerful of sports, as the starting point for our project.

We wanted to create clothing and footwear both inspired by and for gymnasts. Our aim was to conceive garments that enhance the elegance and poise of the athlete, whilst telling a story about their dedication and commitment to the sport. As we explored the gymnast’s world we began to see her daily endeavors reflected in our own challenge.

The gymnast struggles to balance aesthetic perfection with technical expertise and this seemed in tune with our quest to create style and desirability whilst carefully considering the resources we use to make the product. We found ourselves in tune with our athlete, working to achieve the seemingly unachievable Perfect 10 .

OUR CONCEPT.

Lydia Freeborn Pauline CourtoisEvelina Romano Katy Davies

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“ Our quest to create style and desirability whilst carefully considering the resources we use to make the product”

8 PERFECT TEn. 9EvElina ROManO.

My muse is a traveler, the cross-cultural woman who appreciates contrast and eclectic mixes. My aim is always to balance modern, grown-up edginess with feminine silhouettes creating striking but long-lasting wardrobe essentials .

“ i think it’s my duty to look to the future and consider the effect of my personal and professional choices”

I’m a womenswear designer; I graduated from London College of Fashion in 2012 with a first class honours degree. As a young designer I think it’s my duty to look to the future and consider the effect my personal and professional choices have on the world around me. I don’t want to repeat the mistakes of the past or be confined by the assumptions of the present .

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EVELINA ROMANO.

1110 PERFECT TEn. lydia FREEBORn.

I like to begin every design process with hand rendered illustration and I am always interested in the balance between revealing and concealing the body through the layering of texture and print. This project was a great opportunity to continue the exploration of my key design interests .

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“i want to create products that challenge the conventions of consumerist fashion”

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I’m a womenswear designer; I graduated from London College of Fashion in 2012 with a first class honours degree. Sustainability has always been a key concern for me and I have tried to incorporate this way of thinking in all my design projects, particularly through the use of reclaimed, organic and Fairtrade materials. I like to think that my work combines commercial awareness with a conceptual aesthetic, creating products that challenge the conventions of consumerist fashion .

LYDIA FREEBORN.

1312 PERFECT TEn. PaulinE COuRTOis.

There are so many components and processes involved in footwear manufacture and I’ve become increasingly committed to finding the most creative and effective ways to design shoes that women love but that minimise harmful impacts on the environment. This project is the continuation of that quest .

“ i’m committed to finding the most creative and effective ways to design shoes”

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I’m a footwear designer who graduated from London College of Fashion Cordwainers in 2012. I was born in Brittany France and my final year collection was inspired by the heritage and traditions of the region in which I grew up. I was lucky to collaborate with a tannery in Brittany and I learned a great deal, good and bad, about leather production .

PAULINE COURTOIS.

1514 PERFECT TEn. KaTy daviEs.

It’s really rare that you get an opportunity to understand the choices designers make when developing a collection and we certainly don’t often take the time to think about the impact that those choices have in a broader context. This project was the perfect opportunity for me to use my film making skills to bring the design process to the forefront, whilst still celebrating the appeal of the end product .

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“ i want to bring the design process to the forefront whilst still celebrating the appeal of the end product”

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I am a current student at London College of fashion in the process of completing my degree in Fashion Styling and Photography. I love working through a variety of mediums to create surprising and thought provoking narratives around fashion; I’m particularly interested in the potential of film to bring fashion to life in new and exciting ways .

KATY DAVIES.

16 PERFECT TEn. OuR insPiRaTiOn.

We wanted to create a collection that was inspired by and inspiring to female gymnasts. We wanted the garments and shoes to offer a sense of occasion and flamboyance, something a woman would be proud to wear on one of the biggest days of her life but that also directly connected to her sport; a hybrid of ceremonial and athletic performance wear.

So often team uniforms worn for the Olympics opening ceremony tell the audience nothing about the individual sportsman or woman, nor do they flatter the athlete’s body types. We wanted to break with tradition and present an alternative vision of athletic femininity to mark one of the most awe inspiring moments in the sporting calendar .

OUR INSPIRATION.

We were lucky enough to work with an amazing mentor Michelle Lowe-Holder who helped us navigate this project. Michelle’s aesthetic chimed with our own, as she is a lover of textiles and textile techniques, creating detailed, strong, and arresting pieces which also remain wearable and essentially feminine. Michelle is firmly committed to embedding sustainability in her design and making process and in her business as a whole; her approach and ethos were a huge influence on our work.

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“ We wanted to create a collection that was inspired by and inspiring to female gymnasts”

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18 PERFECT TEn. 19OuR insighT.

OUR INSIGHT.

We Looked back in sporting history to find the greatest gymnasts, those who personify perfection in the discipline through their ability, attitude and appearance.

We watched historic footage and noticed that success requires a balance of grace, fluidity, detail and effortless precision, only then is the gymnast able to achieve the ultimate accolade a Perfect 10. We looked at the environment in which gymnasts spend much of their time; the textures and tones that surround them and the equipment and kit that support their super human acts of physical daring. We wanted to reflect both feeling and physical

“ The Perfect 10, grace, fluidity, detail and effortless precision”

reality in the design and construction of the garments and shoes; we wanted to capture everything from the lightness and freedom of the chalk dust to the protective restraint of the leather strapping .

2120 PERFECT TEn. OuR MaTERials.

When we began working with the Nike app to analyse our materials selection, we quickly came to realise that one of the biggest impacts we could have would be to work towards recyclability in everything we made. We explored single component construction using layering and simple embellishment to create depth and texture, rather than mixing fabrics or using blended fibres.

OUR MATERIALS.

We looked to the gym for inspiration in material selection. We noticed the use of natural materials such as leather, rubber and cork to offer strength, support and absorb impact. We used these tough durable materials to create structure and strapping and placed them alongside organic cotton and silk chiffon to offer the fluidity and grace we also wanted to convey. Where possible all materials were un-dyed which suited our simple nude colour palette .

CORK.Cork was not included in the Nike app but through our research we found it to be a highly sustainable material that also has important economic significance to the communities who maintain the cork plantations .

RUBBER.Natural latex rubber is similar to cork in that it is harvested from a tree and requires limited energy, water and chemical input in its manufacture .

ORGANIC COTTON.The benefits of organic cotton as an alternative to conventional cotton have been well documented but we couldn’t achieve the performance we required without the inclusion of spandex in the yarn and here we were forced to compromise .

ORGANIC SILK.Silk actually performs relatively well in sustainability terms compared to other natural fibres but again we wanted to ensure that we opted for best practice and so selected an organic un-dyed silk chiffon from UK silk supplier Majestic Silks .

LEATHER.We looked at various leather suppliers and tanning techniques to obtain the best possible sustainability outcome, finally opting for organic European leather .

2322 PERFECT TEn. OuR innOvaTiOn.

We aimed to minimise waste and maximise recyclability through efficient and considered design and construction techniques.

The footwear uses only two components, an injection moulded rubber sole unit with a cork insole that attaches without the use of glues or stitching.

OUR INNOVATION.

“ The design provides structure and support on the upper body and sensual fluidity over the legs”

The harness is constructed from organic leather and brass and the silk chiffon is looped threaded and draped through the rings on the harness. The design provides structure and support on the upper body and sensual fluidity over the legs.

The organic cotton leotard is embellished using a flocking technique. We wanted to create the impression that clouds of chalk dust had been sprayed across the body as happens when the gymnasts prepares to take to the bars .

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“ We worked in a completely collaborative manner”

After going through a detailed development process and exploring a variety of different design outcomes we settled on one final look that we felt best reflected the aesthetic sensibilities and design ethos of our group. We worked in a completely collaborative manner, each member of the team inputting on different aspects of each piece to create the desired outcome. Working together in this way allowed us to maximise our strengths in both design and construction and to create a harmonious outcome .

OUR PRODUCT.

www.fashion.arts.ac.uk

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CREDITS

EDITOR Alex McIntosh GRAPHIC DESIGN Bunker London PHOTOGRAPHY (FINAL PRODUCT) Kerry Dean

PROjECT TEAMAntonis Anagnostidis, Renee Cuoco, James English, Alex McIntosh, Rob Philips, Katharine Walker, Dilys Williams, Martha Zmpounou

TECHNICAL SUPPORTGeorgina Carr, Sylvia Cimborova, Chandra Doshi, Peter Hill, Stephen Honeyball, Sophie Jelinek, Sudhir Kohila, Kavita Kumari, Siaw-lee Priddle, Banetta Sawyers, Maija Schultz, Sarah Weightman, Gee Wee-Lai, Ian White, Patience Wright, Chang Wook Kang

Special thanks to the team at Nike for their support, in particular: Dave Cobban, Howard Lichter, Jana Panfilio and Stephani Kobayashi Stevenson