FINAL MAJOR PROJECT
Visual Merchandising
April 15, 2015
Today, I researched about what is Visual Merchandising (Visual Merchandising is the activity and occupation of emerging the floor tactics and three-dimensional displays in demand to maximize sales. Having good services can be displayed to highlight their features and benefits. The purpose of such as visual merchandising is to engage, motivate and attract the customer towards making a purchase. It is commonly occurs in retail spaces such as trade shows and retail stores. When talking about fashion in Japan, it is so impossible not to acknowledge fact in Japan people have an unusual sense of style. Fashion in Japanese people life plays enormous role in their everyday life. They consider about how the can express them, show others that they are aware of the newest trends and to manifest whom you are. These phenomenon styles of clothing seen on the images can be seen in Japan biggest cities, especially places like metropolis as Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka.) I also learmed about history of Visual Merchandising which gave me an understandining of what is it, how it even started and what is the purpose, doing all this research helped me understand more about my project. I also did brought a book from Amazon called "Visual Merchandising: Window and In-Store Displays for Retail", reading this book was eye opener and was just clear on every basic thing I needed to know about my role and how I should tackle it. The image below is the book cover.
Lee Alexander McQueen - Savage Beauty
April 16, 2015
This video above is the tralier of the Savage Beauty Exhibition at Victorian and Albert Musuem
Visit to Victorian and Albert museum to see the Savage Beauty collection by Alexander McQueen was one of the best day of college I have to say. The exhibition experience was a bit ruined by one of the lecturer, who kept going on about what is there and showing a video of how the exhibition looks like before the day. Even thought it was ruined a bit, it was still shocking experience for me. Throughout the whole exhibition I had surprised and excited face, because every corner was full of surprises. Hands on heart it was something I have never seen before, it wasn't just fashion it was piece of most stunning art piece. I have seen Alexander McQueen's work on photos and have walked some of collection catwalk on YouTube but seeing in real life was something else. Reading about Alexander McQueen and researching about him and his piece, in previous project. I had few general knowledge about his piece, the influences for his work and his personal background. Before going to the exhibition, I did watch a documentary about "McQueen and I", where they show and talk about his life and his collection inspiration. You can tell he was influenced by nature and his lifestyle, even some of the collection he wanted "man to be scared of women with way they are dressed " it was still beautiful because of way he focused on the detail. Every cut and stitch was beautiful and glamorous in the strangest way. His romanticism collection was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen, the delicateness and attention to detail to really higher standard. I was really inspired by Alexander McQueen, I thought his collection helped me be open minded with my ideas and make few decision about how I can display my work, also make it look presentable.
The video above is of documentry called 'McQueen and I'
Week One Review
April 18, 2015
First week of final major project was very interesting, I got to learn about a lot of things I did not know such as history of Visual Merchandising and how it all started and one of the best trip I have been to from college. Alexander McQueen’s, Savage Beauty exhibition that was amazing and I loved every moment when I was there. I just did not enjoy looking at his collections but was getting really inspired by his artwork. I think I did achieve what I wanted from the first week, I was disappointed on Friday that I did not do as much I can after college then I should have done. I hope this does not happen next time!
Hyper Japan Exhibtion
April 22, 2015
I came across the exhibition I went to last year, which was perfect for my work because my project was influenced by this fair I went to. I decided to include this on my sketchbook, looking through a book when I went to the exhibition came in really handy because it included alot of images which really inspired me from themes to colours. Even I did not do a lot today but it what I achieved at the end of the day I am really glad with it.
Week Two Review
April 25, 2015
This week was all about looking at different styles of Japanese street fashion and also looking at primary and secondary images of shop display. Visit to westfield on this week, helped me to be influenced and know about the lastest visual trends out there. Even I am displaying Japanese street fashion to the British market, I really do have to consider about the British market. I do not know how will be able to but I have to figure out a way. The image on left is display for Disney store, where they showing the 2014 best Disney movie Frozen. I think it looks so amazing.
Week Three Review
May 2, 2015
Putting every research on my sketchbook, this is something I lack on because I do not feel confident on. My project is about Visual Merchandising so I do have to consider about making my sketchbook visually appealing. I decided to go to 'hobby craft' brought components which will go with my theme Japanese Street Fashion and also the designer/artist I researched on. When I put it together I was so glad I decided to get the little bits and bob to make my book look nice. It did really make me feel and look like it was influenced by Japanese Street Fashion, even it did cost me a lot but it was worth every penny.
Strawberries
May 4, 2015
Three dimensional strawberry, I came across the instruction on how to make stuffed strawberries when I was looking for ideas in Google. I ended coming across these beautifully created strawberry, which I thought will look perfect for my display. This is because from my research and visit to Hyper Japan, I saw a lot of use of fruits and vegetable with cute eyes. I do think one of the iconic components on Japanese Street Fashion are the fruits, giving a banana or even a apple the goggly circle eye will make it look cute. My project title is Kawaiirashi which translates to cuteness in English, so I do have to consider about what looks cute and what does not.
Process of making the strawberries
May 7, 2015
The instruction I found few days ago, I wanted to experiment with it. Even I have not started doing my my rough ideas, I could not wait to try doing the stuffed strawberry because all I have been doing is research. I personally think it was just an excuse of wanting a break from sketchbook work. Using the scrape fabrics from fashion stupid, as it was a trail. I did not wanted to waste any pieces of fabrics, if it was in the professional field I wouldn't be wanting to waste even a small piece of fabric because it will cost. I followed and some instruction to create the strawberry, I do think it looked the way it was suppose to. It was made out of stretchy fabric, which I think I will be using it for my final display ones if I do include them.
Week four: Further more research on Visual Merchandising
May 13, 2015
I decided to go back to do Visual Merchandising research and instead of looking at previous past displays, I decided to read about ways the window display are presented. I got all the information from the "Visual Merchandising: Window and In-Store Displays for Retail". Doing this research helped made it more clear on how to present my display properly. Before reading this about it I never knew thought I have to know about all this just to put a display up in front of a shop. The a lot amount of writing does not look good for any sketchbook but all what is written was broken down from 20 pages worth of information on just how to display and present a window display. Hopefully who ever is assessing it gets that clear and I am not just trying to write and write just to fill up my page.
Colour Choice
May 15, 2015
Choice of colour was very important for me, because as my theme is Japanese street fashion even it is colourful, crazy and out of control. I decided I wanted to stick with one style only from hundreds of Japanese fashion Trend and the colours I stuck on my book was perfect combination colour palette. Now from all these pastel sugary colours I can pick out few colours I can start adding to my designs and really start going with my ideas. I am not just not creating one garment, I have to consider from what is put on a display to the wallpaper, I do not know but I feel I can not have a precise five or six broken down colour palette as I am tackling something very different to what I have done which was focused on clothing not displaying a shop. But let's see how it goes because I may stick to few colour palette throughout the whole initial ideas or goes another way. I really can not tell, because my ideas can change and may want different colours on each individually. I just hope I make a good decision on colours, because as a visual merchandiser one of the main key to make my display successful is choice of colours according to the theme
Week Five Review
May 16, 2015
This week I was loosing my patients because it is nearly half of the journey and I have not started getting things together, such as what garment will I be displaying and end of the week I realised I made the hugest mistake and that was the delay I am going to have when I do find a website that sells Japanese street fashion garment in Britain and if I do order it from other countries, timing might be a real issue. Everyone was wondering how comes I am not making my outfit, if I did wanted to make an outfit I would have done different project which includes having a garment as a final product. I have given a role of a visual merchandiser not a designer to make the garments, but display a mannequin and make its surrounding appealing. I do not want to name the individuals, but asking why and how I choose an easy option of buy things and display it and not work hard making my own garment was making me furious and making me feel disappointed at myself but I did not choose this because t was easy. Nothing is easy, I kept having to remind certain individual I am working as a visual merchandiser, not a designer who creates garments.
Week Six Review
May 22, 2015
Time is going so quick and I was able to do my initial designs on the weekend. I decide to get these products because from my research, I found out that using three dimensional components can give the feel of Japanese Street Fashion. When I was buying decoration for my sketchbook, I did came across few these products. I have never used papier mache before, but this will be challenge for me. I do think this week was successful according to what I wanted to achieve.
Getting pieces together / Week Seven Review
May 27, 2015
Second final week for final major project, it has been stressful weekend, I personally do think I did lack on timing because I was suppose to finish making the props for my final project by last week. It was very difficult to make the pom pom's because it was not turning the way I wanted it to but on the good side, it will be hanging off the wall so I can choose the good side facing down. It is necessary to have good side facing down because the customer's will be able to view that area. I also did the strawberry, I decided to use two kinds of material one which was floral printed polycotton and stretchy pastel pink jersey. The outcome was really successful, but if I did had more time to do it I would have chosen different fabric compare to jersey but after asking my class mate's about if it looked good enough to have it as my display they all agreed on it does look good. The most similar comment I recieved was it does look like I was inspired by Japanese Street Fashion because of the use of eyes on the strawberry but thet perfered the floral print better As I am visual merchandiser, I decided to buy the garment because my focus for this project is creating a successful display and not working about creating an outfit but focus on the visual display element. On week five, I did try making an petticoat, even I brought one from Amazon because I wanted to show my skills of yes I am able to create some sort of garment just not paint the props. The image below is of the petticoat I made.
The image below shows, how I will be displaying my window.
Week Eight Review
3 June, 2015
Fourth of June, at 9:30 it is the deadline for final major project, this week was about going over the work and trying to fix any problems I have on my sketchbook. The exhibition preparation will be starting from next week, my window display would not be able to presented because the exhibition room is not free and ready so I can start putting my display together. With what I have achieved within this eight weeks I am really happy with what I created.