Monday, May 31, 2010

APD Final Project

Elegant Edge
Objective: Develop an innovative line for a particular target market.
Apparel Product Design – Project 3
Rachel Fischer-Schulz and Aubrey Busek
Elegant Edge
Elegant Edge’s target market includes fashion forward brides and their bridal parties between the ages of twenty to thirty. The Fall 2010 Elegant Edge bridal line presents powerful colors, exaggerated structure in design and the purity of lace paired with the seductive elements of high fashion. The line has a gothic, futuristic, and daring style about it. The women we are directing our products towards understand that a wedding dress is not just any old dress. Every little girl dreams of the day she will be able to be a princess for an entire day and wear a beautiful wedding gown. All of the built up excitement is directed into the single most flawless dress for a bride. It is symbolic of the ultimate perfection she has dreamed of since childhood and that is exactly where Elegant Edge comes into play.
Features that enhance the products durability and quality are a vital part of any successful line. It is not uncommon for accidents to occur on special occasions. It could be the classic wine obsessed in law that slips and drenches your perfectly white gown giving it more of a tie dye look or an unexpected traffic jam on the way to the church that results in mouth dropping wrinkles. We can’t fix your in laws or stop traffic; however we can protect your gown. In order to prevent these inconveniences each gown in our collection features fabrics that are both liquid and wrinkle resistant. We feel that there simply isn’t a good enough excuse for an imperfect wedding day; therefore we are doing our part by ensuring each gown is at its upmost resilience.
Our bridal line would be featured in high-end bridal boutiques located in fashion destination cities such as New York and Los Angeles. The boutiques would specifically be selling our garments along with other high end brands that we would have licensing agreements with. Some of the high end brands we would include in our boutiques would include Louis Vuitton and Christian Louboutin. Each brand we license holds the same standard of quality that our brand has. Customers would be required to schedule appointments and no walk-ins would be permitted. We would only accept customers by appointment in order to prevent personal attention being confiscated from the customers. Our company would always want to ensure the highest account of customer satisfaction. Four associates would always be present in the store. The associate dress code for men would be skinny dress pants in black, white button down, black tie, black blazer, clean shaven and hair well kept. Women could either wear a black dress, or skinny black dress pants and a ruffled black top. Pumps will always be worn as well as red lipstick. The boutiques would be set up in a gallery style with each look displayed on a mannequin. All of the dresses, brides and bridesmaids would be displayed on mannequins throughout the store paired with ideal accessories. Christian Louboutin shoes would be featured, as well as some Bulgari jewelry. Veils and garters are specifically made for each dress. The dress sizes would be located in the stock room for employees to retrieve for customers. Black, Victorian style mirrors would be located throughout the store, with full size three-way ones in the fitting rooms. The fitting rooms would have high back black satin chairs for the accompanying family members to lounge in, while the dressing room curtains would be made of black velvet. Dark hardwood floors would be present throughout the boutique. We chose this particular store layout to give off an elegant but edgy feeling for shoppers.
Our advertising strategy would include high end fashion magazines such as Vogue and billboard advertisements because they would reach our prime clientele. Magazine adverts in bridal magazines would include either a picture of a single bride, a bride with her groom, or a bride and a bridesmaid. “Elegant Edge” written black script paired with a red rose on the left side and a gothic styled cross on the right represents our logo. This is what you will see at the bottom of all of our advertisements. Billboard adverts would have a black background with our logo in white script, and a picture featuring a bride from the torso up, or a bride in a stylized sitting position. Each ad would be a representation of the overall look of the company.
After the line hits market the company would carefully analyze what worked and what didn’t. Items that were very popular would remain available for customers. We would also mail each customer a follow up survey of how they felt the dress held up to their particular expectations. Based on the reviews the company could gradually make improvements on designs for the following year. Sales employees would also be required to report back to corporate with suggestions for improvements. When dealing with customers and product directly it is a lot easier to recognize where there is room for development.
The textures of the line include lace and silk. Each gowns interfacing is carefully chosen because the company feels that comfort is imperative. Many of the designs featured in the Elegant Edge Fall 2010 line are extreme in structure because diagonal lines invoke excitement in consumers. The shapes used in the designs are generally asymmetrical for the same intention that these designs will create excitement because of how different they are. The colors featured in our fall 2010 bridal line are traditional white, burnt black, and razor red. The white included in the collection is intended to stay true to the traditionally pure bride, however by incorporating deeper colors such as burnt black and razor red the collection encompasses an edgy, exciting and forward style that any fashionista would crave.
Our design process included defining our target market and the type of product that would be most appealing to our consumers. We brainstormed and drew designs that could potentially work in the line and then narrowed it down to the very best options. We then chose one design to actually complete as a representation of what the look of the rest of our garments would be. The dress we completed was made out of a white sateen fabric, lace and other beading details. The dress is cut short in the front and gradually gets longer in the back. There is a detachable train on the dress for certain circumstances. For instants during the ceremony a train is ideal and gives the dress a stylish complete look; however after the ceremony dancing in a dress with a long train without ruining it is virtually impossible.
If this line were actually to be produced we would first include establishing what we wanted the bridal line to look like. We would then examine outside influences and define criteria as to what the product must do to fulfill our consumer’s needs. After making the plan the staff could begin reviewing sketches, CAD designs, flat sketches, and other prototypes. The flat sketches of each dress would have to be carefully reviewed because each design in the line is very unique in structure. In order for the dress to be completed, the construction has to work. Then the company could cut the designs that wouldn’t fit and begin work towards the completion of the line. After the line hit market we could receive feedback from consumers and decide what worked and what didn’t.
Some of our promotional strategies would include making agreements with celebrities to wear our products. Edgy celebrities like Lady Gaga, Gwen Stefani, and Christina Aguilara could wear our dresses for their wedding, to be a bridesmaid in a friend’s wedding, and our bridesmaid dresses could also double for other red carpet events. Endorsements for movies could be made as well, featuring our dresses. Over the years, many movies have featured designers such as in “Sex and the City” and “Bride Wars”, so we could also advertise our dresses this way.
Our bridal line is, all in all, a new step in design making. Not only are the designs edgy and elegant, as our company name states, but the new features give brides something to be excited about. No wrinkles and no stains can give a girl one less thing that they have to worry about on their big day. We strive to create dresses that keep up with the current trends, but still commit to the standards that we have instilled from the company’s beginning. The exquisite detailing, fabric choices, fit and designs make for a dress that you will never forget and will allow you to shine to your fullest.

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Prom Dress 2008



-Sketch of my prom 08' dress.

















-The back of the final product.

-The front of the final product.




















Trend Forecasting

This is a Trend Forecasting project I had to create in one of my Apparel Product Design classes. The board shows examples of asymmetrical shoulders in bridal apparel.

Photoshop





















Before and After Photoshop.

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

PROJECT 2

[(n.d.). Retrieved March 20, 2010, from http://birds.intanzania.com/files/images/zebra.preview.jpg]
Photo 1: The lines on the zebra represent those on the Chanel garment due to their placement.

[(n.d.). Retrieved March 20, 2010, from http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.divetrip.com/wakatobi/snake01b.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.divetrip.com/phot0410c.htm]
Photo 2: The lines that cover the sea snake also cover the Chanel garment in the photo.

[(n.d.). Retrieved March 23, 2010, from http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.stockphotopro.com/photo-thumbs-2/A98438.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.stockphotopro.com/photo_of/green/A98438/Window_with_green]
Photo 3: The lines on the window make up squares much like the lines used in this Chanel garment.

[BeliefNet. (n.d.). Retrieved March 20, 2010, from http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://blog.beliefnet.com/pontifications/imgs/St.%2520Patrick%27s%2520Cathedral.jpg&imgrefurl=http://blog.beliefnet.com/pontifications/2009/03/the-fall-of-rome-ny-and-sex-ab.html]
Photo 4: The arches on St. Patricks cathedral represent the upward arched lines portrayed in the Chanel garment.


Photo 5: The curve of the road directly resembles the curved line on the Chanel garment.


[Essential Architecture. (n.d.). Retrieved March 20, 2010, from http://www.essential-architecture.com/STYLE/BRICK(10).jpg]
Photo 6: The lines in this design form uneven squares much like bricks.


[TravelPod. (1997). Retrieved March 20, 2010, from http://gallery.jlo.ch/albums/barrier_reef/three_striped_humbug.sized.jpg]
Photo 7: The stripes on the fish resemble the lines placed on this Chanel garment.


[(n.d.). Retrieved March 20, 2010, from http://helpfixmyarm.com/competent/wallpapers/937/Stars%20and%20Stripes]
Photo 9: The stripes on the American flag closely resemble the red lines in the design itself.

[Indian Express. (n.d.). Retrieved March 21, 2010, from http://static.indianexpress.com/m-images/Tuesday%20%20,%20Jun%2016,%202009%20at%201154%20hrs/M_Id_88896_britain_flag.jpg]
Photo 10: The thick lines this Chanel design presents look very similar to Britain's flag.
* All garments posted are from www.style.com/Chanel !

Tuesday, January 26, 2010