Another set of samples I created, before I moved on to creating my final design, was based upon the initial sketches I made. I decided to review these designs again using textile samples, just to make sure I had made the right decision to focus on skin conditions.
This first sample was created based on the design of how restrictive clothing can create an imprint on your skin. Since imprints aren’t raised, I thought embroidery was a subtle way of showing the lines. However, I suppose creating a raised surface using hot glue could have shown an overexaggerated version that shows more malfunction.
The next sample was based on skin rolls. I like the way the stuffing created the bulges of skin the way I wanted it to. I just felt that this design was a little plain and it doesn’t speak loads of visual malfunction. 
This sample was based on branching veins using fabric and string. I found it difficult to create a sample on this because there isn’t much texture and experimental ideas available. This design would be more about the construction than the texture and malfunction, which is what I am trying to show. It was hard to get the threads to stay in place and I can’t hot glue anything because there is nothing to hot glue it to, so I wasn’t keen on this design.
The sample below is trying to show wrinkles, however, the voile material was very difficult to work with when it came to folding. Unlike a silky material, it wouldn’t stay in place so I had to tape it to make it stay and I don’t think that would in a final design. Perhaps using an alternative, more malleable fabric would make it easier, however, I think the design itself is really difficult in creating those fold stay in place naturally.
I created this sample based on a model with vitiligo. I like the way it turned out and if I needed to make it quicker, then I would laser cut it. My only problem with this is that you can’t make a skin-tight dress from card, so if I were to make this then I would need to find an alternative material to work from.
My next sample was inspired by puckered/bubbled/blistery skin, so I experimented with a material called Tyvek. While I like the outcome, creating a garment from this would be really difficult because I would not be able to precut the pieces. This is because when you heat the paper, it begins to shrink, so unless I cut them out afterward or I sewed small pieces together, then it wouldn’t work. I coloured the paper using brusho to give the bubbles some colour, however, I found it to spread really easily so I wasn’t able to create the effect I wanted. Perhaps acrylic would have worked better, it’s just that the colours would be too bright which is why I like the subtle brusho.
The next sample I made consisted of a variety of coloured fabrics joined together. I liked the way this look with the big stitches joining them together, however, I think the choice of fabric was boring. If I were to use this idea, I would create my own samples that complement each other and refect malfunction better than this.
My final sample was based on discolouration so I layered multiple pieces of fabric together to make it like the design. I don’t like this one very much as it was hard to craete the colour gradient of the discolouration that is the main principle of the design. While it does look like something on the skin is malfunctioning, it doesn’t look like discolouration and I’ve struggled to think of a way to create the gradient. Maybe sublimating would work, however that creates problems regarding the size of the fabric to cut from.
All of the artists that inspired these samples and designs are detailed and pictured in this post.
After reflecting on these samples, I can tell that the designs definitely needed to be developed more. It also tells me that using one skin malfunction alone on each garment is boring visually and theoretically, so I’m going to go with the design that allows me to experiment with lots of materials. This enables me to create a deeper understanding of multiple skin conditions and allow me to create a varied visual story of malfunction.
Viktoria Collins UAL FMP 