Josephine Andrew

Fashion Communication BA (Hons)

Concept Development, Visual Merchandising, Creative education

jo_andrew34@hotmail.com

www.issuu.com/josephine.andrew

+44 (0) 7969 105111

I have worked on a variety of projects including experiential exhibition design, photographic shoots, PR Company launches and a live project to design a window display for Dunhill.

I particularly enjoy creating and developing concepts for visual merchandising projects and for exhibition design.

My final major project is The Fresh Fashion Competition, an inter schools creativity competition for pupils studying textiles, photography and art. It aims to encourage young people to express their creative skills with no limits on how unique and original their ideas are. The end outcome is an exhibition held at The Design Museum showcasing the best work. Each year the competition has a different fashion theme to give the participants an area to research and be inspired by, so not only will they have the opportunity to be creative but will learn about the fashion industry. To accompany this idea, I have created a magazine entitled ‘PINS’, which is specifically for young teenagers studying textiles, who have an interest in fashion. It provides information on influential photographers, artists and designers as well as key trends in fashion history, and gives ideas of what an interest textiles and fashion can lead to in the future.

CONTENTS bio

contents

‘The Fresh Fashion Competition’

’ PINS’ magazine

‘Can We? Shall We?’ A Rob Ryan exhibiton

Dunhill visual merchandising display

‘Take a Hike’ photoshoot

film stills: Josephine Andrew

PROJECT

THE FRESH FASHION COMPETITION

An inter-schools creativity competition aimed at Year 11 pupils (aged 15-16). The competition covers 3 subject areas including textiles, photography and art. Each year there is a different theme, and all entries must be fashion related. 50 finalists work will be on display in an experiential exhibition at The Design Museum in London.

photography and digital editing: Josephine Andrew

newspaper graphics, layouts, words: Josephine Andrew

photography, digital editing: Josephine Andrew

PROJECT

A NEW MAGAZINE CONCEPT - PINS

Pins magazine is for G.C.S.E students interested in fashion and textiles. It aims to inspire young minds, and help improve the creativity of their work encouraging them to think outside the box. It contains information on fashion history and popular designers, photographers and artists. Pins also provides an insight into where fashion and textiles can take you with short interviews with current fashion students.

sketchbook pages: Josephine Andrew

photography, digital artwork, layout, words: Josephine Andrew

PAPER MOONImagine what it would be like to wear a paper dress. Stiff? Creases easily? The paper dress was once a must have fashion statement. But why aren’t we wearing it now? In a world where recycling and sustainable materials are becoming increasingly important, What is the next step in the fashion industry? Companies such as Topshop have taken to creating ranges of fair-trade clothing, but nothing recyclable or environmentally friendly is appearing. So why has the idea of paper clothing not taken off? The idea for paper clothing originated from over 50 years ago. An era of daring designs and psychedelic prints. Scott Paper Company invented the paper dress in 1967, for just one dollar along with a coupon women could buy the paper dress and receive vouchers for Scotts Paper products. It was a simple A-line mini dress, made from Dura-Weve, featuring a red bandanna print or a black and white pop art pattern. Very on trend at that time, the idea was intended to be just a marketing tool for the company. Little did they know this was about to become one of the biggest trends of the sixties. Half a million of these dresses were sold in under a year. The trend took of rapidly, and other companies started using the same idea. They experimented with different fabrics adding other materials to make it durable and washable. Many were flame resistant but not after washing, so the dress was popular as a disposable item, in other words it can be worn once then thrown out. New styles of the dress were introduced, including party gowns and even a wedding dress for fewer than twenty dollars. Other paper fashion products for example shoes, underwear, bikinis and even waterproofed paper

raincoats were added to the market. The simple paper shift dress continued to be the most popular design. The idea that you could hem it yourself with just a pair of scissors and wear it once then throw it away was a highly popular concept. The dress captured the lively, vibrant and youthful mood of the sixties so perfectly even Andy Warhol, the leading figure of the Pop Art style got in on the trend. He created his own version of the A-line dress with his famous Campbell Tomato Soup design printed on it known as the ‘Souper dress’. The paper dresses became quirky and imaginative Featuring pop art patterns and shapes, which the customer could colour in themselves. This idea of personalising your own garment and cut the bottom off to shorten it to your preferred length, made it even more popular with the young optimistic generation of the sixties.The next step for this trend was the Poster Dress. For just $2.98 you could get ‘four fabulous 75% Rayon and 25% Nylon poster dresses.’ This trend took off in 1968 when designs by American graphic artist Harry Gordon created a series of dresses featuring huge photographs including a cat, eye, rose and giant rocket. Perfect for night time party wear, these dresses were another success. You got all four when you ordered them so you could change your style each night, and customise them with scissors to suit you and your mood. The advertisement read:‘Join the poster parade for fashion fun! Wear ‘em. Wash ‘em. Frolic in a fun-frock of black and white imprinted with oversize photographs front and back, designed in London, England, to suit your current Mod mood. Toughness is built into the non-woven fabric for long, l-o-n-g wear and should you tire (which is doubtful) just cut open all the seams and hang on your wall as a mammoth poster- or cover pillows, use as curtains, tablecloth etc. Left shoulder opens and closes at a touch. If you want more of a scoop neck or prefer a mini-mini, just cut with scissors – but neatly gals! Your ready-to-wear posters, latest London party-wear is oaky to wash (unwoven and nylon for drip dry care). Oh yes, poster dresses are penny

wise, priced at only $2.98! Guaranteed for fun!’ Paper dresses seemed like the ultimate invention. Cheap, fashionable and convenient for everyone. They were brilliantly marketed, often aimed at holiday makers. A Time magazine article from 1967reads “Sterling Paper believes in paper resort wear, the idea being

words: Josephine Andrew

that vacationers could buy paper clothes at the hotel when they arrive, throw them away when they depart, thus eliminating packing and carrying heavy luggage.” This was very do-able with the invention of paper bikinis and evening wear. The dresses were also regularly seen in fashion magazines like Vogue, Ingenue and Harpers Bazaar. They fitted in so well with the style of America in the sixties fashion press speculated that paper garments would take over the whole clothing market. The trend didn’t last as long as anticipated. After just a couple of years paper dresses became outdated and the novelty wore off dramatically after the downsides to the garments became more noticeable. Even with home alterations, the dresses were uncomfortable and not particularly well fitting. The physical limitation of the dress became more apparent; Their dazzling colours could rub off onto other garments and imprinted skin. They were often flammable even without being washed. Many attempts had been made by various companies and designs to create a durable paper based fabric, but not good enough to make the garment last. They easily tore and the flammable resist chemicals washed out too easily. The customer had spoken and by late 1968 paper clothing had disappeared from the fashion market. The paper clothing revolution has continued into the 21st century but in a different way. The same cellulose fabric used for the dresses is now used for disposable garments such as hospital gowns, scrubs and coveralls. It’s a hygienic and convenient way of creating clothing which is only needed to be worn once. On a fashion level, the paper approach has continued in a modern and quirky way. On September 7th 2010 a collection of new paper clothing by Issey Miyake was unveiled. He created some inspirational garments from a single sheet of paper. The idea came from Computer scientist Jun Mitani who constructed three dimensional geometric forms. When Miyake saw his work, he immediately summoned him to his office to explain he wanted to use the idea for fashion. The idea was feasible. He chose a thin white textile that feels and looks like cotton poplin, and a shinier black fabric that resembles silk faille. The material is lightweight, stretches and breathes. The colour palette consisted of hunter green, black and bronze. The designs were mesmerizing. Sartorial origami. Apposed to cutting and sewing, the fabric was folded with precise sharp creases. When folded the garments are a variety of geometric shapes such as stars and swirls. They un folded vertically into intricate beautiful tube shaped dresses which could be worn as a day dress, cocktail dress or a long skirt. “These clothes are very light, like air, and are season-less,” Miyake says. “I hope people will keep them a long time, and not replace them every two months. That, for me, is the essence of sustainability.” Although these designs were truly incredible, it wasn’t enough to filter through to mainstream fashion. So why hasn’t paper clothing taken off? The benefits are obvious; garments could be made from recycled materials and could be recycled again after the user has finished with them. In reality, why would someone chose a stiff paper dress over a flexible fabric one? Today paper is used mainly for dramatic effect on garments, such as an intricate shoulder piece, or extravagant runway dresses which could never be worn in a real life situation. People don’t want paper dresses anymore, There could still be a future in paper fashion however, the dresses that are created are always very inspirational, and with new technology, the idea of mixing paper with fabric and chemicals to make it washable could still hit off at some point. Between 2000 and 2005 technical textile consumption has increased worldwide by about 20%in volume. But why not go back to basics and explore the possibilities with a simple sheet of paper?

PROJECT

CAN WE? SHALL WE? A ROB RYAN EXHIBITON

An exhibition set in The Design Museum in London, about paper cutting artist Rob Ryan. The exhibition title and concept is ‘Can We? Shall We?’ taken from the first line of his most famous piece. The exhibition is designed to make visitors ask themselves ‘Can we go in here?” or “Shall we have a go at that?” as they explore the different rooms.

digtal layouts: Josephine Andrew, floor plan: The Design Museum

digital artwork: Josephine Andrew

digital artwork: Josephine Andrew

PROJECT

VISUAL MERCHANDISING FOR DUNHILL A live project to design a January window display for Dunhill. The concept was created from influences of the Dunhill logo, rainy streets, coniferous woodland and the brands famous production of leather goods.

digital artwork and sketches: Josephine Andrew

digital artwork: Josephine Andrew

PROJECT

‘THE HERO’S ISSUE’ A photoshoot inspired by hiking and the great outdoors. The original idea came from researching into family history and discovering the family’s love for rambling in the countryside. The photo-shoot was taken in County Dur-ham alongside a woodland and stream in late November.

sketchbook pages: Josephine Andrew

all photography: Josephine Andrew