Welcome to Nature Armour :The Journal Choice for Creative Artists.

Image: Previous images of fashion, Created for global market place.

Natures Armour

Hello, and Welcome to my personalized blog spot. Feel free to respond via links provided at bottom of my posts.It's always nice to receive messages and feedback responses .Meaningful engagement to advance current trends is appreciated.

I am currently and will be posting information on my current Masters Degree thoughts and processes linked to my design concepts and current project developments.Including design theories connected to theoretical and conceptual. I am currently studying an MA in Design at University Lincoln.

From the window of my new MA studio( space looking across to Lincoln Cathedral. Hoping the 2 years study will be interesting and as successful as my degree course.)

Biography of Artist and Designer

 Victoria Meadows was born in Liverpool,England amidst the modern music, entertainment and fashion set of the South Liverpool Suburbs. Living near the birth place of Sir Paul Mc Cartney and John Lennon’s Auntie Me Me’s house. Victoria’s parents frequented the reknownly famous Cavern Club and were also keen fans of the well known Ronny Scott’s club in London. The music and fashion scene stands hand in hand which emphases the whole bohemian style and contemporary living, rock chic styling known today as Festival chic or Rock chic.

These influences have been an inspiring fashion direction for Victoria.

The daughter of a wealthy automobile business sales manager father who ran a large business with his father and brothers formed the basis for her future entrepreneur skills. Her mother who went to art school and who also worked in the fashion industry.Victoria’s artistic skills were easily recognised by her mother and her teachers from an early age. In her own words she explains during an early interview.

”I can remember when in junior school if I painted or draw a picture. They would always end up on the walls of the corridor’s and classrooms. I never just draw just one picture, I liked to draw a series based on colour, texture and theme. I was inspired by great masters that I saw in Art galleries and books.

My mother went to Art college and I guess I was born with Artist genes. I continued my desire to create by making numerous amounts of clothes for my Cindy doll’s when I was very young followed by making my own clothes. I asked my mother when I was aged 5 years to show me how to pattern cut and have created clothes ever since.”

Victoria explains her desire to become creative, studying ballet dancing from an early age which she has translated into feminine and classic, floaty designs. Her designs have a heritage, artisan style which makes her work timeless and beautiful. Elegant characteristics are key trends in Victoria’s soft accessories range. Music and dance have always been an inspiration which has influenced Victoria’s artistic mood and final finished collections throughout her career.

Other influences include mixing global Artifacts found during her global trotting days has created a styling mood prototypical of many of Victoria’s collections.

”The Western Globe trotter meets tribal influences" has dominated the Catwalks for many years of which Victoria has and does emphasis in her work. Sometimes just in her colour palette other times in her finishes and detailing.

Moving from Liverpool to Nottingham after studying Art at Liverpool’s famous Art college, she went on to completed a degree in Fashion/ knitwear. 

After graduating Victoria gathered experience designing for a number of companies, Sabre Menswear in London (archetypical English traditional menswear label). She freelance designed while studying at university living and working in Florence, Italy and New York.

This training gave her a creative global inspiration, typical of her design style and trade mark. While working as a designer she gathered knowledge in marketing, fashion and merchandising and decided to create her own brand.

           Original Sample Label.

The Original Sample label was established in 1989 during the fashion grunge era of the early 90’s. Victoria’s designed mixed ethnic inspiration with western style, upbeat and innovative styles adorned her fashion studio. The label helped popularise the knitted hat and scarf as a new and definitive style worn by the fashion elite. 

The knitted beanie became a fashion accessory not seen in the fashion scene since the 60’s and 70’s. Stripped beanies and long Doctor Who scarfs, celebrities sported numerous styles including bag hat, pineapple hat and plaited hats worn by celebrities filmed for TV and including music videos.

 Tunic style sweaters and cardigans using vintage style cotton lace from Nottingham trimmed onto eco conscious cotton knits emphasising eco conscious handcrafted products.

Traditional Norwegian Cardigans embellished with pure silk French brocade and finished in antique Norwegian clasps were Original Samples initial collection.

Initially sponsored by the Prince’s Trust the business started with a minimum grant and loan to buy machines and materials. Promotional and sales started initially at craft fairs, music festivals and organised raves.

It was’nt long before Original Sample notoriety took hold and the business won a uk based Prince’s trust award for best New Business venture in 1991. The prize was an international trade fair in London.

It proved to be a success where the business started to wholesale. Wholesaling to small independent stores and larger department stores throughout the world.

Wholesale customers included Harrods of London, stores on the Kings Road, Chelsea and further a field Sax’s 5th Avenue in New York and many more.

Victoria also won another award which gave her the privilege to design and create fashionable ski hats for the then young princes’s Prince Harry and Prince William of which she received a personal thank you letter from Prince Charles.

The new label ventured down to London to create a strong retail customer base in order to sell direct to the public via the famous Camden Lock Market in North London where the likes of Red or Dead label traded.

Many a success story can be atoned in regard to starting sales via market stalls including Marks and Spencer's.

Victoria’s customer base grew and incorporated famous musicians, actors and designers including Sade, Oasis, Take That. Popular soap stars for example Angela Grithiths, Hughen Mac Gregor and Robbie Coltrain. The Fashion designer favourite who frequented Original Sample was Christine Lacroix.

Victoria has been associated with two fashion awards being the wholesale designer behind the soft accessories range for one of Paul Smiths awards with special emphasis on soft accessories. The award sharing continued when her customer French Connection gained a British fashion award with special emphasis on soft accessories.

Being part of a team who has gained the famous acclaimed award twice had inspired Victoria to continue to design classic items with a fashion twists giving her products uniqueness.

The bohemian style and life style inspired the designer to work towards an eco friendly early ethical business policy in order to reduce carbon emissions to help reduce global warming. 

Victoria decided to slow the business down in the early 00’s to concentrate on her personal life. She continued to design selling freelance designs through a New York sales agent, selling designs to DKNY, Tommy Hillfigger and Donna Karen.

Producing designs using natural resources and up cycled materials in order to keep a low carbon footprint for each of her designs is the philosophy behind all the products that Victoria continues to create.

Personal Journal : Live Journey.
My parents met at Loughborough college were my dad was studying Engineering as well as being a keen Rugby player and semi professional racing driver in the 50’s,  for his family business promotions.

 My mother was studying Fashion, they married in Loughborough a few years later.

My grandfather ran a large automobile corporation with his 3 sons (one of them being my dad) he also became an MP (for the Wirral) and eventually became Lord Major of Liverpool.

 My dad’s family come originally from a small village called Sefton in Lancashire being steeped in history including heraldic knights being attached to the family tree who had in contemporary times ran a large blacksmith within several very old barns just outside the village (for several centuries). The family home of many centuries been sold off due too it being to grand (however it still stands today).

My father went to boarding school, this is were he became interested in photography becoming a keen film maker filming many family trips of which numerous were spent visiting beaches and special locations including our local zoo.
One of which was filmed in the early 1960's at London Zoo. See clip below

The way in which wildlife conservation has changed for the welfare of captive animals has developed dramatically since this early visit. Chester zoo has developed into an important conservation heritage centre and advocate for global ecology recovery of our natural resources to save current habitats. "This is a very important part of my life being conscious of our natural world and paying attention to the needs of our worlds ecology."

I went to a private prep school at a very young age and loved my school uniform as it came with a straw boater hat with a deep stripy ribbon, my blazer was also tipped in yellow and white ribbon. It was very like Saint Trinnions and clearly were my aspirations for creating my classic fashion pieces within adult life may well have originated from.

I then went to a local Primary school called Booker Avenue (a lot of my face booker friends are from my school days) were I discovered Art was available in lesson format :and not just a hobby activity.

At the same time, I was going to a ballet school at weekends where I learnt classical ballet and modern dance. 

I then purposely flunked an interview to go to the local grammar school as the art section was very limited. I then went to my first-choice school Quarry bank (John Lennon’s previous school).

So, continuing on with my educational history, after secondary school I went to Sir John Moore’s University for one year where I completed a foundation degree in Art and design before entering into a 4-year BA honours degree in a specialist textile. (experienced a student exchange in New York City studying at FIT and loved every minute of my life in NYC).

After my degree I went to work as a professional Designer for a couple of years before starting my own business.

I became an independent business woman (a Thatcher yuppie). I jet set around the world met and befriended a lot of famous people along the way. I sold my designer lead fashion accessories to top stores around the world.

I am currently studying a Master’s Degree at University Lincoln England where I am studying Design. My interest is in printed textiles and haberdashery using different technique’s in CAD .My theme is Natures Armour (outer protective casing, inner protective castings). I am wanting to do a bit of Armour interestingly, considering my heraldic family history. There is a clear need for protective clothing in civilian life in the world we live in today?
I have since been looking at eco conscious green living due to the need to save our planets resources, this is a design approach I have previously used within my former design work within knitwear. Colours and fabrics previously used have been cottons/linens in blues and neutrals using indigo yarns. I may be considering these fabrics and colours for my MA moving forward. 
However I am thinking Natures Armour as a name for my Masters Degree project might be more in tune with 3d work and I'm not wanting to do this as I am more interested in surface design. it is clear now that reason why natures armour maybe not the right choice is that it is more of a 3d modelling type of range /theme/collection and I'm really wanting to concentrate on my fabric printing developments using traditional and contemporary processes. Adding some trinket ideas maybe possible if I have time using the lazer technology.

 Who I am I?
Working out personality traits can help analyse your own creative work processes so I have created my own mini paragraph most of which is an explanation of how my work should not be too dull, it hopefully should hold some aspects of fun and humour and also include information on carbon foot printing and we can reduce carbon emissions by choosing natural materials that do not harm our surroundings.

I have created a small paragraph to explain my new and current design brief plan for my mini MA show which will be in around May time 2019.

Project Brief Over View.

MA Major Project

My project is an exploration of the natural world, looking at how nature’s resources are depleting and how ecology is developing and where it should be going in order to create a better future. I will be integrating traditional and digital art to create new textiles and wall art.

Initially I will be creating imagery to add to a tote bag as a reason to promote environmental and conservational issues connected to plastic pollution of our oceans. These items will be used to promote the main range of fabrics and wall art, donations from sales could go to environmental campaigns including Antarctica Ocean Sanctuary. These products can also be used as part of a package when purchasing from the main range(removing the need of unnecessary packaging)

 

Creative Design Work

I am planning on creating printed home furnishing fabrics and wall papers within 3 sections of design interpretation

1.    Photographic digital art imagery using MAC suite

2.    Traditional printing techniques lino, direct printing, screen printing

3.    An integration of de- collage contemporary and traditional including the other 2 areas above. Foe-patchwork imagery(fabric imitating traditional patch work)

Reasons for these developments  is to create fresh interpretations and encourage up cycling, re using materials for a more sustainable working practice.

Colour  is an important aspect of my project with an interest in warn out faded patinaed effects to create nostalgic rustic decadence using the colour blue as the main colourway.

Quantity : 4 finished  designs. Fabrics with matching wall papers.

Swing tags/Tote bags for all of the above with added information in regard to eco systems and endangered species.

Areas of design enquiry will be based around scale (using the small ,medium and big design theory) Incorporating traditional and contemporary pattern repeat.

 Traditional staggered effects versus more contemporary pattern layout (kaleidoscope).

Over scaling and juxtaposing within a de-collage effect incorporating contemporary print technology and traditional print.

Wednesday, February 28, 2018

Pret-aPorter Fashion Show previous design work.

Evolution Natures Armour and Patternation.

 While considering a new professional working practice within Art and Design parameters I have always considered print making an exciting and interesting skill to wish for moving forward. Within new technologies the arena of print making has increased considerably. New photographic industrial machines means that peoples choices can be fine tuned towards a more personal approach. Bespoke designs are becoming more and more accessible to the majority of people who are interested in gaining a more personal shopping experience. 

Since becoming a designer some 20 or so years ago I have noted an interest in printed fabrics, I however choose to study knitwear design as I was interested in textiles as well as fashion and knitwear bridged a cap for me. However I believe since becoming a parent, I stopped running my fashion business to concentrate on my family and took to teaching originally Art and Design however I know teach a number of subjects across a wide range of learners age group and skill sets. It is a very interesting and fulfilling job role. However I am still a keen designer and have set my mind at learning and creating printed textiles for interiors and fashion.

 While considering this new skill it has become apparent that I will need to be dissecting in detail all my different influences and processes. Using a new and structured way of following a pathway of designer directions.This should take for the viewer to consider  an interesting look inside the mind of a creator. Therefore I will be discussing in a lot more detail the why's and reasons for my particular methodology this will include various links to previous work, life experiences and family history.

 I will start with a deeply paired down approach to my type of working practice skills set. The main research within what I look for in order to create are Colour ,texture and Patternation. When designing I am always considering ranges of designs and in this case it is fabrics using tradition and modern technologies.

1. Colour is a key aspect to my work, it doesn't have to have any colour (mono tone for example.) However precise colour and fabric use are exclusively selected for the best outcome. 

2.Secondly texture which is necessary for a tactile approach, it doesn't however have to be 3d it's purely its functionality to create mood and tactile harmony for the consumer. What I mean is it's important to think of the consumers ideas and directions and I do this by looking at current trends and also what is happening on earth and what matters? The viewer's appreciation and their desires to relax and enjoy are important to consider in detail. This links    to softness of fabrics and colours.

Shell drawings using pencil and mark making technique.

3. Pattern follows which can in fact be a detail ,an embellishment a finishing technique or a pattern. The pattern could be placed , all over or motif-ed. Pattern can however be limited to another area of the design i.e it could be separate from the design itself (packaging) for example.

Within these three areas of choice one main criteria is an absolute must and that is mood and affinity to embrace a feeling of romanticism, organic, historical morphing into a contemporary image.It is also important to do this throughout each process of design.

  What has been interesting for me over the last couple of months is that I have changed my medium (material chooses and it has made it even more clearer why I design and the purpose of what I create no matter what the end product becomes. Creating has always included for me a lot of juxtaposing of detailing within complex modernity's, in order to create new evoking cutting edge directional designs.There is however a need to be simplistic at the same time and I do this by pairing down in certain areas.This is important otherwise things can become confusing(kitchen sink :terminology for 

over designing something). I have also chosen not to be too observational in terms of traditional drawing technique as I have been wanting a more abstracted free flowing sketching method while developing design ideas in order to quicken the process of final design outcomes.

 I will be looking at all of my previous skill knowledge and adding them into a new why of creating fabrics for interiors and fashion. Mixing contemporary design concepts with historical reflections and the reasons why will be one of my key discussions and research while print making for interiors and fashion. The reasons for choices are much more detailed than one might of thought. I will be analyzing key points in terms of what sort of impact do I want my work to include. One area is eco-conscious view points, making a difference it terms of carbon foot printing help with the reduction of global warming.