OVERALL
This was an eye opening project and I have loved to learn more about disability in the Netherlands and in fashion. Whereas, before I mainly knew about my personal experiences with my brother. The topic is current, meaningful, needed, and on the rise. I found that wording and terminology with this subject is to be used with care, as there are a lot of derogatoryry terms. It was hard for even me to control and I have grown up with the awareness. I have learnt a lot but am excited to continue learning about all of this and meeting new people. I had amazing models and have had many inspiring conversations with those with differing abilities.
SHOW
Nice result, and the models were great. But had many problems with enough room being available for the wheelchairs, and HvA only giving one card for three people for only one of the bathrooms in a tower block. This slowed the day and was very inconvenient and unequal for my models. And something I will formally address with the university. The make up was done last minute, as it was slow process for everyone, therefore I couldn't achieve the look I wanted. The smock hair wasn't done.
SUIT OUTFIT
Decision to leave pockets and original items is a refernce to the suit, and to clearly show what is and what should be. Leaving the button holes can also act as button holes if you push the push button through, giving security. Would like to bias bind edges inside the trousers if I had more time and enough fabric to cover all. The insides can be messy in sections, and therefore bias tape would help. The straps around the formal shoes work well and was added security, as she has no feeling in her legs and feet. The zips at the side helped a lot when dressing and undressing the model, they worked well.
BLOUSE OUTFIT
Hat came in handy to provide shelter when an epileptic fit happened after the show. Smock works really well. Since it was all draped I had to improvise, which worked well on the shoulders as I rolled up the extra fabric to make a shoulder pad. This helps give the power shoulder effect. I used a small rolled hem so that it doesnt weigh the blouse down. I overlapped the centre front so that there is more space for movement. I love the knit and it works well. However, the loose loops can get caught on the inside, so to improve I need to find a way of making it more practical. The trousers are a nice fit, and curve over the seated position. The knitted panels were hard to put in , and pulled a bit. More care with this would improve it.
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LINE UP
It is going in a good direction, I like exploring the levels of function and senses with different disabilities. More research can be done to define more details and textures. I would like to add more to the drawings as well, as they are a good indication but lack depth.
BOOK
I found it really important to inform. To show how important it is for disabled inclusivity , the facts and figures and quotes from those with disabilities. I included definitions and facts about the disabilities, so people are more aware about what they have and how it effects them. From this I extracted the important design focuses for those outfits. However, it printed out too dark so many of the photos you can see the details. This is why I printed out other photos for the presentation.
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It was also very good to do an online process book. As it is a great way of communicating my ideas with others, especially with models and designers.