Author Archives: Melissa-Kate Studio

Q1) 93.1% of females took part in this survey who were interested in my label. This way i know using the feminine language i plan to in my marketing will work well. The rest of people interested were Males and Non-Binaries who wear womenswear so i know i can include all gendered people in marketing, without the need to make a point of it to look inclusive.

Q2) Age. 18.8% are 24. 36.7% are in the intended age range of 25-35. With an extra 34.6 being 23/24 so will be in the intended age range by the time the collection is launched. Having quite a younger interest in my brand is not a bad thing, many of these people may be potential customers, however i am still aiming for a 25-35 age range as these people have more chance of having established careers with income enough to support buying designer clothing. I see the younger audience as followers and future customers of the brand.

Q3) Dress size. As shown the most popular size from my survey was size 12. If you exclude size 18, the popularity of sizing is a perfect curve. Meaning we can see what sizes are needed more than others. I think Size 18 makes a significant appearance as this is my own dress size. I believe I would’ve gained a lot of my following due to how i dress for my size. This makes me realise how important it is to make sure I accommodate to size 18.

Q4) Religion. I asked this mainly to see if i have a large following of spiritual fans or not. I think its interesting that 67.7% are atheist as this may mean they are open or interested in the marketing i am planning. I am hoping the 12% that are Christian’s are not off put due to the powerful feminine message i am also putting across.

Here’s what i brainstormed the night i changed my plans.

What: A range of eveningwear made for nights out, womenswear range, collections each season. Small drops in between of new colours of best sellers, and holiday drops such as valentines, halloween.

Customer: 25-35, single, feminine, women, creative, office careers, partiers.

Competitors: The Attico, Area, House of CB, 3am Eternal, Miscreants

Price range: £200-£500, with a few up to £800-£1400 per season

Where to sell: Selfridges, Farfetch, Net-a-Porter. End Clothing, Cricket.

Future plans to sell: Shops based in Liverpool, Manchester, London in UK.

Products: Dresses, Blazers, Trousers- Flares, mini skirt, tops, corsets. Expand to accessories in the future.

Manufacture: samples made by me, sent to factory like MAES for official samples, shown to buyers for orders.

Marketing: runways/photoshoot releases. Social media campaigns, red carpets, creative collaborations

USP: focused on spiritual language and signs, market the value of each product through significance of crystals, colours, sigils, zodiacs etc.

It was the last week before university where I was planning my business ideas and findings to present to Lucy the next day via our zoom lesson. This was the first moment where i looked at all my research and findings together along with what was originally my plans. I was stressed and overwhelmed. All my plans were not making logical sense for my long term goals or my short term goals.

To put into context, my short term goals are to put a RTW collection in the university shop for when it opens around February. This is because i think i need to get some of my designs out there that are relevant to the Melissa-Kate label. My past work isn’t enough or relevant for me to work with. And as i already have quite a good social media presence i want to gain a bit of suspense and buzz around my brands official first collection which will be released as part of my final master project. This is a definite plan i will be working to.

My original Long term plans was to create couture type collections of designs which were complete creative freedom for me to create the newest trends and outrageous fashion. These would be used for promotion and creative collaborations to get the brand more well known, i would then fund this with my RTW collections which were more trend driven and wearable.

There were many problems with this plan, firstly, couture type garments can be expensive to produce, i am not in a comfortable financial situation to be doing this right now in my masters year. I also came to the realisation that it would take up a lot of time and money in my business plan. I don’t want to be a designer that struggles financially for the sake of my art, i want to be a business woman living a comfortable life seeing my designs being worn everywhere.

Secondly, whilst i know my ideas and concepts could be something amazing, and i really could create the next big thing and become the next big designer, i think there are too many risks, the main being to my happiness. Showing the world intense creations based on my migraine and visual experiences would be incredible, but i think i could find true happiness in designing beautiful pieces i would actually want to wear.

It was a hard realisation to come to, as creating couture wild pieces had always been the dream, so i felt like i was letting part of that dream die, letting a part of me go. But focusing on a label which produces beautiful womenswear makes so much more sense for me. My experiences in the fashion industry and in my own life all point to me having a big advantage in my plans. I know the market, i know the desires of the consumers and that its a very large pre-existing market. I have made my previous employer millions in profit with my designs in the past. I believe i have the skills to do that for myself. Especially as i will have the freedom to create what i truly believe is desired.

I now plan to create a strong sense of branding. The Melissa-Kate label will be marketed strongly and smartly. I now have clearer ideas on how the brand will look in the future. And i am confident this is a brand that can grow. It will make me happier creating a successful brand that gives women clothing to cherish.

I’m basing my brand identity on my visual experience of Visual snow and migraines. This is because i know that this experience is not something I can photograph or prove, it is something that isn’t tangible. It is also something that is unpredictable and can give me endless branding ideas.

The best way i can describe my visual experience is through digital glitching and tv static. The graphics i can create through glitching techniques will be the way i explore each concept for each collection visually. The concepts of course will be separate meaning each collection will be a different way for me to explore fashion techniques and ideas through a collection. However the common theme of glitching throughout will be what makes my branding and my label recognisable.

I looked to research further into both migraines and visual snow to see how other people have artistically expressed this in the past, but also to show you exactly what it is i am being influenced by rather than the metaphor that i choose.

Visual snow is believed to be a neurological disorder where the neutrons in the brain are ‘Excessively Excitable’. It is unknown how it is caused but it is believed it can be linked to causing migraines. Symptoms are described officially as a tv-static vision. Which is how i have always explained it myself. It produces negative images of objects in the vision and flecks of dust-like particles in brighter light like the sky. All of these being influences for me in the way i will design, using my unique vision experience.

As for my migraine experience, this comes in many forms. It is believed that migraines may be directly linked to visual snow, which for me makes a lot of sense.

During a migraine aura i see many visuals, moving shapes and bright colours I’ve not quite seen before. It’s a complete visual disturbance to my day to day. Meaning i have to stop everything in its tracks, however it is incredible the experiences i see and feel. I want my designs to display in its entirety the sensations of this. The almost disturbance is the shapes and patterns, busyness. The blinding brightness of the intense colours against the darkest background.

McQueens work shaped the course of fashion and how others viewed fashion. From looking at his work we can learn the context in which he broke the rules and became well respected. This tells me so much about how the consumer also reacts to fashion. That in society, we as fashion consumers do in fact follow certain rules. One McQueen is most notable for breaking is his iconic ‘bumster’ trousers, which kickstarted a decade long trend of super low rise trousers. This is something the 00s is now known for. If I can dissect those barriers put up by society, and relate this to modern art context of the cultural world and it’s reactions at the moment, it’s very possible I could create that next idea.

The historical lesson from Chris was my favourite so far. I find historical fashion the most interesting and this is where my love for fashion comes from, I’m well read when it comes to fashion history, and continue to read, research and watch everything I can as it truly is my passion and what I live and breathe.

Chris did a great exercise in getting us to match designers with their inspirations, it got us to think about what designers through history have been inspired by and also what they are known for.

We watched the Tom Browne FW 2021 video which was truly beautiful. You were transported to his world and saw the whole idea behind his concepts and how the way he presented his collection captured the audience and sold them a story.

It reminded me to delve deeper into historical references I haven’t come across before as I can learn so much from the way other people have worked. I tend to take inspiration from Maison Margiela, Viktor & Rolf and Elsa Schiaparelli, but if I venture out into where they found inspiration or who their competitors are it can give me fresh insights into historical research.

Mind mapping my overall concept ideas with Sue was a great lesson in quick thinking and how we can generate some of the best ideas through what may be seen as the weirdest. Using speed in our thought process means we don’t have time to rationalise or second guess the visions or thoughts that pop into our minds. The fluidity in this way of thinking allows for much wider development and raising questions on what really is possible.

I found it really useful as it made me realise that perhaps I hadn’t got my full minds ideas onto paper or through my explanations and that digging deeper into my own vision and asking myself vital questions would help reveal everything to my peers in order to make more sense.

Sue told us to think of a question that our brand is answering, this way we know our own goals and can continue working towards this goal to provide for our gap in the market. For me my question is, “How can I show the world how I view it through fashion design?” This is an ongoing question that I can continue to answer and refer to over time. It’s also quite ambiguous, referring to my branding of visual snow and migraine vision but also my concepts of how I view the world becoming. For me my brand is my view being created into an artwork, and I am simply the artist.

After the lesson I took the idea of getting everything written down on paper and presented my own way of doing this which worked for me. I mainly did this to tell myself what I was thinking, it cleared my mind so well and made me realise my goals and ideas and how everything can work. I can even add to this after more research and for me this research method helps me stay on track with my brand.

In order to create what i think will be the most valuable research for my brand i want to make as many items as i can from the recycled and spare materials i have collected over the years which i believe tie in well with my fabric and aesthetic goals.

Making items which are not part of a collection will allow me to explore what i like and don’t like, and explore what i believe will be a good fit for my brand, what’s been overdone in fashion and what i may want to continue developing further.

Pattern cutting experimentation will allow me to focus on my strengths and hopefully develop ways of constructing i had never thought of. I can also try out the Zero-Waste Pattern cutting technique i developed on new block patterns to see what it can create.

I have a lot of experience with what fabrics work where and how, meaning i wont have to work out too much in terms of fabrication, However i would like to push myself to go bigger and bolder with my creations, Make what doesn’t look possible, entirely possible.

I also have a lot of trims collected over the years, I think an important part of designing is the use of trims. I have plenty of experience in Commercial use of trims which for me is too basic. I am yet to explore the full extent of possibilities i can create with these. To me this is vital in the finishing of a garment and absolutely something i want to get right before i go on to creating full collections.

I know that for my collections i want to tie in my fears of the elite having control of the future of technology with the very literal technology look that is my branding. The best way i can explain the ideas for my future concepts is through how Charlie Brooker explores his thoughts and ideas through Tv Series Black Mirror. I think its very interesting to constantly question the world around us And consider what the possibility of the future of mankind will be like if it continues heading the way it is going. I have some very negative views about the world we live in which consists of hating how right wing governments have become, wishing for a greener world and seeing the destruction that can be caused through fear-mongering online. I see my fashion collections as a chance for me to explore and discover these concepts and their effect on the future, each couture collection i produce will be an artwork inspired by the complexity of each subject.

For now i am not focusing on the concepts individually as these will be chosen and developed purposely for each collection. However i am starting by learning and discovering what it is about these dark subjects i want to explore and why. Black Mirror showcases a new theme each episode. Taking us to a completely new world, be that futuristic, parallel to our own or completely galactic. They highlight through these narratives a deeper meaning which makes us reflect on life as we know it. I want this effect on the viewer or consumer of my couture fashion. I want the visuals to be a disturbance that leaves them thinking about my concept. The collections concept has a purpose of creating new feelings in people. A dark realisation of a gloomy future or a migraine like sensation due to the intensity.

My ideal aesthetics for my brand are inspired by the visual snow and migraines that i not only experience but see in my everyday life. This completely changes my perception of how i view the world and i want to get that across accurately and express what i see and the auras i feel through the aesthetics of my branding and collections.

The closest i can explain my visual snow as is the static on a TV, But also tv signals and glitching relates so closely to my experience with migraines and the patterns i see when i close my eyes. The colours themselves are the most vivid and bright colours which merge, flash and interact with each other.

These colours are a lot more noticeable to me in the dark or with my eyes closed. Meaning in the dark i actually find it hard to see anything that is really there. This black background creates the perfect canvas for me to really see what my eyes and mind are processing. It makes the colours so powerful, this is something i really want to portray properly through my branding.

Through my sketchbook i tested how certain bright colours look when contrasted against white and black. I have tried to prove how bold the colours look when contrasted against the black. On the white background the colours look bright, however they create a feeling of daylight, happiness, naivety. A bright look of optimism and joy is as far from the experience i want to create through my brand. My Migraines and visual snow are a visual disturbance, an irritable view of the world which is both painful and a nuisance. I need to capture that fully through my colour palette in which will be part of my branding pack, ensuring every element in my branding connects and is recognisable. This will also be the general colour palette throughout my designs. Whilst i recognise my concepts for my collections will change over time, meaning colours will never be set in stone, instead develop for each collection. I think the basis behind the colour theory will stay the same. The use of mostly black in my designs will set the undertones for my branding in each collection. The black will make any colours used stand out in a way that will highlight the shapes, seams and patterns in which the colour appears. Especially when used against dark backgrounds for runways, photography and styling, which will create an overall experience of what my migraines and visual disturbance is.

Colour is so important in every aspect of design. By researching more into colour theory and the moods they create it can set a tone for the branding and the collections. For me it is so important that the collections have a very strong sense of branding and for me i would like to tie this together through colours. Although the colours are not the only thing that will make my designs recognisably Melissa-Kate Studio, the other aspects in my designs will come after years of research, development and collections, seeing what’s working and selling.

I want to buy and read a book called The Colour Code by Paul Simpson. It is a psychological insight to why colours make humans react in certain ways and the history behind this. For me this is something i need to be aware of constantly in my practice as creating a sense of feeling is a large part of how i want my designs to be impactful.