Rachel Jean
Portfolio Gallery
This gallery highlights the "Waste2Wear" collection of Rosso Mistral & Rouge Mistral, the "Eye Candy" swimwear collection, the "Heart Beat" red dress competition for promoting women's heart disease awareness, and the "Lego Lux" EduCare fundraiser collection.
Scroll down to view all gallery slideshows.
Waste 2 Wear - W2W
The apparel industry is a major contributor to environmental problems from textile manufacturing through garment production and distribution to consumer discard – donation, landfill, reuse, or otherwise (Gam, Cao, Farr, & Heine, 2009). Vennström (2012) stated that in the UK around 2.35 million tons of waste comes from the clothing and textile industry per year, which estimates about 40 kilograms (kg) per person each year. Of the 40 kg (88 lbs.) of apparel waste each year, 74% ends up in landfills (Vennström, 2012). “In an industry which is increasingly overproducing, very little is being done to highlight how much is discarded… and yet what is being thrown is often intact, still beautiful, and still usable if thought of in a different way” (Brown, 2010, p. 116). This statement from Orsola de De Castro and Filippo Ricci, founders of the sustainable apparel company From Somewhere, influenced the designs of the W2W Collection. When visiting the university apparel design studio it was evident that many student designers did not consider the textile waste generated by their design and construction process, let alone where their textile scraps went at the end of the day. The W2W collection experiments with a variety of slow design textile fabrication methods, surface design, and fiber art techniques that embody a recycle, reuse, and redesign approach by utilizing small textile scraps discarded in university apparel design workrooms. The entire W2W collection, aims to demonstrate, educate, and inspire young professionals to critically consider textile selection and utilization of fabric yardage, waste generated by a design (due to pattern shaping), and how textile waste, made by self, class/company, and the fashion industry as a whole, impacts the environment.
- Rosso Mistral (quilted & slashed skirt) was selected for exhibition at the 2015 International Textile and Apparel Association (ITAA) annual conference in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
- Rouge Mistral (tufted cape) was selected for exhibition at the 2016 ITAA annual conference in Vancouver, British Columbia.
Eye Candy Swimwear
The design and creation of the Eye Candy Swimwear collection was influenced by the design principle of Balance. Each piece represents a difference form of balance: Symmetrical, Asymmetrical, and Radial.
Symmetrical, or formal balance, is created by repeating the reverse of a design on the opposite side of the vertical axis; each side, in essence, becomes the mirror image of the other.
Asymmetrical, or informal balance, involves different elements that have equal visual weight; the weight is equal but the elements are not identical. Asymmetry achieves balance through contrast.
Radial balance occurs when all the elements radiate out from a central point and the visual weight is distributed equally. Radial balance creates a strong focal point in the center of the design.
Strong metal rings serve as connention points that physically hold the swimsuits together and emphasize the balance forms.
The Heart Beat
The Heart Beat was designed to promote Women's Heart disease awareness through one of the Red Events held in the Des Moines, Iowa area.
The Red Event is part of a larger campaign sponsored by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the National Institutes of Health to focus attention on heart disease, which is the number one killer of women. The national program debuted in February 2005 in New York and featured the red dress designs of Oscar de la Renta, Tommy Hilfiger and Carolina Herrera. Proceeds from the Red Event supported women's heart education programs at Mercy Medical Center, Des Moines.
Garments were judged by three local media personalities and displayed in the center court area of the shopping center through the entire month of February. Jordan Creek will awarded "The Heart Beat" as the top design.
Read more about this event on the Iowa State University press release.
Lego Lux
Lego Lux collection was designed and created for participation in the OKC Educare Block Party. The Block Party is a fashion show featuring LEGO fashion designed by local celebrities and students to benefit Oklahoma City Educare. The Block Party was held on Saturday, November 8, 2011. Oklahoma State University apparel design students were partnered up with some of the state’s top fashion designers and celebrities to develop a 3-piece “LEGO-tastic” collection.
Lego Lux designers (Rachel Eike and Emily Ferrell) were partnered with former Oklahoma City Thunder basketball player and artist Desmond Mason. The audience will voted on a winning design team.
Although Lego Lux did not win the popular vote, it was highly applauded by attendees. Click on the link to view a video reviewing the event: OKC Block Party
Lego Lux has since the event been donated to OKC Educare and on display in their new building to serve as promotional materials for future fundraising events.