JudY R CLarK SayS BELIEVE!

Over the past 3 weeks I feel as though I have become to know designer Judy R Clark better than she knows herself. We have researched, interviewed, created, practised and performed, all in aid of sharing and learning from the successes of her career so far.
Since graduating from Herriot-Watt University Judy has a busy few years. In the interview she told us all about the trials and tribulations of waiting for that big break and about making it happen for yourself. Judy was lucky enough to take part in a few internships to gain the much needed experience to go it alone and this was good to find out about at this stage as we are expected to be constantly gaining experience. She got her 1st internship through a chance meeting with Sandra Murray and from this she went on to be accepted to a placement with Alexander McQueen, after her idea to illustrate the bottom of her CV got her noticed.
The things that I found most interesting from the information Judy gave us were her inspirations, work ethic and her self belief. I always find it interesting to find out what an artist or designers inspiration has been for a particular piece and especially if all their work is derived from the same source. Judy's Influences are quite varied, from historical costume and exotic places, to her families heritage. Its the combination of these elements that make her work so eclectic. Like Judy I love historical costume, in fact I love history full stop and historical textiles is something I would really love to find out more about. She researches dress styles and tailoring and is true to this without being old fashioned. Her work is far from it and was lapped up by fashionistas in New York when she exhibited in fashion event 'Dressed To Kilt'. Her classic yet contemporary Harris Tweed creations were truly embraced and she nearly sold out her entire collection within the first few days. This charity fashion event's subtitle is 'Mad for Scotland' and seems to represent everything Judy stands for. She first began working with Harris Tweed when she received a batch from her uncle who has a loom and weaves from his home on the Isle of Lewis. Since then her use of this world famous fabric has cemented her unique style. She commented,  “I have been working with tweed for a number of years now and my love for the fabric just keeps on growing. The luxurious feel, the durability and its flexibility makes it a joy to work with. My tweed creations mix this beautiful historic fabric with contemporary design to produce couture garments. And it can all be done here in Scotland. With this exhibition I hope to bring some of the Harris Tweed history to people as well as surprising them as to just how fashionable tweed is right now.”
When talking about her work ethic Judy's message is clear, believe in yourself and your business. If I had a penny for every time she said beieve then i'd be rich, but its obvious that this piece of advice is what has propelled her success. So much so that when asked who’ll wear it she said assertively, “well I’ll wear it!” This shows her complete confidence in her work and her unwillingness to change her ethos for anyone, she has a passion for what she does and she does it the way she wants! Its this determined attitude and her down to earth and hard working approach that I really admire her for. I wouldn't say im a lazy person, but the drive that Judy has displayed is extraordinary and it hasn't been in vain. She admits that this success has gone hand in hand with sacrifices in her social life, often having to decline invites to get work done. Judy simply thinks to herself, "they're only drinking wine". This is such a good piece of advice and one of the main things I think i'll take away from this project especially with fourth year looming. I'll keep telling myself just to remember that im probably not missing out on that much and there will be plenty more opportunities and if you love what you do, as Judy obviously does, then it won't be that bad anyway!

Judy's advice - Work extremely hard, push push push, love what you do, believe in yourself and your business, don't get too excited by your first pay packet and blow the lot, don't compromise, be a sponge and be inspired by everything, its all about the networking and push yourself to go to everything, don't be apoligetic, each achievment must be followed by another and remember they're only drinking wine.

I FEEl a trEnD cOmInG ON!

Until recently I had never thought about how designers know forthcoming colours and looks or where trends come from. After attending Premier Vision in Paris last year my eyes were well and truly opened to the world of trend forecasting and last week I was lucky enough to get to attend a textiles trends presentation at 'The Lighthouse', the center for architecture and design, in Glasgow. We had a presentation from Anne Ritchie who specialises in trend forecasting, about the Spring/Summer 2013 interior and fashion trends.
The main trend that stood out for me and seems to run through everything at the moment is a celebration of craftsmanship! People want something more unique and personal for there money. From food to interiors, the home grown, handmade and everything artisan is creeping into Vogue. Traditional techniques such quilt making and embroidery are appearing being used in innovative ways and as we have seen over the last few years, vintage and haberdashery detailing are still big. This really appeals to me as I love going wild with embellishment, recycling old buttons and beads and I love mixing and matching. The trend that encapsulates this, bringing elements of old and new together is 'Eccentric Boutique'. Poisonous greens, dusty plums, ocher, clashing prints of pattern and stripes, all full of embellishment give this trend a jumbled, electric feel. Again this is a look I really warm too, I think its because I've grown up surrounded by this eclectic trend. My mum has always liked creating her own interior looks with antique and vintage finds from over the years, mixed with bright prints and key modern pieces. It just shows that this look is really easy to create by just keeping your eyes open for classic and quirky bits and bobs. I am constantly on the look out for the next unusual piece.

In complete contrast to this is the trend 'Northern Lights'. It continues to showcase the idea of vintage and eclectic but in a more natural way, with a cooler, weather worn yet nostalgic feel. Meadow grass greens, pinks and stone greys all add to this serine trend. I think this is the perfect look for summer, bringing the texture of the outdoors in and again creating an organic feel. Its all about distressing, untreated wood, matt finishes and again hand made. Quilts and baskets just a few examples of the craft elements essential to this look. Its really interesting how trends change with the economy and general feel within the country. Like the recession in the 80s, the recent recession has seen fashion hark back to the past. Everyone is loving the nostalgic look with companies like Cath Kidston, who's whole ethos is about recreating retro prints flourishing. Both the trends I've highlighted have a relaxed, vintage and mix matched feel looking to the past for inspiration. You don't have to have a lot of money to achieve these homely, stylish looks and that's why I think everyone will be so attracted to them.