Aspiring designers complete training course

A group of eight aspiring designers recently completed a four week course in Design Development, taught by Alex Grant.{{more}}

Grant is a graduate of Rhode Island School of Design, [Bachelor’s degree in Fine Art, with a concentration in Apparel Design, 2000] and a seasoned New York designer whose repertoire includes the coveted post as Vera Wang’s assistant designer. After 10 years of experience in the industry, she has recently moved back home to St. Vincent and is developing a series of courses specifically for fashion designer wannabe’s.

Students who took part in her course explored the fashion design process from concept to creation. The first exercises focused on developing visual communication skills necessary to illustrate a fashion concept through sketching and inspiration boards. Merchandising and construction methods came to the forefront as students evolved, and developed an understanding of colour combinations, form and proportion. Throughout the process, students became more in tune with their personal taste and styles. Ultimately, students were required to design and construct an innovative garment out of alternative materials and wrapped up their four week design course last Saturday with an intensive critique of that final project.

Freya Dunn sculpted a very modern silhouette out of seven decks of cards, while her sister India Dunn created a kaleidoscope coloured corset dress out of candy wrappers, harvested from over a hundred or so sweets she gobbled down just for the project. Icelma Samuel chose to work with natural materials and came up with a chic cocktail number in coconut fiber. Along those lines, Josel John meticulously stripped banana stems and formed a playful fringed two piece. Fayanna Phillips chose a minimalist aesthetic for her sponge and screen A- line tent. Rhonelle Simmons, in keeping with her appreciation of voluminous forms, created an evening wear piece out of disposable diapers. Ailene Baily indulged in an environmental theme and ambitiously produced two looks of recycled hair braids and plastic paper for Fall/Winter.

To view more on this project please visit http://alexgrantinc.weebly.com