Some progressive images of makeup art. Inspiration "30 Days of Night" mini comic cover.

Final design: above below

First attempts: below,

Funny

I knew I'd heard that name before hahaha she works at our tafe! strange how I went out to find a designer I was interested in, talked to some girls who knew her and it turned out to be a woman I see often :) freekin funny!

This woman is just fascinating! All the things I plan on doing, she is doing now. Small world :) Absolutly love her concepts. So very much like me. . .

Interview with Elisha From "The Butcher and The Crow"

Has this always been your passion?

Fashion designing? no, but it was my first. its has wavered from time to time and i have gone off and studied other things but i always come back to it.

Hobbies. When your not designing what do you do with your time?

when i am designing im normally working on a studio space and art gallery that i am trying to get up and running.

What inspires you? what is your muse?

the hidden things.

What would you describe is your personal style?

jeans and a Tshirt - theres never very much thought.

Can you tell me a little bit about your fabric dyeing?

i learnt the process when i was in japan studying fashion its called shibori. its when you fold and stitch the fabric to create a resist in a dye bath.

Where did you study? What is your fashion background?

i started off at curtin doing fine arts then made the decision to switch to fashion in my 3rd year. so i then completed another 2 years doing fashion at curtin. after 2 years i the took a year off and went to Tafe to learn pattern making and i took up a boot making traineeship at the same time. went back in 2009 and completed my degree and graduated.

When did you start taking serious steps towards your career?

i don't think there was ever a conscious decision. i actually wanted to take a year off after i graduated but i got evolved in a fashion show called jail house frock which then lead me to entering perth fashion festival which then got stockists interested in my work and it all just snow balled from there.

Was there a turning point were it all started to fit into place?

.... its still yet to come.

Describe a highlight of your career?

my career is in its early stages and i still have my moments but i think the highlight is actually realising things aren't impossible.

Were there any unfavourable moments?

theres been many, days without sleep trying to get orders out, manufacturing mishaps. but its all apart of it and i wouldn't change it

Any advice you'd like to share with aspiring designers?

say yes to everything, things normally happen for the better.

Hope thats ok, if you have any further questions dont hesitate to email.



Elisha

Inspirational images:

Green dress was the first I ever made, before I learned to sew. I designed it, painted the fabric and had it sewn up by Hue Lee Designs. Artwork My fiancé and I have created. Gothic/dark imagery. Skulls, lace-up, red and black. Sensual imagery. Jacquard prints/designs. Dark make-up. Texture.

Cultural influence
Music:

In Perth a lot of fashion trends are inspired by our local musicians, bands like “The Creptter Children” and “The Book Of Lillith”

“The Creptter Children” influence their audience with fashions inspired by 80’s glam rock and a little dark Goth. Wearing feature corsets, bright makeup, black jeans, tight spandex, all black outfits and often clothes made by the lead singer. I am personally inspired by that last one and love the fact that Iballa Chantelle designs her own outfits.




“The Book Of Lillith” are a more Gothic style band which influences their audience to dress in black with torn stockings, heavy corsets, huge boots, heavy dark makeup, the occasional splash of bright colour in contrast to the black and dark outgoing accessories.

On a wider scale there are larger more well known bands that have a huge influence on fashion. “Marilyn Manson” has had a massive impact since he began his controversial reign on “Goth Rock” in 1989. A dark and sometimes morbid eroticized style, often men and woman can flaunt the same garments and makeup. Powder white faces, heavy dark eyeliner extending out around the eyes, nail polish and red lipstick and often a controversial mix of lace, leather and neo Victorian attire.

From the 1980’s until now the “Goth” look has become a major part of fashion lifestyle. A more “underground” subculture rather than mainstream, but prominent non the less.

Some people don’t have the confidence to go all out “Goth” and so take elements from this style and mix it up with more conservative garments. For example I often see people wearing Goth boots over black skinny jeans with a loose fitting casual top. When out at a gig its not uncommon to see someone wearing a feature corset with jeans, simple boots and soft makeup to minimize attention. This type of outfit is purely about the corset and nothing else.

A good example of the kind of outfits seen at a gig with dark gothic and rock influence:

From 10:00am to 11:30am we had to create a garment from a pile of recycled clothes. I worked with my classmate Sherine. Our overall design ideas tend to have similar styles and techniques so it was easy for us to work together to create something from nothing. Our design is inspired by a Rock/chick theme, leather-look bodice and a skirt with funky stitching. Using the zip on the outside and creating the button-up back are both features you mite find on any punk/rock outfit. As this was a pressure test we did not focus on quality sewing or seam placement :) This is our design . . .

After conversing on what we mite like to do with an old “Supre” faux leather bodice, faux leather belt and cotton skirt we decided to make a dress.

We Rouched the side seams on the bodice then cut the zip out to allow us to make a button up design with more rouching.

Then we cut a “V” in the center front for design and rouched a little down the center front for a better look. The gathers worked really well but the material wasn’t the best to work with, it often ripped.

The zip became a design feature on the front of the dress.

We then attached the skirt to the bodice and added a small gathered line up one side for added texture.

Sustainable fashion

Many fashion trends are recyclable and circle around about every 20 years or so. For example at the moment a lot of 80’s trends are resurfacing like the shoulder pad, beading and blazers. Many designers draw inspiration from old trends adding twists to create entirely new designs. Another excellent example is the corset. Originally a device for shaping women's body's to achieve the ideal “Hour glass” shape. Now we often ware a corset on the outside as a feature piece to an outfit.

Sustainable designs and fabrics are the future of the fashion world. They are better quality, last longer and have a much more practical feel.

7 Ways You Can Support Sustainable Fashion

1. Try op-shopping. Browsing through vintage stores and op-shops is an adventure, you never know what you will find! And you come away feeling great because you always get a bargain.
2. Now you’ve been to the op-shop, think of all those clothes you have at home that you don’t wear anymore. Are they in good condition? Donating to the Op-shop will continue the cycle.
3. Buy natural fibers. Using natural fibers is better for you and the environment, these fibers tend to breath more so they react better with your natural body heat and movement while synthetic fibers tend to itch and hold heat and sweat to the body. Some examples of natural fibers include: hemp, cotton, bamboo and silk.
4. E-bay. Shopping online is a wonderful experience and a great way to breathe knew life into garments that are still in great condition but for one reason or another are no longer wanted or needed by their previous owners.
5. Have clothes in your closet that you just love and no longer fit into? Learn to sew and create new garments from them. You will have fun turning your old treasured garments into new funky designs.
6. Check out eco friendly brands when buying new. Supporting eco friendly designers will encourage people to continue using sustainable fabrics and designs.
7. Always remember you can re-ware anything you have in your closet. Mix and match old items and don’t forget to experiment, you don’t need a whole knew wardrobe to get a new fab look. Just go through what you already have and get creative.

There are designers and scientists working on new and better sustainable fabrics. Blends using coconut husks, banana peels and other fruits have been developed while other ideas are still in circulation.
Australian designer, Sonja Baumel, has conducted experiments to create a sustainable fabric using skin bacteria on the human body. The growth creates complex fiber layers that can then be crocheted, or woven into fabric and garments. She is currently working on a project called “ Invisible membranes: life on the human body and it’s application’s”It sounds confronting but Sonja says the human body is host to large amounts of bacteria anyway so we might as well use this and ware the sustainable clothing that can be created from it.

Example of woven fabric :

Example of bacterial growth :


Examples of crocheted fabrics :

“crocheted membrane” is a visualization of the growth of bacteria to create complex fiber layers. An organic body hugging silhouette. Displayed concept in Dutch Design Week.