服のかたちをつくる

Creating the shape of the clothes

As of August 2023.
I am currently making new clothing in preparation for my trip to Laos next month.

When making clothes, what is needed is "design" and "pattern."
When designing, we start with rough sketches and drawings, but when it comes to patterns, it's a meticulous job of actually drawing out the design for the garment down to the millimeter.

There are two main methods for making patterns: flat drawing and three-dimensional cutting. As the names suggest, you can either draw a pattern on paper on a flat surface, or you can create the pattern by placing the fabric on a mannequin (a type of mannequin shaped like a human).

Until now I've mainly worked with flat design drafting, but I've started incorporating three-dimensional cutting as I want to create patterns while experimenting with the shapes I have in my head.

Another thing I've been conscious of recently is "reducing fabric waste."
In the Western dressmaking philosophy, clothes are made to fit the "curved human body", so the more curves there are in the clothes, the more fabric is wasted. However, the clothes have beautiful lines when worn.

On the other hand, kimonos, which are the basis of Japanese clothing, are made by sewing a single bolt of cloth measuring 36cm in width into a kimono without any waste, and it can even be unraveled and returned to its original shape as a bolt of cloth.

Having first studied Western dressmaking, I came to understand the nature of kimonos, and was once again amazed at how efficient they were.

And when I thought about the fact that the cotton that Laotian producers carefully cultivated is spun into thread by hand and then woven by hand, I wanted to reduce the waste by even 1 cm2.

The fusion of flat design and three-dimensional cutting,
A fusion of Western and Japanese dressmaking (straight cutting),
I would like to create a third path by effectively blending these opposing processes.

I am currently working on a haori jacket inspired by Japanese traditional clothing.
I want to create clothes that look like cool kimonos or Western clothing.

The one in the photo is still in the draft stage. It will continue to get deeper.

I'm looking forward to the day when I can show it to everyone.
I will continue to work hard on shaping it.

 

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