Michael Kidner | Live Brief

In this unit I have also been undertaking the Michael Kidner Live Brief, seeking his paintings as inspiration and interpreting shape and colour. I have responded to the brief and created a collection of samples, with potential to create knitted dresses for fashion.

I have been particularly drawn to the simplicity of waves and lines within his work, and the construction of overlapping elements. I find this layout creates illusions and an energetic vibe throughout his paintings.

Pink, Green and Blue Wave, 1965

My main inspiration is one of Michael Kidners’ oil paintings. I was especially drawn to the bold colour palette, yet I have similarly found something interesting in the movement of lines. Although these lines are soft, I like how there is low points and a high point which creates the wave, reminding me of triangular shapes. I have gained visual inspiration from triangular architecture as well as artist Bridget Riley and her subtle wavy line designs.

At first when sampling for this brief, I struggled with the proportion of colour and working with such a bright palette as I am not used to creating such bold collections. I found that colours weren’t complimenting each other when sat so close together in a sample, therefore I added white Lycra to break up the clash and to add that slight movement and pinch in areas of knit.

I gained contextual research from Missoni 2016 collection. I was inspired by the different techniques used in order to break the stripe of colour and add a sense of movement in fabrics. Furthermore, I gained a lot of visual inspiration for this brief at Pitti Fair in Florence. I particularly liked the fabrics below, with a strong focus on triangles and repeated shape. I enjoy how simple the design is yet techniques add structure and volume. 

Pitti - Florence

When I got into designing this collection I really enjoyed it, it was a nice change to use different yarn qualities and a bold palette. I commonly use mock rib and plaiting in my samples, however for this brief I used it in a different way thinking about creating shapes instead of lines which worked successfully.This collection encouraged me to try new techniques such as racking and chevron, which also communicate a triangular theme in a different way, making my collection as a whole more varied.