Priya Pakad

RETURN TO THE COUNTRYSIDE is my interpretation of the A/W 14 trend forecast. After leading a fast paced and exhaustive lifestyle for ages, humans are realising the significance of intangible things in life-Nature being the most important one. People are returning to the picturesque countryside, be it to unwind, get closer to nature or relive their childhood memories. The KEYWORDS are- UNWIND SERENE NOSTALGIA WARMTH PICTURESQUE

I have always been amazed by the beauty of the countryside, especially the farms. The patches of land, all of different sizes, textures and tones, remind me a of collage blown out of proportion. This mood board allowed me to take it ahead. The arrangement of the farms reminds me of an irregular grid, which is what my concept was. The paper concepts show a gradual process of how the concept transformed over the time. I began with a simple grid with varying tonalities and textures. Later, I incorporated the hedges of the farms to create a relief effect. As elements in nature are not in perfect symmetry or order, the relief edges of the grid units are broken in certain portions to make it more organic.

The final paper concept was translated into fabrics. The following four surfaces are the main surfaces of my collection and are inspired by the countryside. The woven fabric is a double cloth construction, so that the different colours of the grid can be achieved. The edges of each unit of the grid, which are in relief, are woven by creating loop piles of wool, which are later agitated with soap and water, so that the wool fibres shrink to form felt, a process commonly known as felting. This sample was an attempt at adding an element of glitter to the surface, by weaving silver yarn all over in small quantity.

This sample has the use of textured yarn in the felted edges along with a different colour palette as a whole.

Here, yarns of different weights are used to give a variety of textures within the grid.

This sample is in the true Hilfiger colours- red and blue. Also the edges have not been felted and hence the loop pile can be seen clearly.

When the size of the grid is slightly blown up.

Along with the main surfaces, the collection also consists of coordinate surfaces, which include stripes of varying widths (textured and non textured), checks, and plain textures.

The final ensembles of my collection.