Two Things

First, here is a photo of one of my skirts from Escape, featured in a photoshoot for Elle Magazine SA. The Photoshoot was done by Elle New Talent Search fashion photography finalist Gerhard Coetzee.

Second...

I WON OPTIMISTIC REBELS! YES! A big thank you to all my supporters who voted for me and put up with all my annoying begging and bugging.

Jessi

Escape

Thanks to my dearest friend Nina for reminding me to post my first range movie, Escape, also made by Ross Charnock. It gives a very good feel for what my range is overall all about. My third year range (surprisingly, called Escape) is an exploration into the psychological experience of the clothes wearer, and what I've done is really tried to create a range that subconsciously gives off vibes of cool, calm and collected and allows it's wearers to feel like they are ecsaping the chaos of daily life. Unfortunately, it doesn't feel like much of an escape to the designer (myself), who has spent countless hours making patterns, sewing, writing theses and rushing around town to numerous fabric shops trying to find bits of this and that, cloth, buttons, etc. I must admit... I can't wait for the end.

Anyways, have a link: http://www.vimeo.com/12291524

Enjoy!
Jessi

Fashion Film Update

My fashion film is nearly ready for viewing! In the mean time, check out these stills from the shoot.

Jessi

After the Shoot

One thing I've learnt about the creative industry, is that things never seem to work out the way you imagined them.

The location we chose for my fashion film was an open-air theatre in St. Georges Park, a quaint botanical garden in PE. The theatre area is simply gorgeous, with wind-beaten white pillars and cracked, faded brick steps laid into the grass. We chose this location to make subtle commentary on the fact that cloth architecture played a big role in the design process for the two particular outfits being featured in this film. The outfits are dresses made entirely out of mohair cloth, and I've really explored the capabilities and boundaries of mohair as a textile for this project. Anyway, enough design babble.
We arrived, film equipment and two mohair enrobed models in hand, at the location to find that our fashion film haven had turned into a hobo hotel overnight. The comatose man slumped in the corner; beer bottle still in hand; didn't quite lend us the mystic atmosphere we were hoping for. So it was back to the drawing board. We traipsed back to the car, slightly discombobulated and disappointed, but on a mission to find a new location before the models' make-up faded.
About an hour of driving around the outskirts of PE (with, from my side, only half a clue of where we actually were) led us to it. The Spot. An abandoned building project, which Stacy (one of the models) says has been in this condition for the past few years. It was quite breathtaking actually, seeing two white, soft and fluffy mohair creations placed curiously in this empty, discarded and saddeningly gray cement home. The contrast speaks volumes, and somehow the beauty of these two inquisitive models brings out the shy charm of the dutsy rooms and broken rafters, most of all the experience left me with a bee in my bonnet about the depths of inspiration potential to be found in unexpected places like that one. It was really something to behold, the flow of creativity from all of us in that lonely shell of a building.
While we wait to see the film, here is an illustration I did a few months back of one of my mohair dresses. It's drawn in chalk with a bit of editing in Photoshop.

Bucketloads of thanks to Ross Charnock; cinematographer and editor; who as I type is putting together this mini cinema masterpiece. Also thanks to my enthusiastic and beautiful models, Stacy and Phee, as well as Stuart who tagged along to look after camera equipment. The film will be posted as soon as it's ready! I can't wait!
Jessi

Saturday Morning

...very early. In a few minutes I'll be off to shoot a new short film for my third year range. Why do photographers like working so darn early in the morning? Anyway, I'm excited. I'll post the film as soon as it's ready.


Jessi