Predominantly I am a product designer, but no designer can be put into a box. So my final undergraduate project aims to solve problems I am passionate about, cycling for everyone, and it so happens it shall be a fashion based solution.
Although no fashion designer, I love drawing and creating and below you can see the design for my jacket begin to take shape.
This jacket is more than just a cycling jacket. The colours, textures and function will be just as lovely on the bicycle as off it.
I love creating my sketchbooks - they show the journey I have embarked upon for this project and I couldn't bear to leave them out. So here is a small copy of the sketchbook pages blended together.
And here are the initial sketches a little bit bigger for you to see:
Diamonds are a girl's best friend: this jacket is in the baby stages of designing. Over the next 4 weeks it will be developed into a physical prototype. Take note of the annotations to the sketch above.
What will make this jacket something special is the attention to detail, sleeves that stay up when you need to them when it gets a bit warm on the bike.
Soft, colourful fabrics but not a strip of fluro yellow/reflective in sight. It will be reflective in subtle piping and woven into the fabric.
Panels of shower proof fabric (such as on the shoulders to keep you dry in soggy situations.
(and that's why it's called Diamonds are a girl's best friend. the panels of showerproofing have been drawn here in diamond shapes).
A cosy collar with magnets in so when you want to wrap up warm as riding along, the collar will snap to attention.
Clever stretch panels by the chest, giving a little more space where the ladies need it.
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More has been added. Below you can see more of my sketch book where I have been developing and drawing the jacket in different colour ways and fabric options. It is a fine balance between this jacket being technically successful for you ladies when on your bicycle and also not looking like a normal high performance cycling jacket. I want it to look like any other lightweight jacket, gorgeous enough to tootle around town in.
jacket 1 ^ jacket 2 ^ jacket 3 ^ jacket 4 ^ + jacket 5 ^ (tracing paper)
Larger copies, so you can read the annotations hopefully! They give details of what the jackets could be made out of, such as showerproof on top and merino inside...
JACKET IDEA 1: a turquoise/blue outer fabric with some cosy, odour-free merino
hiding inside. Reflective piping will be on the seams and edges, therefore quite discreet.
JACKET IDEA 2: a mid/light blue outer fabric with juicy purple detail
on the collar, elbows, chest. Merino again inside with cosy, soft fleece
to snuggle into on the collar.
JACKET IDEA 3: a soft grey fabric makes up the main part of the
jacket with purple detail in the showerproof panels and fleece
detail. Merino inside keeps you a nice temperature
and un-smelly!
JACKET 5 + 6: main part of no.5 would be in a purple pertex 4 fabric and a cosy fleece collar.
Jacket 6 which is folded over on the tracing paper would be in a turquoise/green outer
fabric with vanilla yellow panels and reflective piping in the detail.
