Insufficient allure: the luxurious art and cost of creative pattern cutting

Abstract

Creative pattern cutting really pushes the boundaries of design. It is a luxury that breaks all traditional rules. The whole process however is costly, in both the use of cloth and the time it takes to produce a pattern. This paper examines creative cutting from final year fashion students. It celebrates the student's individual philosophies towards creative cut and examines how the industry promotes pattern cutting to students as a viable career option. The role of the pattern cutter can have as much glamorous allure as the role of the designer although it is at a lower key. Its allure comes from creative satisfaction and integrity. The paper also discusses the realistic and commercial cost implications in the production of creatively cut garments and suggests pragmatic ways to maintain this luxurious creativity with cost effectiveness.Word Count (including title page and references) 5465.

Moda Tasarımı Eğitiminde Yaratıcı Tasarım ve Kalıp Geliştirme için Origami Kullanımı

“…For many students, pattern making can be a challenging part of their studies. This reinforces ideas explored by Almond (2010) that due to the technical nature of pattern making, students are often put off which has a knock-on effect on their creative process [8]. This project, therefore, strives to develop a system wherein pattern making and design become interdependent on each other.…”

How can a box become a garment

“…Almond (2010) supports this when he states "it should be emphasised, however, that pattern cutting is never completely mastered" (p.17). Designing garments that have not existed before brings new technical challenges to the maker that need to be resolved through past experience, problem solving and trial and error.…”

Notes on wearer–worn attachments: Learning to wear

“…What characterizes the production as 'experimental' is mainly the process of creation and production, where the main driver behind the production is rather the exploration of methods than the merchantability of the finished pieces. Elaborated under creative pattern cutting methods (Almond 2010), the pieces are commercialized solely by the designer's studio under pre-scheduled times in a one-to-one service. The main processual difference between this and mainstream clothing design is that whilst in the latter the final pieces are sketched out and designed in advance, in the former the creative process lies in creating methods for the patterns that serve as a base for cutting the clothes.…”