DST65004 - Fashion Project 1

 21/04/26 Week 1 Fashion project 01

In this first week and the first class of fashion project is handled by Mr. JR. In the beginning of the class Sir JR give us a module brief of what we have to do for the next few months. which is we're gona create a couture/ evening gown about Malaysia Tapestry. before that Sir JR told us to pick a random state which he already mixed the paper so that we can't choose the one we want to get specificly. each state got 3 people , which i get Sabah for my state. Sir Jr give us a chance to change the state that we dont want to other classmate , but i dont want cuz im already happy for what i've got :p.

  

after that Sir JR told us to do some research about our each state tapestry like the heritage handicraft, costume, textiles, motifs, and traditional garments. we have to make a sketchbook creatively an so he moodboard. Sir JR also give us his sketchbook back in the 99's and senior's sketchbook as the example that we have to do. 

REFLECTION

during this first week i felt excited and curous about the project because it's my first time exploring the traditional textiles and the cultural identity of malasyia in depth. i also felt motivated after seeing the sketchbook examples from mr jr and the seniors because it gave me inspiration on how creative and detailed our work should be. this class session helped me to understand the importance of doing reserach before starting the design process and im looking forward to developing my ideas further through out this project.

28/04/26 Week 2 Fashion project 01

in this 2nd week we have a consultation on the progress of our sketchbook, after we have purchased consultation one by one Sir. JR bought and introduced us how to fabric manipulation using laser cutting, headgear construction involving wire cutting and structural technique, accessories construction, and 3d printing which handled by Mr. Hawk in the taylor's Markerspace. 

before going to see all the machine in the lab room, Mr. Hawk brief us about how to compile the file design to use all of the machine. it is so confusing, really. but i know Mr. Hawk will guided us on how to make it.

 

this is the machine for laser cutting which we can cut pattern , fabric and others for our final execution. after we've been introduced by all of the machine we got back to our studio to continue on our sketchbook.

REFLECTION

this week was very interesting because i was introduced to many technologies and techniques used in fashion design. i realized that fashion its not only about sketching clothes but also involves technical skills and innovative methods. although the file preparation its kinda hard and complicated, i felt excited  to learn something new and useful for my future projects. i also become more inspired to experiment with different materials and constructions for my final design.

05/05/26 Week 3 Fashion project 01

in this week's class we have a very special guest come to our class, Mr John Ang. John was born in Chicago to Singaporean parents and earned both his B.A. and M.A. in Asian Art History from the University of Michigan. After two years in Tokyo as an art journalist for The Japan Times, he moved to Taipei, where he founded a gallery specializing in Asian antiques, furniture, textiles, ceramics, and jewelry. Over 28 years as gallery director, he wrote widely for art magazines in Hong Kong, Singapore, and the United States, and authored a book on Chinese furniture, two books on yoga, and one on Asian cuisine. He has lectured internationally and organized exhibitions across Asia and Malaysia.

John began collecting Malay textiles in 2014, a passion that led him to relocate to Malaysia in 2018 to focus on research and collecting. He has since organized landmark exhibitions, including Malay kelingkam embroidery at the Terengganu State Museum (2019), Splendors of Malay World Textiles in Kuala Lumpur (2023), and an exhibition on Limar and Songket in Kuala Lumpur (2024).

He is currently producing a 10-part video series on his exhibitions, writing a major book on Malay textiles, and helping curate the Malay textile collection of Puan Azah Aziz at the Merdeka 118 Textile Museum, scheduled to open on 21 August 2026.  He  has also received a grant from Yaya san Hasanah to coach 20  students interested in a career in textile collection and curation.

he also showed us a video about his lately exhibition gallery which it is so impressing us about his collection. we also had a q&a session with Mr John Ang about gain of malaysians textile and much. i also ask 1 question to Mr John, which i asked if we only took 1 motif on a textiles is it still remains its origibal identity and he answered that we dont get to take all of the motifs bacuse its too complivcated to draw , we can just only take some part of it and it still part of its identity but it will be randomize or not its original again but still he told me that why are the reason to take that specific motifs, there's a reason to take it. 

 

REFLECTION

this week was one of the most inspiring classes so far because i learned directly from someone who is highly experienced in textile history and collection. mr John Ang helped me understand that every motif and textile has meaning and cultural value. his explanation also made me realize the importance of researching and understanding the story behind the motifs we choose for our designs. i felt more confident and inspired to develop my own ideas creatively while still respecting the originality of traditional textiles.

12/05/26 Week 4 Fashion projet 01

This week Mr john ang come back again to our class, this time he introduced us and sgowed video about his gallery collection about tie dye (pelangi). and he also introduce us to a over 100 years old textiles. he allows us to feel it , its such an honor and a very great opportunity because he said in the museum we cannot touch it and there one textile he said not everyone could see this kind of textiles. we felt very grateful to hae mr john ang because of the textile examples that he bought to our class. 

 this one is a fabric that over 350 years old 

 kebaya with gold plate embroidery. it is a great color combination with the purple kebaya and the bottom part. he said not many people know this kind of fabric anymore. 

 this is the example of the tie dye, the javanesse batik, which he said the motifs is more complicated and hard to make than the other batik.

 this is also another tie dye , which they used to make it with bananas leafs to make the pattern. this is over 100 years old textile.

after that he also going through one by one of each us to take a look on our research sketchbook and our 15-20 initial design. he choose one of 20 of my sketches that he liked. after that sir JR continued to choose 3 initial design to develop again before the final sketch.

 
REFLECTION

this week gave me a deeper appreciation for traditional textiles and craftsmanship. being able to see and touch historical fabrics was such an unforgettable experience because it made me realize how valuable and delicate these textiles are. i also felt happy and motivated when mr John Ang and mr JR selected my designs because it gave me confidence in my creative ideas. this encouraged me to continue improving and developing my designs with more effort and creativity.

19/05/26 Week 5 fashion project 1

in this week we prepared our 15-20 initial design to class to be choosen by sir jr. although he already choose 3 initial design of mine in the last week he want to see the final development that i already redraw into a clean one. after he saw it he told us to make another development of our 3 drawing , each drawing will have 5 sketch which we have to make 15 total development sketch. since we're confused how to develop it, he demonstrated for us on how to develop it.

 

he said we dont have to change all the component of the dresses, we only have to replace it into different kind of direction and the placement and we can also put more fabric into it, but not too much.

here are the results of the 15 development

REFLECTION

this week taught me the importance of design development in the creative process. i learned that even one design can evolve into many possibilities by adjusting small details and experimenting with different arrangements. at first i found it difficult to create multiple developments from the same design, but after mr JR’s demonstration i understood the process better. this exercise helped me improve my creativity and think more critically about balance, structure, and garment composition.

26/05/26 Week 6 fashion project I

this week's class we were asked to arrange the layout for our three design that has been developed. from all of the design, one final design was selected to continue for the next stage. after that we continued working on the technical drawing for the selected design. we also discussed with sir JR for the fabric manipulation and how it could support the final outcome of the garment. and also we have a session with ms amira about how to make our design for laser cutting in adobe illustrator, even though its a bit complicated and hard to work on it first but know it feels easy for us to do it.

REFLECTION 

this week helped me understand the process of developing more clearly. i was happy that one of my design was already chosen for the next stage. doing the technical drawing also helped me practice showing my design more clearly and neatly. the discussion aboout the fabric manipulation gave me more ideas for the final design. overall this week helped me improve my creativity and technical skills in fashion design.

09/06/26 Week 8 Fashion project I

this week class we continued developing our Fashion Project 1. i showed my laser cut design to Sir JR and received feedback on several areas that needed improvement. after making some revisions we to visit the Makerspace to prepare for the laser cutting process.

although my design was not ready for laser cutting yet because some parts of the design were not suitable for the process. the i continued revising and improving the design based on the feedback from Ms Natasha. Sir JR also shared information about an upcoming collaboration with a bridal company ( glamedge ) they planned to organize a photoshoot and display around 50 garments in our studio. we have to select one garment to use as inspiration and incorporate into our future design development.

REFLECTION

this week helped me understand the importance of revising and improving a design before moving into production. i learned that laser cut designs need to be carefully planned to ensure they can be produced successfully. i was also excited to hear about the upcoming collaboration project as it gave me a better idea of how fashion design can be connected to industry experiences.

16/06/26 Week 9 Fashion Project I

This week me and my friends went to the Taylor’s Makerspace to do our laser cutting. It was my first time seeing my Linangkit design being cut using the laser machine and it was exciting because the pieces looked exactly how i planned them. After finishing the laser cutting started making the garment pattern.

(the finished 3 of my fabric manipulations)

i also continued updating my sketchbook by adding my design process, pattern development, and progress for this project.

 

REFLECTION

This week helped me understand how important it is to prepare everything before starting the final garment. The laser cut pieces also made my design look more unique.

23/06/26 Week 10 Fashion Project I

This week i discussed with Sir Jr about which leather colour would look better for my final garment. We compared a few options  before deciding on the one that matched my design best.

 After that, I continued improving my upper-body test fit by adjusting several parts to make the fitting cleaner and more comfortable.

The next day i continued working on the test fit until i completed the whole base garment from the bodice to the skirt.

(the test fit on my model from front,side,back)

Once i was satisfied with the fitting i started cutting the actual fabric for the final garment. i made sure every pattern piece was placed carefully before cutting because i did not want to waste any fabric. 

And i also showe Sir Jr my final outcome of the test fit , Sir Jr then tried to combine both of the laser cut and also the Glamedge dress to see on how my final garment would like.

REFLECTION

Doing the test fit first made me feel more confident before cutting the real fabric. It also showed me that taking more time during the fitting stage can prevent mistakes later.

30/06/26 Week 11 Fashion Project I

This week i started making the inner dress using mesh and horsehair net. Before sewing the final piece i made a small sample to test how both materials would work together. i was happy with the result because it created the shape that i wanted. Sir Jr also helped me by showing me the correct sewing method for these materials since they were quite different from normal fabric.

(try to attach on my model to see how it looks while she walks)

After testing the sample i combined the materials to see how they looked together before continuing with the final garment. Then i started sewing the actual upper body base for my final dress. 

During class we also had a lucky draw to decide our presentation schedule and i got the first presentation day, which made me happy because i could finish my presentation earlier.

REFLECTION

This week helped me improve my sewing skills and gave me more confidence working with different types of fabric. i could also see my garment slowly coming together.

07/07/26 Week 12 Fashion Project I

This week i asked Sir Jr for his opinion about my upper body draping because i was not sure if i should use silk or organza. 

At first i preferred silk because organza was very difficult to cut and it was not easy to attach the doublesided interfacing. After comparing both fabrics on the mannequin we agreed that organza looked much better because it gave more structure and matched the design concept better. 

Even though it was harder to work with the final result looked cleaner and more elegant. After making the final decision i attached the draped bodice to the skirt so it became one complete dress.

(final outcome of the base dress and icluding the upper body drape)

REFLECTION

This week taught me that sometimes the more difficult material can give a much better result. It is important to choose the fabric based on the design not only because it is easier to use.

14/07/26 Week 13 Fashion Project I

This week i had already finished my base dress and the upper body draping. Before that i had to unpick several parts because they were not symmetrical but after fixing them i was finally happy with the result.

 before (the left and the right its not the same and i tried to fixed the right side and followed the left side one)

 after ( inlcuding the net, because when i told Sir Jr the draping its not holded when my model wear it because its kinda loose then Sir Jr asked me to put some net at the center of the drape and between of it to make the draping more holded and not loose) (i also tried it on my model's body to see if its already fit on my model)

Then i started making the outer dress using mesh together with some pieces from the Glamedge dress. My original idea was to create an up and down layered effect so the design would not look too plain or flat. i pinned everything first and showed it to Sir Jr to ask for his opinion.   (also tried on my model to see how it looks like when attached to the dress)

He liked the overall idea but suggested reducing some mesh areas because the Glamedge fabric i had was not enough. After making those changes the design looked more balanced and even better than before.

 

Next i carefully hand stitched the mesh onto the garment. This part was quite challenging because the garment became heavy and making it difficult to sew by hand. i had to unpick and sew several sections again because i wanted everything to look neat. Although it took a long time i finally completed the outer dress. After finishing that i started arranging and attaching my laser cut pieces onto the garment. i test it first before gluing them permanently. Sir Jr also helped me decide the best arrangement so that every part of the garment looked balanced and there were no empty spaces.

By the end of the week, the garment looked much closer to my original design idea and i was very happy to see all the different elements come together.

REFLECTION

This week taught me to be patient because good results take time. Even though i had to unpick and redo many parts, every revision improved my garment. i also learned that getting feedback from my lecturer helped me make such a better design decisions and achieve a stronger final outcome.

21/07/26 Week 14 Fashion Project I