SDC book titles: SPECIAL OFFER

Earlier this year, the SDC repositioned a number of its book titles, including the all exclusive CD-ROM that contains all the most recent editions of the world-renowned SDC textbooks – from student textbooks to laboratory handbooks, the 6000+ pages of content of these books covers topics such as textile dyeing, fibre coloration and dyehouse management, and much more. When coming up with a new title for this CD, we decided to run a Wordle of all our book titles - and this is the 'word cloud' that we came up with: -

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This is a great visual illustration of the topics that are covered within the SDC books portfolio. And so, a new name for the SDC Textile Dyeing Dossier was borne. The dossier contains electronic versions of the 20 textile dyeing books published by the SDC since 1992 and, for the next month (until 10 Oct 2010), we are running an exclusive special offer in relation to this.

SPECIAL OFFER: Receive a choice of 4x selected SDC print titles free of charge with every order of the SDC Textile Dyeing Dossier. Orders must be placed before 10 Oct 2010. Free titles can be selected from:

• Batchwise Dyeing of Woven Cellulosic Fabrics • Blends Dyeing • Cellulosics Dyeing • Colour for Textiles – A User’s Handbook • Colour in Dyehouse Effluent • Engineering in Textile Coloration • Giles’s Laboratory Course in Dyeing • Instrumental Colour Formulation • Theory of Coloration of Textiles • Wool Dyeing •
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For more details of this special offer, see the SDC website here. Please quote reference SDC01 with your order and contact: sales@sdc.org.uk. To view the SDC online shop, where all the SDC publications can be ordered, visit: www.colourclick.org/shop.aspx (free registration is required to access the shop).

For any enquiries relating to books that are not specifically sales-related, please email: editorial@sdc.org.uk.

by CMcN

We are pleased to say the new issue of the SDC members' magazine The Colourist. This issue has a 'textile machinery' theme and features information about the UK manufacturer of quality knitwear, John Smedley Ltd. It is a Smedley design that is featured on the front cover and if you want to see who else is wearing 'a Smedley' these days, check out their company blog, here.

Also in this issue is more information on the SDC one-day wool conference Textiles-UK (taking place in London next month), along with a feature on our competition finalists!

To view the issue, click the image above.

by CMcN

SDC design competition finalists for 2010

"With awareness and understanding comes responsibility"

The finalists in this year’s SDC design competition, sponsored by Clariant, have once again impressed the judges with their awareness of the issues facing the textile coloration industry in terms of social responsibility (as summarised in the above quote from the Australian finalist). As outlined previously, the brief this year asked for the students to demonstrate socially-responsible thinking in their approach to their designs, as well as having colour as a main focus. Heats for the 2010 competition have been held around the world and the many expert judges have cogitated over which collection was deemed to be the most innovative and creative of all the entries, showing the student’s understanding of social responsibility and the issues which surround the fashion and textiles industry today.

The nine country finalists were recently announced and all will now go on to compete for the SDC Colour Design Award 2010 at the grand final in London this October.

Finalists
Australia: Anna Langdon (Sydney Institute)
China: Shihao Bai (Xi'an Academy of Fine Arts)
Hong Kong: Kwok Wai Liu (Hong Kong Design Institute)
Ireland: Sinead Geraghty (National College of Art & Design)
India: Swaroopa Adusumilli (College of Home Science)
Pakistan: Mariam Mobeen Shah (Iqra University Islamabad)
Singapore: Meng Jing (Lasalle College of the Arts)
South Africa: Laduma Ngxokolo (Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University)
UK: Kelly Taylor (De Montfort University)

Finalists (pictured in rows from L-R): Australia, China, India, Ireland, Pakistan, South Africa and the UK:

(Photo of the Singapore finalist will be added here when available)

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Designs
The finalists in this year’s competition have been inspired by many and varied factors. Examples include the trip to Nepal that inspired Sinead Geraghty (Ireland) to produce materials made from local fibres and resources commonly used in textile production in developing countries and Swaroopa Adusumilli (India) who was inspired by working with local weavers in rural communities on eco-friendly textile solutions. Traditional weaving techniques inspired Shihao Bai (China) in his designs, Kwok Wai Liu (Hong Kong) was influenced by rainforest ecology, and Anna Langdon (Australia) took her inspiration from Scottish and Bavarian national costumes. The fabrics utilised ranged from mohair, chosen by Laduma Ngxokolo (South Africa) for his knitwear because of its of durability, warmth, flame resistance and colour fastness, and the fine-knitted samples produced by Kelly Taylor (UK). The remaining two finalists, Mariam Mobeen Shah (Pakistan) and Meng Jing (Singapore), also had an eco-focus in their designs. On reaching the final, Meng Jing comments, ‘The SDC competition is a great platform for designers to be seen in the eyes of the creative scene. I am truly honoured to have participated and be representing Hong Kong at the grand final in London.’

Design by Laduma Ngxokolo (South Africa)

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The Society acknowledges the support of all the judges, sponsors and volunteers who were involved in the regional and country heats, without whom the competition would not be possible. Each of the global finalists’ work will be exhibited following the Textiles-UK conference and the winner (recipient of £1000 and Veronica Bell trophy) will be announced at a ceremony in the magnificent Clothworkers’ Hall on 5 Oct 2010.

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The 2011 has now been launched to colleges, with the theme ‘reduce, recycle, reuse’. For details, contact: marketing@sdc.org.uk

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by CMcN

New speakers announced for Textiles-UK

Image: Colourful, high quality knitwear from John Smedley Ltd

The latest speaker to be added to the programme for the SDC conference taking place this autumn - Textiles-UK - is Andrew Caughey, the managing director of John Smedley Ltd - a company, with roots in the Derbyshire countryside, known for its high quality knitwear and a 225-year heritage.
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Andrew joins the keynote speaker, Malcolm Campbell (of Retail & Textiles Co.), along with a whole host of experts:
- Peter Ackroyd, Campain for Wool
- Peter Duffield, Global Textiles Associates
- Bill Macbeth, Textile Centre for Excellence
- David Lewis, University of Leeds
- Rebecca Sharpe, Australian Wool Innovation.
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The conference chair is Eric Musgrave, director general of the UK Fashion & Textile Association. Within the fantastic programme for this event which is taking place, there will be a strong focus on best practice, sustainability and the many benefits of using wool. The future will also be a main focus with the innovations and potential for wool.
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For the full programme, visit: http://www.textiles-uk.org.uk/.
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by CMcN

Early bird rates for Textiles-UK: book now!

The SDC is pleased to announce a brand new event this autumn, co-hosted by the SDC, Dyers' Company and Clothworkers' Company: Textiles-UK. This one-day conference will take place in London on 5 October 2010 and will focus on wool. This event will look at:

- The vital role of the wool industry in the UK, including the impact on the UK economy

- Its technical properties and diversity of uses

- The many benefits of using wool including its role in sustainability and as an environmentally friendly fibre

- The future - the use of technology, the innovations and the potential for wool.

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This innovative fibre has been featured highly in 2010, being the focus of the HRH Prince Charles' Wool Project (which was launched at the start of this year) and the theme of the SDC's magazine The Colourist in April (to view this issue, click here). The 'year of wool' will culminate with the SDC's Textiles-UK.

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An impressive line-up of speakers will talk about the technical innovations of wool and developments facing the wool industry. Full details available on the event website: http://www.textiles-uk.org.uk/.

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The venue for the event is the outstanding Clothworkers' Hall in the City of London, which - following the full day's conference - will be the backdrop for the grand final of the SDC International Design Competition 2010, for which all the country finalists have been chosen and will be announced in the next blog installment.

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by CMcN

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World Cup colours

As football mania sweeps the world, it is timely to plug a recent article in our online journal. Have you ever caught yourself wondering during any of the World Cup matches exactly what you concentrate on the most when watching a football game (or any team game for that matter)? Let's say there is a World Cup match on and you aren't too bothered which team wins, do you think the colour of the players' football strips will influence how long you watch a certain team? And will the colour of their shirts have any impact on the end result?

These are the sorts of questions that are raised in a recent article in Colour: Design & Creativity (see http://www.colour-journal.org/ in issue 4) by a team of scientists at Kyoto University of Technology (Japan) working with colleagues at the University of Leeds (UK). Research has shown, that colours used in sportswear and sport goods have been have been found to get more and more saturated over the years. This may be due to commercial reasons, such as the demand from sport sponsors to get the attention of viewers.

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But perhaps a more important reason is that players need to easily distinguish themselves from the other team on the field and thus increase their chances of winning the game. If the football strips of both teams are similar in colour, the players will find it difficult to distinguish between their team mates and their opponents. But, if the colour of a uniform has a high contrast colour against the background colour, say red uniform against green grass, the high colour contrast may improve the team's performance.

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Interesting stuff! To read more about this study, pelase click here to read the full article online here. And don't forget that if you wish to know when new content is published in the journal, you will need to sign up (for free) here. Also, did you know that you you can now view the full contents of the journal in a searchable 'at-a-glance'' document? Click here to view (PDF).

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by CMcN

Latest issue of The Colourist published

We are pleased to say the new issue of the SDC members' magazine The Colourist. This issue has a 'social responsibility' theme and features the colourful work of textile designer Akihiko Izukura on the front cover. To view the issue, click the image above.

by CMcN

Design competition - UK final

The SDC design competition heat winners (previously announced here) from the SDC regions across the length and breadth of Britain - London Region, Midlands Region, N England Region, Scottish Region and W England/S Wales Region - came together for the UK final which took place at Nottingham Trent University (NTU) last week.
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Judging
Each of the five finalists had the opportunity, individually, to meet the judges and talk about the inspiration for their designs and, in particular, their focus on colour and social responsibility. The judges included, pictured L-R below: Chris Sargeant, SDC Board trustee for fashion and design; Saloni Sachdev, design expert visiting for the occasion from India; Laura McCafferty, textile artist and designer; and Kathy Dickinson, senior tutor at NTU School of Art & Design.
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Judges talking with Lauren Chiu, London Region finalist (Lauren not pictured)

Kelly Taylor, Midlands Region finalist, talking with the judges

Workshop
As part of their experience in the UK final, each of the students also had chance to take part in a unique dyeing workshop with renowned Japanese textile artist Akihiko Izukura - a highlight for many, particularly as the students were also lucky enough to be invited to a private view of Mr Izukura's Life in Colours exhibition at NTU (outlined in this previous blog post).

Mr Izukura in the workshop with Laura Dowey, the N England Region finalist (front left) and Lauren Chiu, London Region finalist (front right)

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Sarah Finlay, Scottish Region finalist, in the workshop

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During the workshops, the finalists worked with natural extracts from plants and insects to dye silk garments following an ancient traditional practices followed by Mr Izukura that have at the route a zero-waste concept.

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Reception

Next the finalists had the opportunity to exhibiting their own work at a reception where SDC members and colour experts had chance to view their designs and talk with the students.
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All the finalists at the reception are pictured above, with Chris Sargeant, pictured L-R, and below with their work:

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-Kelly Taylor, De Montfort University (Midlands Region)
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-Laura Dowey, University of Huddersfield (N England Region)

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-Sarah Finlay, Duncan of Jordanstone (Scottish Region)

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-Lauren Chiu, Central St Martins College of Art & Design (London Region)

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-Olivia Goss, Plymouth College of Art & Design (W England/S Wales Region)

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During the reception, each of the finalists were presented with gifts sponsored by NCS and the UK winner was announced as Kelly Taylor from De Montfort University. The judges deemed her entry to be the most innovative and creative, outlining a clear understanding of social responsibility and the issues which surround the fashion and textiles industry today. Commented Kelly, who is in her final year studying textile design, 'In my designs, I was influenced by the pattern, texture and colour of worn ancient oriental armour and I combined a variety of fabric weights, textures and techniques to create the collection.'

UK final winner Kelly Taylor

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Thanks to all the judges that were involved in the final, and the heats thus far, as well as to all the SDC regional committees for organising the heats, judging and regional prizes. Kelly will now go on to the grand final in London in October, along with all the other country winners from Australia, China, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, Pakistan, Singapore and South Africa. The Hong Kong finalist has already been decided and we'll be announcing all the country winners by the end of June, so watch this space!

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by CMcN

UK heats of the SDC design competition

Image: Entry in the N England heat (design by Saarah Mughal)

The global heats in the SDC International Design Competition 2010 - open to fashion and textile undergraduate students - are well underway. By the end of this week, the student who will be representing the UK at the grand final in October will be known. And by the end of next month, all the country finalists will be announced!

Over the past few months, competition heats have been held over the length and breadth of the UK and we are pleased to announce the regional winners and runners-up here. In regional alphabetical order:

LONDON REGION
Winner: Lauren Chiu, Central St Martins College of Art & Design
Runner-up#1: Rebecca Alexander, Chelsea College of Art & Design
Runner-up#2: Davjot Kaur Bamrah, London Met University

MIDLANDS REGION
Winner: Kelly Taylor, De Montfort University
Runner-up#1: Emily Whitesmith, Loughborough University
Runner-up#2: Harriet Foster, Nottingham Trent University

N ENGLAND REGION
Winner: Laura Dowey, University of Huddersfield

SCOTTISH REGION
Winner: Sarah Finlay, Duncan of Jordanstone

W ENGLAND/S WALES REGION
Winner: Olivia Goss, Plymouth College of Art

Thanks to all the judges that have been involved thus far, as well as to all the SDC regional committtees for organising the heats, judging and the regional prizes.
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Image: Entry in the Midlands heat (design by Emily Whitesmith)

As blogged last month (see here), the UK final takes place in Nottingham within the next couple of days. On Thursday, the winners of all the regional heats will meet the judges, they will take part in the unique Akihiko Izukura's dyeing workshop on Friday morning, they will be exhibiting their work in front of SDC members and colour experts, and they will attend a reception where the UK winner will be announced on Friday evening. More news on the UK final, with images of all the finalists' work, soon!

by CMcN

'Life in Colours' exhibition

Image: textile by Akihiko Izukura

A colourful exhibition by Akihiko Izukura, opens this week at Nottingham Trent University, UK. The practice of this renowned Japanese textile artist, which is always based on 'compassion for life', involves minimal waste during the process of dyeing, spinning and weaving, and 'sun and water circulation', using the natural power of the sun and water to save energy during design. His approach to fabric production includes natural dyeing, weaving, netting, braiding and entwining to create textile objects and fashion garments.

Zero waste concept
Based on a zero waste concept, Akihiko's work is based on the idea of 'appreciation for the life given to use from nature.' Some might consider this approach to his designs encompasses social responsibility at its core, ensuring that sustainable methods are pursued in all aspects of design.

Very apt then that Akihiko will be running a workshop for the UK finalists in the SDC International Design Competition in Nottingham next month, as the competition has social responsibility as its theme this year (it's all about colour too). A full list of UK finalists will be released soon; watch this space!

Colour conference
Akihiko is also the keynote speaker at the SDC COLOUR CONFERENCE, taking place at NTU on Friday 7 May. Spaces are still available for this exciting event; more details about the conference (and some other colourful events taking place that day too), plus information about booking, click here (PDF).

The LIFE IN COLOURS exhibition in NTU's Bonington Gallery opens on 22 April and runs until 14 May; for more information, click here (external link).

by CMcN

Can you own a colour?

The latest article published in the SDC online journal Colour: Design & Creativity (www.colour-journal.org) looks at colour ownership. This is not the first time such a topic has been looked at in an SDC publication; some years ago, an article published in The Colourist (see here) asked that very question - can you own a colour?

Any attempt to regulate or claim ownership of particular colours calls into question the nature of colour itself: what exactly is it that is to be regulated or owned? This is certainly an interesting debate and one which the author expands on, putting forward the argument that there are at least seven different kinds of colours. To read the full journal article in issue 4 of Colour: Design & Creativity, click here.

The author, Paul Green-Armytage (Curtin University of Technology), will also have a contribution in the next issue of the journal (issue 5), which is a special issue in association with AIC. Included will be a number of papers based on presentations given at the AIC Colour Congress 2009 which took place in Australia last October, with one review article, two galleries and 13 research papers all pre-selected by the guest editor (Nick Harkness) and the special issue committee. This issue will open soon; watch this space for the full content listing!

If you would like to hear more about this journal in the future, you can email editorial@sdc.org.uk or visit the journal website to subscribe. All content published in Colour: Design & Creativity is currently free to access and subscribers receive regular e-alerts when new content is available online.

by CMcN

New issue of The Colourist published

We are pleased to say the new issue of the SDC members' magazine The Colourist has now been published and will be mailed out to all SDC members around the world next week. This issue has a 'wool dyeing' theme and features the colourful work of designer Ella Robinson on the front cover!

by CMcN

Planet Textiles - new sustainability event

Bookings now open!

This exciting new event is dedicated to improving the environmental and social impact of the global textile and clothing supply chain - brought to you by the SDC, the publisher of Ecotextile News and Messe Frankfurt.

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Planet Textiles takes place on 18 March 2010 in Hong Kong and is supported by leading industry organisations and international clothing retailers. It is being launched in Hong Kong alongside the Interstoff Asia Essential fabric exhibition and will be an annual international event on eco-textiles, moving to different locations around the globe in conjunction with Messe Frankfurt exhibitions.

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The theme of the first event is 'Changing the Culture – Placing Sustainability at the Heart of the Organisation' and it will see representatives from some of the world’s leading clothing and textile companies addressing the very latest issues on sustainability throughout the textiles and clothing supply chain.

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The full line-up has been announced, with a keynote address from Cara Chacon (director of CSR, Patagonia, USA), who will discuss managing sustainable change in a major retail organisation and across the supply chain. The conference will hear executives from leading global companies, such as Adidas and Lenzing.

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There will be Q&A sessions during the day-long event, chaired by John Mowbray (Ecotextile News) and Andrew Filarowski (SDC technical director) and there will also be a parallel 'ask the expert' session, hosted by the main sponsor of this event Huntsman, on the topic of dyeing and finishing.

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The full programme and information about booking can be found at: http://www.planet-textiles.com/

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by CMcN

New SDC corporate colours

The SDC has a new visual identity – an identity that is evolutionary, rather than revolutionary, enabling the Society to move forward into the 21st century, whilst honouring its incredible heritage. This last year has seen the SDC positioning itself for the future, with a new vision and a new business plan in place. As part of the business planning process, a Board decision was taken to rebrand. It was felt that a strong, consistent identity which reflects our new vision was fundamental to the delivery of our business plan.

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Rationale for the new brand colours
The colours in the new SDC logo reflect the organisational values and vision: purple is included to evoke quality, encouraging thoughts of the highest standards; this is mixed with the efficiency, reliability and trustworthiness of blue; and rounded off with warm bright yellow and turquoise to emphasise the young, forward thinking aspects of the new brand.

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The process involved

A rebranding process was initiated, with the input of colour psychology consultants, Colour Affects, in regards to the colour choice for the new logo, working with designer Harmeet Sembi to bring together ideas that would result in a coherent corporate brand. It was seen as important to maintain the colour mauve/purple within the new corporate colours, with perhaps a slightly stronger hue. The significance of purple to the SDC is linked to Sir William Henry Perkin’s discovery of mauveive, the first synthetic dye. It was Perkin's recognition of the potential of mauve as a dye, coupled with his iron determination to commercialise it, that sparked that launched the modern synthetic chemical industry.

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The full palette

Therefore, in honour of Perkin and the colour he invented, purple remains an ‘SDC colour’, with a specific selection of colours available within the full palette. Every colour in the brand palette has a positive relationship with every other colour (this principle is at the heart of the Colour Affects System of applied colour psychology) and these are outlined in the new SDC branding guidelines (PDF file) which is available on the downloads section of the SDC website. Requests for a print-resolution logo can be sent to marketing@sdc.org.uk.

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by CMcN

Competition: colour and social responsibility

The SDC International Design Competition 2010 has been launched. The brief asks for a creative, imaginative and original use of colour in fashion or textiles, with a theme of social responsibility, which might see entrants answering questions along the lines of:

· What are the opportunities for incorporating elements of social responsibility into design?
· What impact does the choice of materials have on all the elements in the supply chain?
· How long are clothes expected to last? Does quality manufacturing provide for social responsibility?
· Natural dyes and fibres vs synthetic dyes and fibres – is it true that ‘natural’ always means better for the environment?
· What role does technology have?

Full details of the brief and the required deliverables are available to download from the SDC website, along with information on how to enter/competition rules. The competition is open to fashion or textile undergraduate students in the following countries:

// Australia // China // Hong Kong // India // Ireland //
New Zealand // Pakistan // Singapore // South Africa // UK

Tutors must pre-select three students per college to enter the regional heats. These will generally be held in the 2nd quarter of 2010 and dates will be announced when available. All country finalists will be invited to the grand final in London in October 2010 and will be in for a chance of winning the SDC Colour Design Award 2010, with a prize of £1000 plus the Veronica Bell Trophy.

If you want to find out more, please get in touch without delay!
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Image: cover of Sep/Oct 2009 issue of FRAME magazine which was jam-packed with colour-related items. More information at: www.framemag.com
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by CMcN

Environmental dyeing

Today sees the second part of the two-phase launch of the - first ever - SDC special interest group (SIG) which will have a focus of environmental dyeing.

It goes without saying that the dyeing and finishing sectors, historically, have been big energy users and often portrayed as using large amounts of energy and water and being a polluter through effluent. However, there is often a public misconception of the current industry, which, increasingly, is seeing the implementation of best practice policies resulting in evermore eco-efficient dyehouses worldwide.

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The SDC has a role to play in this area and through the engagement of strategic alliances with respected environment lobby and resource groups based globally, it will further allow for the promotion of best practice. A key objective for the SDC is to promote good ethical and environment working practice within the textile and coloration supply chain and, in this respect, ensures information and practical advice is available to members and the industry as a whole.

By engaging people with similar goals for the industry and providing one viable and trusted source for information on the topic the SIG will be able to influence the industry and create an environmental and sustainable industry for the future providing confidence for the consumer. It is open to anyone, anywhere in the world with an interest in this topic - which will be made possible by making use of digital technologies (a dedicated WikiSpace is now available).

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Anyone, interested in joining, please get in touch without delay!

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by CMcN

Colour: Design & Creativity

A new article has been published in Colour: Design & Creativity, the SDC online journal available at: http://www.colour-journal.org/. The study deals with the influence of the background on the colour appearance of images and the perception of these; read it here. Issue 4 of the journal is open for submissions and we are keen to hear from authors of regular research articles or review papers, or any artists/designers wishing to submit work to the gallery section. Please contact us at: editorial@sdc.org.uk
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Colour and design were also a key feature at the seminars held last week at the 100% Design exhibition in London, which were organised by Global Color Research/The Mix and featuring experts from a variety of backgrounds inluding GCR and NCS. The GCR stand was very inspiring, with visitors given the opportunity to predict their own colour trends for interiors (shown here).

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The NCS stand also was busy, with visitors checking out the new NCS Navigator brand new application system, which was being demonstarted on the stand and is available through the NCS website.

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Lots of other interesting exhibitors too, including textile designer Sophie Hedderwick, with her Reglo, recycled chair woven with neon wires pictured here.

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Texprint prize winners 2009

A whole host of deserving young designers received recognition as recipients of Texprint First View prizes in July. All the six prize winners are featured on ColourClick, with a full profile available of the Colour Prize winner to follow. Here we are happy to be able share their amazing designs, to delight and inspire!

COLOUR PRIZE: Lisa Stannard : : Profile
Degree: BA Textile Design
Manchester Metropolitan University School of Art

'“People, Places and Things” provide the source for original illustrations which inspire a sophisticated range of digital print designs'

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BREAKING NEW GROUND: Nicola Strathearn
Degree: MA Mixed Media Textiles Royal College of Art

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'Organic growths such as lichen and fungi inspire curious combinations of materials creating innovative and intriguing manipulated fabric designs'

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INTERIOR FASHION: Nancy Taplin

Degree: BA Fashion and Textiles Colchester School of Art & Design

'Embellished print designs informed by narratives drawn from an eclectic personal collection of cultural and historical emblems'

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KNIT: Hollie Maloney

Degree: BA Fashion & Textiles

University of Brighton

'Knitwear design collection inspired by the eco-architecture and the accidental colour within the photography of structure'

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PRINT PRIZE: Ruth Davis

Degree: BA Fashion Design

University of Northumbria

'“Tin Can Alley” celebrates the quintessentially British charm of Scarborough and its market vaults in a collection of screen-printed designs'

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WEAVE: Martha Steadman

Degree: BA Textile Design

Central St Martin’s College of Art and Design

'Traditional associations in the Welsh valleys. Double cloth “carthen” weaving influences a contemporary and personal woven design collection'

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The SDC is pleased to have supported the First View Exhibition for another year, and pleased also to have had a chance to meet all the 24 students who exhibited in London. Pictured below is the SDC chief executive Susie Hargreaves with the Interior Fashion prize winner Nancy Taplin, who was also the runner up in our very own global design competition this year (read more here).

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Good luck to all the prize winners when they exhibit their designs at Indigo (in Paris) in September and at Interstoff Asia (in Hong Kong) in October!

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by CMcN

Photos and feedback from the final in Goa

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Finalists on arrival in Goa
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The finalists (and organisers) in Goa it seems had a trip of a lifetime. And now here are some more photos and feedback from the whole trip. It is hoped that all the finalists felt that they came out of it (in some way) as winners – it was truly a life-changing experience for all these young designers.

With so many shared experiences and discoveries of new cultures, the focus of the competition – colour and sustainability in design – was also at the heart of many a lively discussion between the students. It was not only environmental aspects of sustainability that were considered but also social and economic, and for young designers, who are yet to taste the industrial world, there were some very good ideas put forward, as many industry experts agree.

On the first evening, the Indian finalist Bijal Vora (pictured), hosted a Mehendi session (henna tattoos) which was a great way for everyone to get to know each other. Bijal commented, on being invited to Goa, "When we were invited to Goa, many of my friends and family members told me that go to this beach it's very nice, go to that church it's very ancient and so on... But when I reached the venue and met other students, frankly speaking I didn't wanted to miss any opportunity of interacting with such talented students, teachers and SDC members."

All the finalists had an Ajrakh workshop (block printing with natural dyes), led by the expert Mr Abdul Razzak Khatri, a 9th generation Ajrakh printer of Kutch Dhamadka and a UNESCO awardee artisan.



This was most certainly one of the highlights for many, with everyone coming away with their own piece of printed fabric. Moipone Qekisi (from South Africa) sums up the experience, "The block printing workshop was the most exciting experience for me, meeting an Indian master craftsman who had passion for his art was very inspiring. In textile history we learned a lot about Indian textiles and block printing in particular. I felt very privileged to have been part of workshop that most students in my university would probably never get a chance to experience." A few of the finalists hard at work here (clockwise from left, Moipone, Nancy Taplin from the UK, Nabil Hasan Khan from Bangladesh and XiYue Zhao from China):




Next came the judging and all the finalists had a great respect for each of the judges: Latika Khosla, Sue Williams and Savio Jon. Nadia Khan (the finalist from Pakistan), commented, "The judges input was very insightful and all the finalists' work was extremely inspiring! I learnt so many new things from my time in Goa and I'm so grateful for this wonderful opportunity."

After the judging, the students were welcomed by the delegates at the conference and had to take to the stage!



The next day, there was a chance for the delegates to view the finalists' work during the exhibition prior to the awards ceremony [below: Erika Neumayer (USA) with her design boards in the exhibition, and XiYue Zhao (China); as well as Nadia Khan (Pakistan) and Angelina Anderson (Australia) discussing their work with delegates].

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And then came time for the presentation of prizes. First there was a presentation to Mr Abdul Razzak Khatri (who received a big cheer from the students!) and then all the finalists received a gift and certificate. Pictured below: Mr Rassak Khatri with Mr Rakesh Sachdev; CS Balajee (India) being presented with his certificate by judge Sue Williams; and all the students, with chair of the judging panel Latika Khosla, before they waited for the annoucement of the winners.

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Winning designs
As noted in the previous blog post, the second runner-up was announced Denise Wong (Hong Kong), the first runner-up was Nancy Taplin (UK) and the overall global winner and recipient of the SDC Colour Design Award 2009 was Moipone Qekisi (South Africa). Denise commented on hearing her name called out, "I could not believe what I heard! It is my name. I could not say anything in that moment and I was really happy. Besides the opportunity of enjoying the trip in Goa, the prize is an extra bonus to me."

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Nancy also comments, "For me the SDC global competition was an amazing opportunity to meet students and professionals from a broad range of countries, and to gain insight into and inspiration from a refreshing and exciting range of cultural outlooks and approaches to textile design and the use of colour. The final in Goa was an unforgettable experience, throughout which, and the competition as a whole, the SDC looked after us amazingly well. I am extremely grateful for the wonderful experiences I have had thanks to the SDC and their sponsors' generous support of emerging designers, and am thrilled to have been given the opportunity to forward my professional development in such a memorable manner."

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Here we find out a bit more about the winning designs.
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Denise Wong, Hong Kong Design Institute: In the surface pattern design process that the second runner-up Denise opted for in her entry, she created backgrounds using disperse painting and brush painting optionally. The resulting designs had an irregular feel which tied in with the title of her project, ‘Disorder’. Her inspiration came from environmental issues such as pollution and global warming and such natural disasters as tsunamis. Evoking high emotions, her ideas were also focussed on the material world in which people lived and the results of their actions which can lead to chaos and disorder. The colours which were applied in her designs were sophisticated, yet reassuring, natural and contemporary, reflecting organic colours from the earth with nostalgic hues. In her fabric development stage, she applied the patterns by heat transfer print as it is a sustainable printing method that can produce vibrant colours on a variety of surfaces. She chose a 100% silk chiffon fabric to allow a translucent, soft, fluid outcome and a distorted feeling when using the digital printing technique. This technology offers an attractive alternative to traditional design and production methods, with reduced waste and no harmful chemicals released into the air or water this lessening the environmental impact.

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Nancy Taplin, Colchester School of Art & Design: To create her designs, Nancy marbled water-based inks, isolated areas of each marbled page, and then scanned and manipulated the image to give her final design. Her fabric of choice was bamboo satin – sustainable due to its natural resistance to pests, rapid generation and prolific growth in the face of low levels of hydration – which, research showed, could be coated by the roll in preparation for digital printing. The areas of pattern were scaled and cut in a way that ensured little or no wastage of fabric, based on a system of tessellated fabric panels. The pattern pieces were then digitally printed and could be constructed into garments in which the falls of fabric echoed the prints’ fluidity of shape and colour. Evoking the feel and beauty of antique books and the patternation and vivid colours of butterfly wings, she took as her inspiration the exquisite specimens and library of an obsessive collector. Each of her prints explores the metamorphic qualities of colour; the marbled endpapers of antique books are key visual and methodological touchstones, but her designs are kept current by the unexpected juxtaposition of colour as warm, earthy hues are interwoven with vibrant jewel splashes and streaked fluorescents.

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Moipone Qekisi, Nelson Mandella Metropolitan University: The overall winning design by Moipone was inspired by children and their visions of a perfect world; in the midst of all the unrest around us, children still have a way of finding happiness and through their innocence, dreams and playfulness, Moipone’s designs were born. She took as her main inspiration a drawing workshop which she conducted at a children’s home in South Africa, after which she carried out research into the psychology of colour and chose colours that matched with what the children envisioned their perfect world to be like. From the drawings, she was able to capture their imagination and reinterpret some elements into her designs, opting for a large repeat-unit to create a dramatic design for use on interior furnishing fabrics. From a sustainability aspect, she opted for organic cotton as her fabric of choice – grown without the use of synthetic insecticides, herbicides or fertilisers – and took advantage of its natural colour in her designs. The fabric would be hand screen-printed using eco-friendly permaset water-based inks that do not contain ozone-depleting chemicals or any harmful substances.

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Now, just a few words from the winner, who received £1000 as well as the trophy as part of her prize:

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Thoughts about winning: "I feel very humbled, blessed and honored to have been chosen as the SDC winner for 2009. Winning comes with a lot of responsibility, I have been entrusted with a large amount of money that I have to use responsibly. My perspective on life has been changed. I have been given an opportunity that most young designers will never experience in their careers and I do not take that lightly. I believe my career has just started."
How I will spend my prize money: "I have had a dream for as long as I can remember to start an art centre where underprivileged people will be trained in different arts and craft in order to eradicate poverty by creating job opportunities. It’s a big dream I know, but thank God for the SDC who has given me a head start! As I have said in the beginning, winning came with as lot of responsibility. I have no excuses now; it’s now time for me to start moving. The money will be used to make this dream a reality."
Goa experience: "The trip to India was the first time I have ever been outside South Africa; it was quite an experience I have to say. I was excited to spend time with young people who share the same passion that I have for fashion and textiles. I was very impressed with all the work that was presented by the other students and at the same time I was blown away by the amount of creative thinking that had gone into making each art work, wow! I made friendships with young aspiring designers from around the world; we got along so well one would swear we had known each other for years. This was a trip of a lifetime, I can’t help it but feel blessed, I’m just so grateful."

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The inspiring designs of these up and coming textile designers certainly fill us with hope for the future, when incorporating sustainable thinking into design will perhaps become second nature for forthcoming generations of designers. With the introduction of this technical element into the SDC colour design competition – demonstrating to students the interdependence of creative and technical disciplines – it will hopefully inspire anyone working in the field of colour design to be extremely conscious of best practices. The 2010 competition will be launched in September. Email us for details!

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by CMcN