HISTORY, TEXTILES & TRENDS

Some classes teach you how to make. This one quietly changed how I see. Before, I noticed shapes I liked — a defined waist, a fuller sleeve, a softer line at the hem. After studying fashion history, I started noticing where those shapes actually came from — what was happening in the world when a silhouette shifted, why structure tightened in one era and loosened in another. Fashion stopped feeling random and started feeling connected to culture and people.

TEXTILES

Fabric stopped being just something pretty picked off a bolt. We learned about fibre, weave, weight, drape — how a material actually behaves when it moves, stretches, creases, or carries tension. It made me slow down — instead of asking do I like this fabric, I started asking is this the right fabric for this idea. Small shift, big difference.

FABRIC DESIGN

Designing my own fabric felt uncertain in a different way — not fear exactly, just not fully knowing yet. I had to create a repeat, choose the scale, balance the motif, and kept wondering if it would actually work once it left the screen and became something physical. Would it feel too busy, too flat, too much?

When the printed fabric arrived it felt strange and satisfying at once. It was mine — not perfect, but real. It went into the tech packs and design sheets for a collection I'll talk about properly in the next post — I haven't sewn anything from it yet, but when I do, the print will need to breathe rather than compete with whatever shape it becomes.

THE TRENDS

We studied runway, forecasting, shifting consumer moods — not to chase trends, but to understand direction. That difference matters, because once you understand the context behind something, your choices feel steadier.

Looking back, this stage didn't change my style, it changed my thinking. History gave perspective, textiles gave sensitivity, trends gave awareness — together they made design feel less reactive and more intentional.