Marc Jacobs Teaches Fashion Design - Workbook

MARC JACOBS JACOBS

TEACHES FASHION DESIGN

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ABOUT

MARC JACOBS Marc Jacobs is an American f ashion designer from New York York City. After graduating from the High School of Art Ar t and Design Desig n in 1981, 1981, Marc entered Parsons School of Design, where he stood out a mong his classmates by wi nning both t he Perry Ellis Elli s Gold Thimble Award and Design Student of the Year in 1984. 1984. In 1997, 1997, Marc was appointed creative director of luxury fashion house Loui s Vuitton, where he created the company’s company’s first ready-to-wear ready-to-wear clothing line. He is now the head designer for his own eponymous fashion label, Ma rc Jacobs. Marc is a fivefive-time time recipient of the Council of Fashion Designers of A merica’ merica’ss Womenswear Designer of the Year Award.















INTRODUCTION ABOUT THIS WORKBOOK

The MasterClass team has created this workbook as a supplement to Marc’s class. Each chapter is supported here with a review, resources to learn more, and assignments. MASTERCLASS COMMUNITY

Throughout, we’ll encourage you to share work and discuss class materials with your classmates in The Hub to get constructive feedback. You can al also so conne c onnect ct wit with h your peers in the discussion section beneath each lesson video. YOUR FIRST ASSIGNMENT

Utilize The Hub and Hub and introduce yourself to your peers. L et them know your ex perience level, the challenges you face in your work, and what you hope to learn from Ma rc.

CLASS PROJECT















SUGGESTED RESOURCES We recomm re commend end addit a dditiona ionall read r eading ing thr througho oughout ut the t he cours co ursee to supple supplement ment your learning. You may want to have these resources on hand as you progress t hrough the video lessons. •

Helen Joseph Armstrong, Patternmaking for Fashion Design , PHI, 2009.

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Gail Baugh, The Fashion Designer’s Textile Directory: A Guide to Fabrics’ Properties, Characteristics, and Garment-Design Potential , Barron’s Educational Series, 2011.

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Jay Calderin and Laura Vol Volpintesta, pintesta, The Fashion Design Reference & Specification Book: Everything Fashion Designers Need to Know Every Day , Rockport, Rockp ort, 2013. 2013.

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Mary Gehlha Gehlharr, The Fashion Designer Survival Guide: Start and Run Your Own Fashion Business (Revised and a nd Expa nded Edition), Edition), Kaplan, 2008.

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John Hopkins, Fashion Design: The Complete Guide , AVA, 2012.

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Pamela Golbin, Louis Vuitton/Marc Jacobs , Exhibition catalog published in association with the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris, Rizzoli, 2012.

Marc uses a number of technical fashion terms you may not be familiar with. Use this fashion terminology guide whenever guide whenever you encounter encounter an unfam iliar word.

SUPPLIES AND MATERIALS MATERIALS We suggest sug gest you have ha ve the t he follow fol lowing ing mater material ialss on hand: • • • •

A sketchbook A secondar y notebook for identifying fabrics A No. 2 pencil for sketching A sewi sewing ng machine (if you don’ don’tt have one already, use this guide to guide to select the best one for you)

• • • • • •

Scissors Measuring tape Fabric-marking pens A seam ripper A cutting board An ironing board















2. GETTING STARTED: TEACH YOURS ELF DESIGN C H A P T ER ER R E V I E W

“I never learned everything at once. And I hope that I’m continuing always to —Marc Jacobs learn.” —Marc learn.” SUBCHAPTERS •

Understand the Basic Skills

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Look at the Classic Resources

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Be Open to New Ways to Construct and Design

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Study Designers Who Resonate With You

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Find Your Path in Fashion Design

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Find Your Creati ve Voice

Complete mastery of basic skil ls of fashion Complete fa shion construction—such construction—such as sewing and knitting—isn’t necessary, but Marc encourages you to develop an intimate k nowledg nowledgee of the t he craft involv involved ed in producing your designs. Knowing about dif ferent fabrics and the properties that make them unique wi ll help you better select the right material for your garments. You can familiari ze yourself with the various elements of gar ment design by touching fabrics, changing the tension of different stitches, and experi menting with embroidery. embroi dery. Take advantage of resources such as technical classes, online tutorials, and craft books that wa lk you step by step through the construction of a garment. Yves Sai Saint nt Laure La urent nt was w as a major ma jor inf influence luence on Mar M arc’s c’s work. work . By taking taki ng inspiration from the street, collecting art, and surrounding himself w ith interesting people, Saint Laurent emanated glamour. With his weal wealth th of refer r eferences, ences, Sai Saint nt Laure L aurent nt elevat el evated ed commo c ommon n articles of clothing, such as a motorcycle jacket, into haute couture. You can build your mental library of references by reading fashion magazines, analyzing the work of your favorite designers, studying art and art history history,, and observing observi ng the world around you. Marc recommends that you try designing for di fferent market sectors, such as womenswear, menswear, or sportswear, until you find what resonates with you. By focusing on womenswear and buildi bui lding ng a name for his h is bra brand, nd, Marc M arc wa wass then t hen able a ble to t o break br eak into menswear, childrenswear, and accessories. LEARN MORE

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Marc believes sewing is a fundamental skill for any fashion designer. Check out Reader’s Digest’s New Complete Guide to















2. GETTING STARTED: TEACH YOURS ELF DESIGN LEARN MORE CONT.

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Read up on Marc’s list of influent influential ial designer designers: s: •

French designer Yves Saint Laurent was a major influence on Marc and is k nown as one of the foremost fashion designers of t he twentieth century. Read more Fashion n’s fashion history series. in the Business of Fashio series.

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French designer Coco Chanel is known for for her timeless designs. Read more about Chanel’s story and story and review a timeline of timeline of her career.

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American designer Ralph Lauren is best known for for his sportswear line, li ne, Polo Polo Ralph Lauren. Read Read about about Ralph Lauren.

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Roy Halston Frowick was an American designer known as Halston. His designs for the A merican woman were minimalist and clean. Read Read more more about Halston in People magazine.

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Comme des Garçons found founder er Rei Kawakubo is a Japanese Japane se desig d esigner ner kn known own for her h er ava a vantnt-ga garde rde desig ns and ability to challenge conventional notions of beauty, good taste, a nd fashionability. Watch fashionability. Watch Andrew Andrew Bolton, curator for the Costume Institute at t he Metropolitan Museum of Art, and Adrian Joffe, Kawakubo’s husband, discuss Kawakubo’ Kawak ubo’ss work in the New York Times.

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Dame Vivienne Wes Westwood twood is a British fashion designer and businesswoman. Westwood Westwood was wa s one of the t he architects of the t he punk fashion phenomenon of the 1970s. Read Read about about Westwood and the postmodern legacy of punk style. st yle.

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Belgian fashion designer Martin Margiela is the

















2. GETTING STARTED: TEACH YOURS ELF DESIGN ASSIGNMENTS

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Here are the essential books that Marc keeps in his design design office, which he and his designers often refer to. •

Derek Ridger, We’re Desperate: The Punk Rock Photography of Jim Jocoy, powerHouse Books, 2002.

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Freed om: Tommy Rob Robert erts: s: Brit ish Des Design ign Paul Gorman, Mr. Freedom: Hero, Adelita, 2012.

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Vintage issues of Stitchcraft and Vogue Knitting.

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Issues of Vogue Italia, Vogue UK , and ELLE from the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s.

Read and study these books and magazi nes, and begin developing developin g your own personal collect ion of books that both serve as references and inspiration. •

Teach yourself how to sew or or knit. Begin with hand sewing or “arm knitting. knitt ing.” ” As the t he term suggests, this is when you use your arms, rather than k nitting needles, to create large, loosely knotted scar ves, blankets, or other simple products. Share your sewing and knitting tips, trick s, and techniques in The Hub. Hub.

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Select an old old article of clothing from your closet or a local local

















3. FINDING INSPIRATION C H A P T ER ER R E V I E W

“If you love art, if you love music, if you love street style, [you have] to really engage in it as much as you possibly can.” —Marc Jacobs SUBCHAPTERS •

The Importance of Inspiration

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Inspiration Helps Narrow Your Infinite Choices

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Be Inspired by Life

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Explore Your Genuine Interests

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Pursue What Seduces You Visually

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Revisit the Past to Create Something New

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Inspiration Is an Evolving Process

Your job as a desig de signer ner is to produc p roducee somet so mething hing othe otherr people p eople wi will ll love wearing. Finding your inspiration to do this may not come easily,, but Marc bolsters his creativity through trial and error. easily The exploratory process of sketching, selecting fabrics, or rev ising your first muslin may spark an idea for you, but inspiration may change as you cast models, decide on hair and makeup, or plan how to show your collection on the runway. Marc’s evolving inspiration powers his ma ny creative decisions throughout throughout both the creation of product and launch c ycles. from m life. Marc believes for fashion to have a life, it needs to come fro Fashion is more than just the clothing you wear, but the way it is worn and the visual story it tells. Pu ll inspiration from things you are genuinely interested in: music, art, history, architecture, and especially people. What is an individual wearing? What is the group wearing? What can that tell you about their wants and needs as consumers? Marc’s designs aren’t intended to be put in a museum as art, but rather to be worn and f ull of life. l ife.

How do you create consistency in your work when change is the only constant? Marc revisits revisit s old ideas, shapes, silhouet silhouettes, tes, and fabrics across collections to create a consisten consistentt style in his work. Building on your past designs wil l allow you to create continuity that your potential consumers can connect with, and distinguish your work from that of other designers.

















3. FINDING INSPIRATION ASSIGNMENT

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Begin collecting inspiration for the three-to three-to-fiv -fivee garment collection you will build t hroughou hroughoutt this class. cla ss. Go to a public place—a park, a cafe, or the local hub for your community— and observe what passersby are wearing. What catches your eye? Sketch or take photos of t he outfits that resonate with you the most. Share your favorite sketch or photo with your peers in The Hub. Hub.

















4. SKETCHING YO U R I D E A S C H A P T ER ER R E V I E W

“Sketching, to me, [is] an essential part of the design process.” —Marc Jacobs SUBCHAPTERS •

Sketching Tools

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Working With Croquis

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The Goal of Your First Sketch

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Sketching Demonstration, Part 1

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Sketching Demonstration, Part 2

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It’s All About Communication

The first goal of a sketch is to begin v isualizing the design in your head. The second goal of a sketch is to create a blueprint for the patternmaker to create your first muslin, or prototype. These minimalistic, flat drawings will communicate the technical elements of your idea, including darts and seams, sleeve lengt h, overall length, fit, shape, and more. Marc indicates what fabrics might be used for each garment by attaching a swatch to the page. This gives the patternmaker an idea of the weight or stiffness the garment should have, and whether they are printed, patterned, or solid. Marc often creates a var iety of sketches with dif ferent proportions and selects the par ts from each that t hat most effectively convey his garment. Fashion templates, or croquis, are quick sketches of the human body tha thatt are a re plac placed ed beneat b eneath h your sket sketchi ching ng paper. p aper. Ma Marc rc uses u ses croquis each season as a template to give patternmakers an idea of how each gar ment is proportioned in reference to t he body. Without Witho ut conti co ntinuit nuityy betwe be tween en sketc s ketches, hes, desig d esigners ners would not be b e able abl e to show the ways in which garments are wider, slimmer, longer, or shorter than one another a nother.. Croquis can also change throughou t hroughoutt the season as the designer becomes more certain of the silhouette they are designing for and t he accessories that might pair with a given look (such as footwear or a hat). Sketches might not fully communicate your ideas based on v isuals alone. Marc often includes notes to fully express his intentions.

















4. SKETCHING YO U R I D E A S LEARN MORE CONT.

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Marc says says the sketch will help patternmakers to create a toile, toile, which whi ch is i s a fi first rst proto prototy type pe usi using ng musli mus lin n or a simi si milar lar pla plain in and lightweight fabric. A second or third prototype of a gar ment would woul d be cons constr tructe ucted d using us ing mater material ialss more mor e indic i ndicativ ativee of the final product.

ASSIGNMENT

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Marc has made available his croquis package that he used in his Fall 2017 season exclusively for you, his MasterClass students. Grab your sketchbook and No. 2 pencil, download the PDF package from the course resources page, and practice your sketching skills on Marc’s croquis. croquis.

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It’s time to sketch an original design It’s design that that can be used in your your final project. Follow Marc’s Marc’s advice and include words and swatches to help convey your vision. For this assignment, feel free to use images i mages of other garments as v isual references. Share your designs with your peers in The Hub. Hub.

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Practice your skill skillss giving critiques critiques by offering your peers in The Hub constructive Hub constructive feedback. Comment on three peer s’ drawings and a nd suggest possible alterations or embellishments.









































































5. THE CREATIVE PROCESS OF DESIGN C H A P T ER ER R E V I E W

“My creative process is a series of choices that are looked at, refined, modified, and done over and over and over again until...we’ve created something that expresses this idea in threedimensional form.” —Marc Jacobs SUBCHAPTERS •

Design Is a Series of Choices

Marc describes his process as a series of creative decisions that are refined, modified, and repeated until he can e xpress his idea in three-dimensi t hree-dimensional onal form. All of your creative decisions—even the details—tell a story. With inspiration flowi ng, Marc recommends using mood boards to organize a nd edit your thoughts. Instead of using one all-encompassing board to represent the garment or outfit, Mar c creates multiple boards for fabrics, textures, colors, style references, and accessories. These boards boa rds are compr comprise ised d of a wide w ide ra range nge of o f visua v isuall refer r eferences, ences, including editorial sources, street style, and photographs (even (even if they aren’t related to fashion). Your goal go al in fas fashion hion desig n should shou ld not no t be to sta s tart rt a trend. t rend. Some designers take a granular approach to customer demographics, demographics, but Marc M arc has alw always ays bel believed ieved he desig de signs ns for fo r women wo men who love fashion. It doesn’t matter her age or her size—it’s about serving



















5. THE CREATIVE PROCESS OF DESIGN

LEARN MORE CONT.

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Consider if your mood board is going to be physical or digital. Some designers like the tacti le experience of clipping images to a poster board, while others l ike the ability to quickly edit ed it in a digital digita l medium. You You can create a digital mood board with Polyvore Polyvore..

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Similar to your sketch, occasionally using powerful words wi will ll help you to ex expres presss your you r ideas id eas more clea clearly. rly.

ASSIGNMENT

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Referencing your sketches from the “Sketching Your Ideas” chapter,, create mood boards to develop a visual chapter v isual identity for your garments-in-progress. Taking Marc’s approach, design a board boa rd for fo r each ea ch of o f the t he follow fol lowing: ing: •

Fabrics

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Textures





















6. CHOOSING FABRICS C H A P T ER ER R E V I E W

“Fabric is where it all starts.” —Marc Jacobs SUBCHAPTERS •

Your Fabric Helps You Expre ss

Selecting fabric is an important part of expressing your ideas. Sometimes the fabric w ill dictate what sort of garment you’re you’re making, and other times ti mes you’ you’ll choose a fabric based on the type ty pe of silhouette you want to create. Touch and feel the fabrics you intend to work with; making creative decisions based on only a swatch may limit lim it your ability to understand how a fabric moves and drapes on a human body. Marc enjoys working with both natural and synthetic fibers,





















6. CHOOSING FABRICS CASE STUDY: REINTERPRETING AND JUXTAPOSING FABRICS

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Marc breaks breaks down the inspiration for a Fall/Winter Fall/Winter 201 2016 6 gown. gown. The design of this gow n was driven by the selected fabrics. Marc sourced 1950s- and 1960s-era fabric adorned with floral patterns from an Italian m ill, and he worked with the mill to moderni ze the fabric in the gothic style of the collection. Animals such as blackbirds, mice, mice, and cats were used as symbols to represent the gothic girl for whom the





















6. CHOOSING FABRICS CASE ST UDY UDY:: A SWE ATSHIRT REIMAGI NED

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In this case study study,, Marc revisited a piece piece of clothing from the start of his career—a reimagined oversized sweatshirt. He used an expensive exp ensive knitted fabric as opposed to t he usual inexpensive cotton sweatshirt fabric, and he introduced seams to reduce its width and make it more fitted. The garment was then sent to a jean factory to undergo an enzyme w ash to add aged and distressed characteristics. Marc then used an intricate broderie anglaise pattern and hand-crocheted hand-crocheted collar to





















6. CHOOSING FABRICS CASE STUDY: LETTING THE FABRIC INSPIRE THE DESIGN

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This case case study study focuses on a dress dress from the Spring/S Spring/Summer ummer 2017 201 7 collection. This dress consists of silk organza with w ith a matte silver ginkgo gin kgo leaf design woven into—instead into—instead of printed on—the on— the fabric. When the t he fabric arrived, Marc held it to a model and saw that its structure and weight would hold ruffles, and t hat the color would work well near t he face. So, he decided to make it into a ruffly neckli ne. He and his team





















6. CHOOSING FABRICS LEARN MORE

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Do you know the difference between natural and synthetic fibers? Natural fibers come from anima ls, plants, and minerals; some common ones are cotton, silk, wool, and cashmere. Synthetic fibers are man-made and often resemble natural substances; common synthetics are nylon, polyester, and spandex. Why W hy might some designers prefer synthetic fibers to natural ones? Would

consider

ing

clothes?























6. CHOOSING FABRICS ASSIGNMENTS CONT.













































7. CREATING SHAPES AND SILHOUETTES



















































































































































































































































































































































































Marc Jacobs Teaches Fashion Design - Workbook

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