The 3rd year students of design in the accredited specialization in Fashion delivered last December a fashion collection based on a brand as part of their final jury. In addition, they had to make one of the garments. Several of the students wanted to tell us more about the experience.

IRENE SANCHEZ DE MUNIAIN
Brand of choice: John Deere

"This project has been a very enriching experience for us in terms of creative freedom, but also to understand all the aspects to take into account when making a real collection for a brand.

One of the most positive things of this semester has been to be able to freely choose the brand that was closest to our goal. In my case, I wanted to show the evolution of fashion from the countryside to the city. I chose John Deere (a well-known tractor brand) and was inspired by my favorite brands to create an urban style that would meet the needs of my audience. 

The part I enjoyed the most was the creation phase of the first collections. Combining the theory of the faculty with your garments, adapting them to the different changes and correcting mistakes by understanding the real cases has been a challenge that I have certainly enjoyed the most. On the other hand, making the final garment has also been a very fun process.

MILENA SÁNCHEZ AMÉZQUETA
Brand of choice: Milka

"In my case, I was hesitating between several brands, but I considered Milka to be the best option, the one that represented me the most.

Once the brand was chosen, we started the process of design. I chose to develop collections focused on children from two to seven years old. We created moodboards of silhouettes and colors for each entrance (as I chose spring-summer I had in-store entries every month from February to June). 

Then came the most creative and fun part: designing the clothes. We had to make some of the clothes among which I chose a knitted T-shirt accompanied by a wool jumpsuit and a lined raincoat in the mauve tone that represents Milka so much.

What I like most about this process is to see how each one makes her own mark, to see and recognize to whom each thing corresponds.... It is exciting to see the final result of the projects knowing all the problems they have managed to overcome".

ELIXABET BOTANZ
Brand of choice: Polaroid

"I would say that the most important thing and what will make the difference in the process of work is to choose the brand that you like the most or with which you feel most identified. For this, it was of great help to financial aid to make a list of the ones that attracted me the most and do some research about them. In the end, I chose the analog camera brand Polaroid for different reasons such as my love for photography, the values it presents, its great historical background...

The process of ideation and design of garments is the most fun of all. This is where we show our skills, both in design and in problem solving. Often when we start designing garments, we tend to get carried away by what we like, forgetting that the collection is aimed at a customer goal who may not share our own tastes. That is where the tipping point of project lies. Where is the balance between what the customer is looking for/needs and how can I introduce my own essence?

In conclusion, we have learned to merge brand authenticity with current trends, understanding the importance of research to make all the entries have a mutual cohesion. This project has taught us how to apply design strategies focused on brand identity, providing us with valuable experience in creating collections with a strong and engaging narrative."

SOFIA CAVESTANY
Chosen brand: NaniMarquina

"I chose to work with Nanimarquina for two reasons: firstly, because of the values they stand for, including sustainability and care for people; and secondly, because of the design of the rugs. They continually reinvent the different traditions, achieving very innovative products.

Being a business dedicated exclusively to the design of interiors, my main challenge was to achieve to transfer all the characteristics of home that the brand transmits. Thinking about the warmth of the rugs and the materials they used, I decided to make an autumn-winter collection. The four entries corresponding to the four months were inspired by four different rug making traditions: Hand-Loomed Dhurrie, Hand Knotted, Hand Tufted and Hand Loomed Kilim. Within each of them I chose a Nanimarquina rug that represented the values of each tradition and that is where I got the color palette for each entrance. 

My creative process for design was to analyze each tradition and extract its most literal characteristics to translate them to the clothes. For example, in the garments I made, which were a dress and an asymmetrical poncho, I did it as follows: the dress belonged to the first tradition, Hand Loomed Dhurrie; this tradition is characterized by a use of pastel colors and bangs and by the structure and interlacing of the fabric. In the case of the poncho, it was the second tradition, Hand Knotted, with which I researched and played with the different ways of knotting. 

Through this project I have learned how fashion companies work, the steps from design until it reaches the store, collection schemes, customer goal, moodboards, technical sheets .... What I liked the most was undoubtedly the creative process of designing the garments, the research of the brand and the realization of the moodboards".