Katherine West - Portfolio 

Alongside studying for A levels in Geography, Biology & French, I also spent a lot time with Grandmother and Great Aunt who taught me about sewing, dressmaking, knitting & gardening and began my interest in understanding the changes in clothing and style  across decades and how people & groups use clothing as communication and to represent their identity.

 

Wanting to leave my home city, I began a Degree in Tourism & Leisure Management in London. After one year I decided to pursue a change in direction, to focus on becoming a garment designer and maker. Working part-time in retail and landscape gardening assistant roles, I set about building a portfolio, by attending evening classes in still life and fashion drawing, introduction to fashion design & pattern cutting and photography, and making garments for myself and friends at home.

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A couple of years later I was accepted to study at London College of Fashion, on the Foundation Studies in Art & Design course. I studied on the Fashion Design & Manufacturing pathway and it was here that I started my love of printed textiles and other surface decoration techniques. I was unsure of what degree subject to progress to, being torn between a variety of interests; Contour Fashion Design, Textile Technology, Photography or Horticulture & Garden Design.

 

I decided to use my human biology background and knowledge of exercise and fitness training, to become a Personal Fitness Trainer; with the intention that this would be a rewarding role and would allow me to fund my degree studies in the coming years. I worked in both Gyms & Fitness Centres and with private clients at their homes and work places. I got to work with clients of all ages and varying abilities, helping them to improve their health, fitness and wellbeing through exercise and physical activity. I was also able to learn about nutrition on the course too and incorporated this in to mine, my family's and my clients lives.

In 2001 I began studying full time on BA Contour Fashion at De Montfort University, working part-time in the health & fitness industry. On the course I was able to greatly advance my design, pattern drafting and making skills across a wide variety of contour garments, including bras, underwear, nightwear, swimwear & performance sportswear. Alongside opportunities to study in CAD for Fashion & Textiles, Fashion Buying and Clothing, Culture & Communication. I also carried out a research project to better understand bra sizing and how to find the best fit for individual body shapes and sizes; and I designed and constructed my first performance sportswear outfit for a Spring marathon. I researched the use of natural fibres & fabrics for exercise and used a TENCEL Lyocell (blended with polyester & elastane) to give softness on the skin and breathability.

 

During my degree I arranged a Summer placement with an M&S supplier of Swimwear, Lingerie & Nightwear. This gave me knowledge of the critical path processes involved with the successful development and production of garments and an awareness of the fabric and garment testing, wearer trials and approval processes carried out, before products could move forward into production. My experience included the testing and selection of durable fabrics, trims, colours/dyes, prints and surface decoration. I gained experience across several departments, including design, fabric and garment technology, marketing, sales and returns. This opened my eyes to some of the realities of the clothing industry; deadline pressures to fit within retail seasons and the volume of wasted fabric and returned garments. I knew then that I would want to run my own business, to be able to implement less wasteful and more ethical practices.

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In the final months of my studies I used my Major Project time to research and plan for setting up a contour garment retail boutique in Leicester and to develop a bedroom lingerie and nightwear collection, under the name 'Secret World by Cookie West', as my major project collection. I carried out market, consumer and business set up research, to help develop the business and brand identity.

Following on from my Undergraduate studies I set up 'Cookie West Lingerie & Swimwear Boutique' in July and opened two months later in September 2004. The boutique first specialised in bra fitting, lingerie, hosiery, nightwear, swimwear & beachwear. 2 years later I moved the business to share a 3 story Victorian building with two Holistic Therapists (Catriona & Kezia). Cookie West was able to expand and also offer sports bras and clothing, womenswear, holidaywear and maternity & mastectomy bras. I discovered there was a need for more personalised and bespoke services and so our team developed to excel at bra fittings and I also began an alterations, adaptations and repair service. 

 

We regularly held 'Shopping & Pamper' evenings at the boutique and once a year organised a Catwalk Fashion Show event, with other local clothing retail businesses, to raise funds for charities. Cookie West customers of all ages, body sizes and shapes became the catwalk models of these shows, and a strong and supportive community group was grown.

 

In 2006, alongside the move to Loseby Lane, I studied the Research Methods module on MA Design Innovation at De Montfort University. I found it too hard to study and run the business and so did not continue with this course, but it inspired me to return to academic study. In 2011 I decided to close the city centre boutique and to open Cookie West Showroom & Party Plan, to allow me to return to design education, update my industry skills and knowledge and to specialise in the design, pattern cutting and construction of sports & activewear. I had aspirations to either set up a women's sports & activewear brand or to work for an established company. With this new approach for Cookie West retail, individuals or small groups could experience a private, personalised shopping experience to find perfect fitting contour garments, either at the Showroom or through Parties held at customers' homes.

 

Over the years, inspired by my personal ethics, listening to my customers and then academic research, Cookie West Boutique & Showroom has employed a range of sustainable and ethical approaches to retail buying and range selection, the services available to customers, 'own label' garment design & manufacture and the promotion & display of the collections. These included selecting well made, quality garments, which gave excellent fit, shape, support and comfort; and were made in materials that would wash and wear well and had the potential to be durable and long lasting. I also introduced Fair Trade organic fabric collections to the Cookie West ranges and collected any 'still wearable but unwanted' bras back in (from Cookie West or other retailers), to support the bra recycling scheme by the Against Breast Cancer charity.

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Offering an alteration and adaptations service was something that developed through customers needing a certain undergarment shape/style under an outfit or other adaptions needed to achieve fit, due to the person's unique body. The repair service began as a way to extend the lifetime of a bra or bikini top, when the elasticity of the fabrics, straps or other elastics had reduced over time and with wear (but the rest of the garment was in wearable condition).

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Another aim for Cookie West was to create a business that sourced and produced contour garments from suppliers and manufacturers that were as local as possible. The majority of brands were based in Leicester and the surrounding counties and 3 others were in Europe (Italy, Germany & France) and the CMT Units used were in Sheffield and Nottingham; to support the British & European contour fashion industry. Although I took this local approach to sourcing and retailing, I was aware that my retail practice was still contributing to carbon emissions through the fact that although many of the brands designed and held stock in the UK or Europe, the majority of production will have taken place much further away, in China, Bangladesh and India and then shipped to the UK. I also had an awareness of the harmful emissions and pollutions caused during garment and textile production. I knew then that I wanted to research less harmful and less energy and resource intensive ways of design, production and retailing. 

My learning of, and passion for sustainable clothing research and developments in the field, really began with my postgraduate Independent Study programme, MA in Contour Fashion Design with Fashion Management. I studied the module Critical Perspectives on Ethical and Sustainable Fashion, where I investigated a wide range of concepts, theories and strategies around improving the sustainability of clothing and textiles and the lives of those who work in the industry. I also studied modules in: Fashion Promotion & Illustration, Global Fashion Management and Fashion Promotion and Marketing.

 

Inspired by the book Cradle to Cradle: Remaking How We Make Things (McDonough & Braungart, 2002), I started to explore how a 'cradle to cradle' approach could be applied to fashion and textiles, looking at how different components, trims, fabrics, dyes and finishing processes could potentially fit into either a 'biological cycle' or an 'industrial cycle', and how to find a way to recycle through composting or through re-using/re-making every element of a garment safely, with minimal or no ecological harm. I also looked at what the industry barriers were to this being implemented.

 

Other areas of interest were designing for disassembly, designing with only one type of material, re-thinking waste and what materials can be made from, industrial ecology, designing so that the waste product of one process becomes the raw material for another process and slow fashion approaches, including designing garments that individuals want to treasure, care for and keep, rather than disposing of after a short amount of wear.

 

I explored the potential of natural and synthetic fabrics to achieve sustainable contour garments. I focused on the potential for TENCEL Lycocell and Modal and learned about the closed loop practices during production, the raw material coming from a natural and easily renewable resource and that the fabrics were described as being biodegradable. This is when I first began to question, but what about when these fabrics are blended with elastane (to obtain good fit in contour garments), what about the solvents used in the process of turning wood pulp to cellulosic fibre and what about the finishes, dyes and prints that are added to these textiles? Are these substances safe to be returned to the earth through composting? 

 

Through my Major Design Project I experienced generating and developing an academic research proposal. My project was to carry out qualitative research using Survey Methods and to design, develop, pattern draft, carry out fit and function testing & amendments, construct and professionally present (through illustration, photography, video & website) a women's Performance Sports / Activewear collection. The 'Verus by Cookie West' collection had the aims of being suitable for general fitness activities, running, cycling or swimming and to specifically cater for Triathlon training and competition. The project also explored using durable performance fabrics and construction, sublimation printing techniques to aid longevity of prints during wash and wear, co-design with athletes/garment users, customisation and bespoke personalised designs, as a way to build longevity and emotional and physical durability into the performance sportswear garments.

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My research sample group was made up of more than 185 Cookie West customers who participated in physical activity, exercise or sports (including models Lauren and Nancie) and case studies of two 'Age-Group' Triathletes, Nini and Claire. The garments were also designed to accommodate varying body and bust sizes, to fit, support and flatter and to function well during exercise and competition. I also trialled the Bespoke Triathlon Apparel service concept (under 'Made By Katherine West'), where I developed a personalised triathlon racing suit (with sports bra) for Claire, specifically designed for her competing at the Ironman World Championships in Kona (Big Island, Hawaii).

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