Virgin Territory

Virgin territory is about combining the women seen in gentlemen's magazines, that are drooled over - sometimes more than just drool - with mens beloved sportswear, combined with knit and print. For this collection I wanted there to be an overarching theme of sportswear rather than a specific sport. Some combine different elements of different sports within them, such as the idea of marathon numbers being seen in multiple looks. However these numbers aren't just random, they are Caroline Dell's measurements that were noted alongside many photos of her 36-24-26 body in Mayfair magazine. Slogans are also a key element in this collection, each stemming from some sort of advertisement or headline in these magazines. Creating look one was a learning experience, using various knit equipment and combining sports mesh with DK knit. This process, involving flatbed and Dubied machines and DesignaKnit, deepened my appreciation for knitting. When it came to look two this is where I started to feel the silly aspect come into my work. In a good way. Creating these almost nappy-like boxers with a star over the butt hole really made me giggle. This look was when I started to feel more creative as I used different techniques outside of knit such as print and flocking. Look three is my favourite. Even though this look also had a lot of patchwork - as did look one- it took me significantly less time as I understood the knit process a lot better which allowed me to navigate and sort of my time a lot better. The sublimation print on both the shirt and shorts really brought back in the nude women and slogans ! Look four was a lot more simple then the rest but with the incorporation of the flocking I believe that it bought it all together. One thing about this look I really enjoy is the boldness of the printed slogan on both the front and back, as even though in this project I focused on keeping it somewhat subtle , I really enjoy the obviousness of this.