Megan Hawke
Kaleid
https://meganhawke.wixsite.com/textile
Swimwear Collection
Kaleid is a swimwear collection inspired by the beauty of kaleidoscope reflections and watercolour mark-making. Whimsical energy radiates from the design, much the same to the senseless beauty of the Kaleidoscope instrument itself.
Watercolour markings help to feed the design imagery, and warped details are used to play with the focus of the viewer. The illusion of the prints is motivated by psychedelic poster art from the 1970s, creating texture and movement in the design.
Functionality and the artistic design of this swimwear collection are applied to reflect the wild nature of the wearer. The collaboration of experimental prints and the functional purpose of the garment is a natural pairing for this collection; both are adventurous and create movement visually and physically.
I dedicated my final year's Textile Design practice to the creation of a digital print range that can be used in a commercial swimwear collection setting. Kaleid is inspired by the kaleidoscopic symmetry and visual experiences of the 1960s psychedelic poster art movement. Hand-painted watercolour imagery informs the patterns which are then transformed through the Adobe Capture application creating a geometric mixed media print repeat.
This project utilises influence from Victor Moscoso's 1960s psychedelic art combined with the Kaleidoscope tool, both use imagery to captivate the viewer into a visual experience, an aspect that I wanted to bring to my collection to add interest.
The textile designs evolve from the philosophy behind mark-making as an inspiration generating tool combined with intuitive and reflective practice developed from personal preferences of geometric and symmetrical design.
This project aimed to develop a collection of textiles with playful print design, alongside a functional purpose; a swimwear range. Knitted polyester and lycra textile blends were chosen for this collection as it was important to have hardwearing and flexible fabrics to enhance the active functionality of the garments. The jacket fabric is a lighter weight knit blend of polyester and elastane, providing protection from environmental elements in New Zealand as well as offering a non-restrictive fit.
The playfulness that my prints portray in the illusionary aspect speaks to the leisurely essence of my swimwear collection. Swimming in a vast ocean I feel is one of the most liberating feelings experienced in nature, and this collection of prints speaks to personal experience through the freeing of my inhibitions to design fluidly. The playfulness of the collection reflects the reversible wearability of the swimwear, offering multiple print options for the wearer to choose based on their preference or mood.
Not only has Kaleid resulted in a visually explorative range of textiles, but it has shown me how experimentation is key to any design journey.
