Searching for the Alter (Upper Downs x Elly Beckford)

Recently I undertook a collaborative sportswear project with a fairly new company called Upper Downs. They create technical running, hiking and biking clothing, it was great to do something you don't normally do - technical clothing is a very different ball game! Thought I'd share the outcomes with you all! 

More photos from the shoot are also live on my website here: ellybeckford.com/upper-downs-x-elly-beckford/  with special thanks to Richard Dowker (photographer) and Bekka (model).

Would love any feedback and enjoy!

Ingredients to a successful (fashion) all-nighter

Here are my thoughts on the best tools and methods to get through fashion all nighters, read them and weep..

Minimal sleep - Having survived the most recent Sportswear project and finished second year, its safe to say the amount of hours we are needing to put in to our design work is still on the rise. Near the deathline six hours of sleep is very good, four is workable, acceptable (and standard) and a nap ranging anywhere from 45 mins to 2 hrs is usual and expected.

Snacks - Fuck the phrase "fashion don't eat". We save ourselves for deadlines and then we go H.A.M: From sweet and salty proper corn or a packet of fruit gums (obviously the big bag) munch is almost a necessity. This diet and that diet fly out the window as the all-nighter rears its scaly head. The chants in your head of "beach, beach, beach!" are easily replaced with "sweets, sweets, sweets!" once 4am comes around.

Clothing - pyjamas or at least trackies must be worn. Whoever attempts an all nighter wearing anything slightly uncomfortable is a mad. The make up comes off, the hair goes up, the bra is discarded. Let's be honest you're going to look shite when you come out the other side, might as well start as you mean to go on.  

Company - they say that misery loves company and on an all nighter they're not wrong. Having someone there with the same goals as you is definitely a motivator. You can take turns putting that kettle on, wake each other up from an emergency 30 min nap and answer questions that yahoo answers can't. 

Organisation - The day you leave your pattern master on the tube or you run out of calico or white thread  - being unprepared before an all nighter could result in disaster.

Music - I know people who prefer to work in silence (kill me now), but I favour some old school hip hop and RnB/ rap for the first few hours. A healthy mix of Ashanti/ Busta/ Missy/ lil Kim/ Timberland etc etc. I get a fair amount of my inspiration from music videos so a quick break with a 4 minute vid is fair better than moving from the desk to the sofa (always a big mistake) getting comfy and treating yourself to a full episode of Game of Thrones. The next trick is to change the genre of music every couple of hours, I hop from hip hop to my American Alternatives Modest Mouse and Passion Pit, then perhaps back to some Jazz with Frank Sinatra.

Motivation - Getting past 2.30am is a challenge in itself. This is the time I think of as the witching hour. It is the most difficult speed bump to manoeuvre but once over it it is smooth(er) sailing until morning. Some of my best (and worst) work happens at this time, its definitely my make/ break point.

Happy I made it through this one! Looking forward to summer and the next adventures, Sportswear shoot and write up coming soon on ellybeckford.com..

Leaving Preen

My time with Preen has come to an end. I spent my last week continuing with the jacket project, and although it is not finished yet I hope the team decide to go ahead with it and the final outcome is presented well! We created packs to send to the seamstresses, building up each patchwork panel then labeling them with which pattern piece they corresponded to.

I really learnt a lot from Preen, because of the amount of production that occurs in-house I got to work along side pattern cutters and seamstresses who had incredible amount of knowledge to share. I got a great reference from them and was asked to stay on/ come back in summer. It's definitely something to think about but with a 5-day week timetable I want to focus on my own design work this term. Needless to say I won't be doing any long term internships but watch out for future little projects! I also ended up at a press event at London Edition hotel. Designers included Kitty Joseph, Alex mattsson, Astrid Anderson and Bobby Abley among others. 

Army Surplus

This week was an interesting one: earlier on some of the interns were sent to the launderettes with Ikea bags full of army uniforms from the RAF in different shades of green. Errands can sometimes be a bit odd but this was a new one on anything we'd been asked to do before. It all became clear that myself and a few other interns were to create 'new' bomber jackets using a current Preen pattern and  the old uniforms, influenced by patched army green one-off pieces from Preen's earlier, punkier days. We experimented with different ways of joining the panels together and the orientation of the pencil pockets, velcro pockets, badges, epaulets and map pockets which adorned the jumpsuits and jackets. It was difficult to get pieces that had been made into curves to fit the body to lie flat again; darts and tucks and any little tricks we could think of all came into play here! The jackets will be part of a promotional campaign celebrating Preen in the near future - I'm excited to see the final pieces!

Justin and Thea are off to Beijing as they were invited to be part of Chinese Fashion Week, lucky them. Packing up the collection took about four rolls of parcel tape as it had to go on the plane too. A new studio manager, previously at Holly Fulton, also joined us this week as this is the lovely Nicole is leaving for Victoria Beckham. Hopefully she has an amazing time but she will be missed, It's sadly rare to find someone who can actually teach and isn't just good at what they do.

In between my jacket making I took a trip to DM Buttons in Soho to collect some buttons for a dress, the Preen archive got a good sort out and I also managed to get to a sample sale at Beach Blanket Babylon one evening in Shoreditch. Funnily enough Holly F herself was there. Other designers who were also involved included Sibling, Kit Neale and Eudon Choi among others.
A packed seven day week as per usual and lots of things in the pipeline for the next few weeks/ months. Exciting times ahead!

Preen Week Three

There were a few birthdays in the office this week and one of my first jobs was too pick up presents in Hoxton, luckily I'm just around the corner and so is the Breakfast Club! London Trimmings was the next stop, I always enjoy going there; this time it was for sleeve head roll but its always good to have a look around for inspiration.
After getting some really positive feedback that they would be moving forward with the leather work samples I had done last week (!!), I was asked by one of the designers to do some more samples using pieces of lace and georgette. There very different mood to these, much more delicate and feminine although it was still fiddly work! I used pin-tucking as a key feature in these pieces and I feel the outcome was successful. I'm realising how much I'm enjoying making samples and little bits of things, maybe this could turn into a fabric making venture or an investigation into intricate applique, who knows.

Later on in the week I was asked to draw some flats, I immediately looked around for a spare computer - "No, no" she said, "Just draw them by hand". Coming from a VERY digitally orientated uni this was definitely foreign territory for me and although it took me longer I think they turned out pretty well. It's good sometimes not to rely on computers as much as we do, if they decide to crash (ironically like mine did this week) it stops most of us, work related or otherwise, in our tracks. Sometimes it's good to go back to basics with a pencil, fine liner and a piece of A4.
I also was sent on a hunt to find some brightly coloured trims for dresses from the Mini Preen collection; Cloth House, Kleins, VV Rouleaux, M and W... I think I went to every shop in Soho! - Hopefully something I found is suitable.
I also received a lovely reference from the Simone Rocha studio in the post and a copy of the press release, I didn't notice it before but my name is on it! Exciting times. Such a good six weeks.

Leather and Cake.

It has to be said, at Preen we eat a lot of cake. It always seems to be someones birthday/ last day before their maternity leave starts or other undisclosed celebratory day and although half the studio could be fit models, (Preen's standard woman is 5'10''and a size 8) we all seem to be constantly nibbling on chocolate and treats!
The hierarchy at Preen is an interesting one: Justin and Thea are the big dogs, the founders and designers/creators of the entire Preen fashion brand. Next there is Julie, she is head designer for Preen by Thornton Bregazzi. This is the main and first fashion line and is shown at London Fashion Week every season. Next there is Justyna who fronts Preen Line, a diffusion brand that's slightly more edgy than the main line with more punky, youthful elements. She is lovely! In addition, on a good day there are nine of us interns, two seamstresses and one pattern cutter who work upstairs and the entire production/sales team who sit downstairs. Quite a full house!

I haven't worked much with leather in the past but this week I was asked by Justyna to do some sampling for the new collection - I created various tessellating shapes in different patches.  It was really good to work with something slightly different, I think the most difficult part was getting the stitching perfect the first time around as when you sew leather it permanently punctures the hide and there is no way to undo it! I finished the edges with glue, I thought it sounded crazy when I was told to do it but it actually gives a really successful finish.
I also helped organise the Preen archive - we packed away lots of the old collections for storage, such a mammoth task considering Preen's incredible history but it was amazing to go through the garments and see where the brand came from. It was a really good week.

Starting at Preen

After taking a few days to breathe after the Simone Rocha show I made my way across town all the way West to start work with Preen by Thornton Bregazzi. The Preen story is one of my favourites: Justin and Thea met when they were 18 and came together as a design team and a couple a few years later. They then went on to create Preen Line and also Mini Preen; every fashion designer needs a off-shoot line to dress their kids in, right?

I found out at my interview that 80% or more of Preen's manufacturing happens in house. I was really pleased as it would mean I would get to practice completely different skills to those I had at Simone Rocha.
In this first week I was amazed at how much I had already learnt/ brushed up on. I was taught about correct cutting techniques for different fabrics and how to cut fine fabrics through paper; the interns must cut out all the fabrics for final garments, ready for the in-house seamstresses to sew them together. It's the small things that make such a big difference and I really felt myself improve as the week came to a close.
I was also asked to toile a bomber jacket for one of the head designers and it was nice to be complimented by her and one of the other seamstresses when I'd finished. In addition to toiling, pattern cutting is another main task area the interns at Preen focus on. By the end of my internship I imagine I'm going to be great at making and tracing patterns!

Working seven day weeks is killing me but I am thoroughly enjoying doing something technical and improving on skill sets which will be invaluable when undertaking my final collection.