Ela Marita Avitabile » Folio

London: Creative Patternmaker 2007 & 2008

admin — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 10:44:47 +0000

Working in London has given me a greater understanding of the fashion industry. I worked within the fast fashion sector as a Creative Patternmaker. It was important for me to interpret the design with confidence and accuracy, as the first pattern was used to cut the buying sample in correct fabric to be sent straight to customer – or to be used in sales meetings. Below are some examples of first samples from KUBE Clothing.

Communication with the Designers and Sample Machinists, as well as Garment Tech was important in making sure correct decisions were made, so that the garment would be commercially viable for production from the beginning.

Both companies I worked for in the UK were small wholesale operations, supplying leading “High Street” Labels. Because of the size of the companies, it was a great opportunity for me to help out in other areas such as Garment Technology, Fits and Alterations where necessary. At one point while working at KUBE, they did not have a Garment Tech so I stood in and was able to take my knowledge of this side of the process to the next level.

River Island Website - A dress I worked on at KUBE

Central St Martins: Fashion Illustration Short Course 2008

admin — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 10:42:42 +0000

This course was fantastic because I had been concentrating on interpreting other people’s designs as a Patternmaker. I realized that true creativity comes from the subconscious mind, and conceptual drawing or painting might allow you to explore different ideas and then translate them into clothing designs. I am continuing to explore this in my spare time!

BODY: Visual Merchandising and Retail Sales 2003-2004

admin — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 10:25:42 +0000

After working in the BODY stores for around 1 year, I was offered the position for Assistant Visual Merchandiser. This is a valuable part of my experience because I learned to understand from a retail perspective what customers want. It was also highly creative in window display changes every week. We concentrated on keeping the store fresh and interesting each week.

The Head Visual Merchandiser took leave for 10 weeks, and I took over for that time. Below you can see 2 examples of window displays I created during that time.

BODY SS05/06 Melbourne store windows

EMA: hand made accessories 2003-2006

admin — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 10:20:12 +0000

During my time working at BODY, I formed my own accessory label called EMA. I produced hand knitted scarves in various yarns and colours to compliment the autumn/winter collections. For spring/summer I made knotted fabric scarves in different fabrics and textures.

EMA knitted scarves in store and on the catwalk for BODY AW 05/06

Knotted scarves made for BODY to send to the UK as press gifts

EMA Scarves in British Elle Magazine 2006

EMA Scarf in Heral Sun photographed with BODY clothing

Signatures: Costume Design & Construction 2002

admin — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 10:15:32 +0000

The costumes for this play were researched, designed and constructed by myself and friend Shauna Patterson. The 6 main characters were based on historical buildings and sties in the Geelong area, Australia.

Characters: "Pivot" "Pirra" "Avalon"

Diploma Clothing Industry Studies – Gordon Institute 2002 – 2003

admin — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 10:10:53 +0000

The Tertiary course I completed was great because we got a taste of everything. Our projects revolved around creating a collection from a design brief, and adding our own personality into it. For these collections, we worked on all aspects of the design and development process, through to patterns, cutting, sewing and embellishing, costing, materials testing and marketing.

Batwing Bomber Jacket, Double Layer Singlet, Wide Leg Pant

Winged vest, Assymetric Puff Skirt

Silk Art Deco Puff Dress

Collaboration collection with fellow student Jade Kahle

We combined our love for interesting embellishing and artistic design

Gouache & Conte Pencil Illustration