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EMBRACING TEXTURES


For this launch we wanted to delve into processes regarding the construction of knitted garments through Florence Collin’s work; how they modify and acquire meaning through stitching and the construction of the volume.

We invited Alicia Corrales, Dean of Universidad del Pacifico’s School of Fashion and Textile Design, to reflect on this matter.


CREDITS


Photography: Nacho Rojas · WEB · PROJECT · PORTFOLIO
Designer Contact: Web · Boutique: Lautaro 633 , providencia. Santiago.Chile. +56 2 895 2707 · Cel-phone: +56 8 890 2426 · Mail: florencecollinboutique(@)gmail.com · Facebook:Florence Collin Boutique.

Florence Collins (Text Alicia Corrales)


The work of Florence Collins is characterised by the construction of garments supported in the ‘skilled use’ of diverse textures, volumes, as well as the embracing capacity of the knitted fabric as a technique in textile production. It is from this point that the assembly of a pattern is associated to the knitting process itself, and the starting and ending point of what each garment will become.

She uses diverse thicknesses, depending on the collection in progress. It is for this reason that the hang, transparency/opacity, lightness/heaviness and the texturisation of the knitted fabric give the garments diverse results appearance-wise, which are framed within the personal characteristics of her own design process and make Collin stand out as a timeless creator when it comes to tendencies. An example of this is the opportunity she offers her clientele to customise each garment designed under their own usability parameters.

From a construction perspective, her knitting as a wraparound body container, strengthens the body’s presence and connects with it, delimiting shapes without intervening or restricting them; generating a journey without graphic interlocutors, where the communication or the communion that the yarn or thread intend to give as a conductor, and the final shape as a container, are not distorted: the design appears like another layer of skin over the skin of the wearer, the technique itself provides space, giving looseness and lightness to what she seeks to emphasize.

Florence Collins (Text Alicia Corrales)


An interesting characteristic to highlight in Florence’s knitted fabric work, is the elasticity that the technique offers. Contrary to what occurs with the majority of flat fabrics, her knitted garments return to their original shape after being stretched, without any modifications. Anyhow, it is important to consider that depending on the type of fabric used, a difference will always exist, as they will naturally behave differently from one another; fact which must be considered when creating a garment.

When speaking of the pattern making process in knitted fabrics, it could be said that it is more simple than the flat fabric process due to these garments’ elastic nature, with which diverse three- dimensional shapes can develop, using deformation as a construction system.

In Florence’s case, her products are of great quality and fine finish and the fiber used is pivotal to the outcome. The designs and the person who wears them complement each other, allowing the customisation of the products, which have a neutral quality to them. This makes the great construction method that she uses in each collection stand out.

NACHO ROJAS


Nacho Rojas’ photography is characterised by the fine use of colour, which creates atmospheres that generate a different mood in every scene. He mainly works with close ups that give expression to the faces in every image he creates.