23rd May 2022
Context and Rational
When designing my manifesto, I first looked at what made me who I am today and how I have gotten this far in writing this blog post in my final few days at University. Every person I have met along my journey in life has added a ‘piece’ to me, from my parents to school, teachers and friends. Including those people, I have worked alongside in University, lecturers and peers, and people in the industry. All these elements or pieces create me as a whole.
A jigsaw is a metaphor for every person and how they are created; every person has once played with or completed a jigsaw in their early childhood. This is where my manifesto started to take shape. A jigsaw is infectious people can't help but add a piece as they walk by. After completing my dissertation on 'How do children's television programmes influence the development of identity in childhood?' I discovered a lot about how children learn and develop, using colours, words and facial expressions, to name but a few. In your first few months in school, you learn many new skills, but one that stands out is learning the alphabet; most people still remember the alphabet song they were taught in primary school and still sing it as adults to their children.
Using the alphabet and a jigsaw became a no brainer for my manifesto. I wanted to create something that links to my previous work, has a personal feel, and reflects me as a costume designer.
After working as part of the costume department on a few children's television sets, I understand the importance of working as a team. Working for a production or in a costume department is very similar to a jigsaw puzzle as many team players working together makes a whole. Without one person, the jigsaw is not complete.
Below, I will detail how each piece of my manifesto reflects me and my future in the creative industry.
A is for armatures , the armatures which I created for my NMP is a new skill which I have learned, which I hope to carry on in my future career. The building of each armature was such an exciting challenge this had to be the first piece in my jigsaw.
B is for Bobbin, bobbins are such an essential tool for a costume designer. Every make and module begins with a single bobbin and thread.
C is for cotton, just like a bobbin without cotton I wouldn't be able to be a successful costume designer. Each piece of thread I have used in my costume has been carefully chosen depending on the costume and the use of the thread.
D is for draping, to create a costume from scratch you first need to drape it onto a mannequin. At this stage, you can make alterations and design the costume as you continue to experiment.
I will definitely use this skill in my future career and hopefully learn new techniques along the way.
E is for experience, after being badly affected by COVID-19 we were unable to gain as much experience in the costume industry as would have liked. Although, over the summer in Level 5 I was fortunate enough to work for several weeks as part of the costume team on CBBC's Andy and the Band! This was a valuable experience and one that I will never forget.
I hope to gain more experience in the costume industry, which is related to children as I believe this area is one of my strengths.
F is for Fabric, fabric is an obvious key element in costume construction. It is absolutely vital that you choose appropriate fabrics for your projects. As a sustainable designer, I approach this very differently and look through my own collection of resources, visit charity shops and my local environment, before I purchase anything.
G is for garments, I am very proud of all the garments I have made as a costume student at the University of Salford.
Each garment I have made has been completely bespoke and completely me! On every occasion, my personality has been incorporated into my work. I embraced every opportunity to create something for children, something sustainable or inspired by nature and something that has strong family ties to myself.
H is for hats! If you've ever met me, you know I am the one wearing a hat!!!
I feel my hat is almost my trademark. When on Set on a TV production I was often known as 'the one wearing the hat' this made me memorable to people who I had never met before.
I also enjoy making hats and have made several for this course and in the past! I hope that after university I will start making hats which I can then add to my collection.
I is for illustrator, Adobe illustrator is something I have spent a long time learning over lockdown. I knew that this would be a good use of my time learning about this piece of software and would come in use for my future career.
In my NMP module, I used illustrator a great deal when creating the template for my armature models.
J is for Janome, for my 16th birthday I was gifted my first Janome sewing machine! This was a very special memory and it is still the machine I use today!
Owning my own sewing machine has given me the freedom to create many projects at home and experiment with new skills. It is the ultimate tool for my future career.
K is for Knitting, I find it fascinating to create my own pieces and textures to add to my projects. This adds to my passion for being a sustainable designer.
Although knitting is a dying artform I feel that it should be made 'cool' again before we lose a brilliant art form.
Moving forward, I hope to improve my knitting skills, to help make my costumes even more bespoke.
L is for Laser cutter, this is a new skill which I have recently learned as part of my NMP. Due to lockdown, I was unable to use the workshop facility. But I was able to gain access to the workshop and have the privilege to work alongside Tim and the team. This is where my template for my jigsaw puzzle was produced.
Hopefully, I will have the chance to use a laser cutter again in the future.
M is for measure, as my Grandad always says 'measure twice, cut once' this is a phrase that I have adopted. I will then be able to preserve every last piece of fabric.
N is for nature, our natural world has played a huge part in my costume journey. If I'm not protecting nature by being sustainable. I am including it as an element in my work to help teach and promote that we need to protect our natural world.
O is for 'on set', as part of the costume department it is vital that you work together as each team member is a piece of a jigsaw.
When working on set, it is important to know your place and speak up! Especially if you spot something that is wrong or looks out of place. There is a lot of activity going on and so it is vital that you speak up. This is something I will remember when working in the industry in the future.
P is for Photos! Taking photographs is a vital part of continuity on set but it's also something I love to do.
In the future, my love for photography will be a huge asset to me working as part of a costume department on set and behind the scenes.
Q is for quilting, this is a skill which I hope to explore further after University. I believe this is another art form which is becoming less popular as technology takes over.
Quilting is a very sustainable artform as it upcycles small pieces of fabric and turns them into a beautiful art form. As a sustainable designer, I hope to gain more knowledge about this skill and take it further in my career.
R is for repair, a mistake doesn't become a mistake until you refuse to repair it.
In the costume industry, it is vital that you have the skills to repair things and sometimes repair things at speed! I have had first-hand experience of this repairing trousers and dresses while on set, with seconds to make things back to normal.
In my costume career, I hope to get faster at repairing things and find new techniques to make them neater.
S is for Salford, without the University of Salford and the lecturers I would have never achieved my dreams!
T is for toile, toiling a costume before making it in the final fabric can help to iron out any flaws in the costume. This process helps the final piece to look professional.
U is for unique, in this industry I feel that it is important that as a designer I am unique and can offer something different. This will help me to stand out from the crowd when applying for a job.
V is for V & A
(Victoria and Albert Museum)
The V &A Museum was an inspirational part of my research for my NMP. I can't wait to visit again. This will be an asset to my future career.
W is for wet felting, this is a skill I learned before I started University. However, I have improved my skill set in this area and it has been something that has been a thread seen throughout my work. I have learned many new techniques as my skills have developed over the years.
X is for explore, although it doesn't start with the letter x I felt it was an important word to include. To explore the world through the eyes of a Costume Designer is an experience that will stay with me forever. It has been a dream come true creating costumes for TV being a part of the backstage crew and learning and exploring new skills which will aid my future career.
Y is for Yarn, is a spun thread used for weaving and sewing. A necessary component in the creative industry.
Z is for zip, I have enjoyed learning all the various ways of attaching a zip to a costume. Before University I made my little sister a tutu made using recycled zips.
Finally, a double jigsaw piece which says 'Phoebe's Manifesto' I believe that my manifesto tells my story, which presents my past and my future career goals in the creative industry.
Final Manifesto
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