Springline

I went to Springline today and it was sooooo cold! Northampton was -3 degree! But it was worthy. Theres so many different last shape, and they got lasts for Church, Nike, Adidas etc. Thats so cool!




Lasts from my final project:)

College Laser Cut info

LCF - Golden Lane

Fabric and Leather

Contact: g.jenkins@fashion.arts.ac.uk

LCC - Elephant and Castle

Plastic and Rubber

Contact: g.garber@lcc.arts.ac.uk

Marketing

Am I studying marketing or footwear? -_-

This month i really learn a LOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!

busy busy month

Optical Illusion

haha

London binding service

City binders

idea

I wana make a shoe that is a combination of derby and sock, with welted sole, like a sock that attached on the derby. ofcoz the sock is not plain at all, im thinking to do some embroidery on it. maybe some large circle pattern. and i have to find those sock material, like "starchy cotton". Normally they are like this:

(Leg warmer can take off, but i think the button is not good looking if you wear it without the leg warmer)
But i want my sock to be sewn in the shoe, which means the sock is not able to take off.

i love this idea, i think its cute and it can so call a "boot", and the cost ofcoz lower than a real tall boot, as the leather cost much. i have to lower my cost as much as i can! coz my target market is mainstream - affordable lux, abt £150-£300 .

will that be my main piece? let see.

Embroidered Shoes

With much more research of embroidery, i found that it can be a cool element on shoes rather than a traditional chinese shoes! I love it so much, but im still thinking how to apply on footwear in a modern way with my style.

What pattern should i embroider? and where should i get it done?
Can it be on the leather?

I will find the answer out very soooooooon, as im now struggling with my concept development!!!!! ROAR!

Embroidered Socks

Via my favourite socks

Im thinking could i use embroidery to enhance my work, as it looks quite old in style if they were in flower, which i like!



Such as this pretty vintage hand embroidered doily.

Target Customer Lifestyle

Target Customer Lifestyle 1 by emilytai on Polyvore.com

Target Customer 2 by emilytai on Polyvore.com

Love the Pink sole

Love History

As my concept is nostalgia, i suddenly think that i can add some elements of historical shoes in my collection. im now looking at both historical shoes and vintage shoes.

Survey

I have create a online survey, collecting information that "do girls like cute things" and their spending habit for footwear.

*Click here for the questionnaire*

Thanks!<3

KimoKawaii

via Martamattsson

Pantone

Preferable colour for my brand



via Zedimage.com

Writing Journals

via paper clay junkie

Metal block for hot stamping

Studio Tone Ltd

02089804242

Unit 6/8, Crown Close Business Centre,
LONDON,
E3 2JQ

Contact: mike@studiotone.co.uk

Around £15

Ideas Ideas

When I am doing my research, theres many ideas go thru my head. I want show to others "What have I learned over this 3 years in LCF" by this final major project. So maybe I should kinda do some experiment and sort that out.

Now let me clear up my mind a bit ...
(just ignore it if you dont understand what i typed, coz its just a note for myself haha)

-------------------------------

1st year:

Shoe Construction

2nd year:

Surface decoration

3D experiment

-------------------------------

Making

Shoe Construction - Historical elements

Lace - Printing lace pattern on leather or fabric.

Plastic Resin - Decoration (with magnet?)

-------------------------------

Concept



History - Disappeared - Nostalgia

FREE Photoshop Brush

http://www.brusheezy.com/

Pastel Palette

Antonio Marras stamped his own signature onto the mainline collection as well as honouring Kenzo Takada's legacy at the 40th Anniversary Show.



Marras turns Japanese kimono textiles in a pastel palette weighted down with rusty tones of ochre. I love this idea so much. Japanese kimono textiles are normally in bold colours, but in this collection the textiles are much more fenminine, and still keeps it savor.

And it makes me think of a popular japanese street trend - mori girl, which means the 'forest' girl, who looks like she lives amongst cedar and pine trees lol.

laser cut x printing patterns on leather

An idea flash thru my mind suddenly.

These photo inspires me ...




I love these feminine elements, which I want to combine them. But not just use lace and floral fabric, maybe do laser cutting or magic touch paper printing on leather. Will do some experiment and find out is it work.


Love the edges of the pale pink top.

Computer Paper

As im doing kind of "OLD/AGED" stuffs, this linen inkjet fabric is so inspiring. Im thinking could I use it to wrap the heel or even for the upper (altho I would like to use leather for upper with a fabric wrapped wooden heel, I love those contrast thingy).

(From crafty computer paper)

Words for my concept

Nostalgic

Intrigued

Dazed

Retro

The theme of my Final Year Project

*Self-initiated*

Hong Kong Heritage

This is Hong Kong

Old Hong Kong

Preservation of Hong Kong heritage

Brand Name

Could anyone suggest some names for my future brand? I have a deep thought that I shouldnt use my name as the brand name, it seems too simple. I love those name like Groundzero, Day Dream Nation, Frapbois etc, some worlds with meaning.
Im thinking everyday that 'what do I like', 'how do I usually speak', 'any word that can represent me?', 'what is my style like?' etc, but still I have no idea at all. Actually I dun need it now, coz I wont be able to run a brand/company by myself now, I just wanna register one asap, as many names, which I like, were already registered by the others.

URGHH!!!!!!!!!!!

Hong Kong?

I am still wondering should I explore HK for my final year project. Actually I have this idea becoz in these 3-year life in London, many people ask my where do I from, and I answered 'Hong Kong', they gave my different feedbacks. Here is my conclusion.

(1 - 50%) Oh! China? Can you pls help me to buy a fake miumiu? (or LV, whatever)

(2 - 30%) You Chinese are rude and impolite. (He wanna said we live in a remote rural country, which I think he watched on Discovery Channel showing the poorest part of China like Ethiopia) Actually we just speak a little bit louder on the bus... and he just dont understand what we were saying. nutz.

(3 - 15%) Oh yea ... erh ... hm ... Hong Kong? Where is it? Japan? (OMFG)

(4 - 5%) Oh great! I have been to Hong Kong once, it is ... bla bla bla (and he talked for 10 mins abt the relationship of Hong Kong & China and the economy... he knows to much and he is a taxi driver)

Becoz of that I do think people should be told 'Hows Hong Kong' and introduce the real Hong Kong to the world.



Victoria Harbor - The main attraction for visitors


Behind (real) Hong Kong for the citizen

emm's draft

Any comments? Gracias!

Freefont

There is over 6500 free fonts in GMK! woohoo!
That is really useful for design borad.

And I got a serious problem, which is I think I'm gonna change the name of my brand, coz everyone was asking me, 'Emily! How to pronounce e.mei's (the name of my brand)?' and I was like erh... em... mei... s... sth like that, I dunno! So to avoid these embarrassment I know I have to change it! But you know every name that I think is suitable for me, e.g em, emem even em's and emem's, they have been registered by someone else in Hong Kong already! Therefore I came up with a prefect name - emm's, haha NO ONE USE IT YET! God bless!

So now I have to decide which font should I use, hasta luego!

Sanrio & Dr. Martens 50th Anniversary Collaboration

The Sanrio & Dr. Martens 50th anniversary collection consists of 5 styles including their 1460 8-eye boot in a special print that brings together many of SANRIO's iconic characters such as Hello Kitty, Keroppi and My Melody for the time ever. Other styles include their 1460 8-eye boot and Mary-Jane strap shoes sporting 3D bows as a nod to Hello Kitty.




**Pictures from Style Bubble

Maybe that will be my first pair of Dr. Martens. Even my mum loves Hello Kitty for years. She is every where in my home.

And every summer Kitty hits Hong Kong, as Sanrio present's exhibition for certain theme are held here. This year the theme is "Who's the Next Hello Kitty". Actually it is a game for visitors to explore a maze- like place and have interactive with Hello Kitty and friends.



Im defo going there with a kitty's bow lol See you there, adios!

I need dresses from LUELLA

Luella Bartley spent 10 years building up a £9million uber-cool fashion label, only to be forced out of business last autumn. And this autumn her first book - Luella's Guide to English Style, which will highlight the UK's street style and fashion icons, is set to release during Spring/Summer 2011 Fashion Week in London.

Hmmmm...I want a label revival, not the book actually.


Designs from Luella Bartley's spring/summer 2010 will certainly not be made;(


But I WANT THIS BAG!

Last and the least Fungus Workshop

Altho the tutors are friendly and helpful, I won't recommend it to the others. They are realist.


I quite like this red, but no one admires it lol. Its a clutch:)

Fungus Workshop

Today I went to fungus workshop to learn how to do hand stitching for leather. And after those leather and tools introduction, I feel like ... I should love my college more. They are not even using clicking knife, but if it just for fun, it was fun.


This is my 1st product, it shows simplicity! lols

Final selection

I am going to register this next week:)

e-mail gmail

I have just registered a new email address for officially use, hope I am really going to use it lol Here you go: e.meis.mail@gmail.com

Vintage/Old

After reading the book, My HK, I was inspired by the Old Hong Kong, especially the tiles for the interior. As Hong Kong is carrying out the Urban Renewal policy to create quality and vibrant living, the 'OLD HONG KONG' may extinct in several years and become a pure urban international financial city, which is in every foreigner's mind (I do think they do not know the actual face of Hong Kong if they havent been to here). To preserve these invaluable culture, I decided to go around Hong Kong for some photos. Here is the 'old Hong Kong style cafe'- Mido Cafe.



Love the hand writing bill:) I will keep uploading photos of the HK to stimulate my mind! And my next destination is the old HK style decor Starbucks in Central. Hasta luego, adios.

Clocks by Stefan Strumbel

Love the COLOURS.

Logo Logo

I have chose 6 fonts for the final selection for my logo. And I do think there are so many other company who had already registered as 'em' or even 'em's', so I have came up with a new name - 'EMEI', which is a combination of 'em'ily & 'mei' yee (my English & Chinese name). Which one do you prefer?:)



Gobi make this for me, so beautiful!:) I think it needs a little amend then it can be my offical logo, yeah!



All fonts from dafont

Innovative Resume

Those resume are so cute:) I should make one, but it will defo be blank! lol

A Brand

To be honest at this stage, 'Establishing a Fashion Brand' is my purely imaginary and it is just a 'concept' & 'name' for my final year collection only. I know that it is not easy to make it real, it should involved many many many effort, experiences & money. So, pls do give me some time, maybe 10 years lol. I WISH it may come true sometime. Here is a "Strategy of establishing a fashion brand" interview of a designer who work in the Hong Kong fashion industry for 17 years. Actually what he had said is exactly the same as the marketing course which I took in PolyU before ... All of them are just items listed on books. So I do think experiences & networking are the most important elements for the success. Oh, for the logo, i found that 'Impact' (with tracking:25 & horizontally scale:120%) is quite good for me, it is simple still cute as barely rounded shape. Here you are:



Yet I will try to explore some more fonts for the final selection. And today I saw a book - My HK - which is tailor made for my project!! Gotta buy it tomorrow in G.O.D, a company who provides an eastern derived lifestyle concept. Sleep well, adios:)

Registration for Trademark in Hong Kong

Here comes to the last summer break of my 21 years school life:( (if I dun take MA) I do think I should spend my time meaningfully lol. Especially after having the final year briefing in jps, I am so stressed. Even when I was having lunch with Jessie & Steven, 3 of us were so confused - What should we do for our final year collection? After a few days thinking, I came up with an idea (will type it later in the following post). Generally, it starts as a totally new brand. I really want to have my own brand as a designer or for my career, I think the first step should be register legally for a trademark, which i will use it for my entire life, so the name is very important. 'em's', 'emem' & 'em.em' (yeh, im childish with no doubt) are my priorities, but still I have to search in the IPD online search system see if they have been registered by the others yet. Also I found that the Goods/Services Classification No.25 is the best list for me, it includes various kinds of footwear & clothing. Now I should find a font for my logo. Adios:)

General Information for the Trademark Registration *link*