The designer – This Orange and black dress was made by Alexander Wang, an American fashion designer. Wang is widely known for his urban designs. In 2013, Wang has been named Creative Director at Balenciaga. He is currently focusing on his own brand. This dress is from his spring 2015 collection.
The design concept/inspiration- Nike’s Flyknit sneaker inspired Alexander Wang’s dress. Developed in 2012, Nike harnessed kitting’s inherent characteristics in a seamless sneaker design that is light and molds to the foot for better performance and fit. Wang’s Meta design bounces the innovation of using knits for sneakers back onto fashion.
Materials- Last Spring/Summer 2015 season, Alexander Wang did not send models down the runway in sneakers. The footwear was still of sporty inspiration though, with woven fabric, mesh, and rubber used as materials for the heels that the models wore. The presence of sneaker culture was shown in the clothes themselves, as iconic sneaker designs and prints consistently showed up and shaped the design of the collection. In this dress, orange and black fabrics were mainly used.
Production- The dress was made of polyester thread, involving precision knitting technique that results in extremely light weight. It features little to no stitching, and fits the model’s body like a sock. The main innovation is that the machine creates the dress without any hand-making technique.
Further Inspiration – Nike’s Flyknit fabric provided ample inspiration for Alexander Wang’s lineup of colorful bodycon dresses. The innovative technology’s instantly recognizable weave provides texture, while additional seams and patterns break up the otherwise tonal dresses. Arriving in blue, yellow, and orange, the bright dresses also mimic Nike’s colorful lineup of Flyknit colorways.
Production Process – To make the dress, designers use complex knitting structures to create a closed anatomical form that mimics the shape of the body.
Final product- I sketched the orange and black mini halter neck dress. There was another piece in green and black, which I thought it was interesting color variation.