Showing posts with label Paris. Show all posts

Paris | Day Four

19:42

Despite being very tired on the last day of Paris it was truly disheartening to have to leave my favourite place again after an overwhelming but amazing time.

We were taken to a flea market outside of the capital in them morning to browse at bits and bobs that people were selling. It was lovely and inspiring to look around and collect things but I think by this point we were all pretty tired and went by things that could have influenced our collection, but all we really wanted to do was sit down and sleep.

After that it was a small wait at the hotel and Gare Du Nord before heading back to London and then back to Derby. It was an amazing and insightful trip and one I would love to do again. It was especially nice being with all my friends for once last time before the major hard work begins.

Also … If you didn't know I have Instagram which I publish my work on - @lisajaynetextiles

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Paris | Day Three

19:33

Paris feels like forever ago now so it is hard to remember what exactly I did on what day but I want to fill you in on what I did on my third and last full day in Paris.

The morning was spent at one of my favourite places in Paris, the Louvre Museum. I think I love this place as whenever I have been, not matter how busy it is, it always seems to feel peaceful and you can just sit and stare at the architecture and the surrounding area for hours. I fell in love with this part of Paris when I first went in 2012 and had lunch sat outside in the sun with my friend Ruth and it is one of my favourite memories.

This was the first time I got to experience going in to the Louvre and seeing all the amazing and huge artwork … and of course the Mona Lisa. It is a pretty amazing place and I am glad I can say that I have been inside and seen the artwork is had to offer.

After that is was a quick delicious waffle shared by me and my friends April and Becca and then to find Drayfus, a fabric store which has five floors and tons of fabrics to offer. Sadly this was an unsuccessful trip which led to us walking for a good couple of hours and having no such luck and returning to the hotel tired and not ready for the afternoon, despite it featuring macaroons.

That afternoon we all ventured out in our little group of six to Rue Cambon, the home of the famous Chanel store where she lived and worked for some of her life. Just around the corner was also a Paul Smith store some of us wanted to see and, my favourite food place in Paris, Laduree. I decided to get 6 macaroons for myself in a cute little lilac box that featured in my last collection. And, as always, there were amazing and I even got April to try her first one!

After another wonder around the designer stores and "oohhhhing" and "aaahhhinnng" at all the things we wanted buy or wanted to design it was back to the hotel for one last dinner together and out for some drinks in the hotel bar. And, of course, as it is us it ended up being a late one!

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Paris | Day Two

07:30

Premiere Vision Day

Day two in Paris was very very hectic, over whelming and tiring. It was a day fully packed of all things textiles and sightseeing.

The start of the day was an early one as we had to get to Premiere Vision early to make the most of it. Premiere Vision is a Textile event held every year in February and is a massive building full of designers, sales people, mills selling and buying fabrics and agents.

As soon as you walk in all you see is the massive hall full of white boxes with companies inside promoting and selling their work in unique and creative ways. As you walk further in you become cocooned in it a world full of fabrics that really took my breath away and got me excited to explore, ask questions, touch and feel the fabric and ideas for my designs. This main part was where a lot of mills had appointments to sell their work and where the main business of selling and buying would happen.

Included in Premiere Vision is a smaller showcase of independent and housed designers and companies including Paper & Cloth, Lemon Ribbon, Owen & Kim, Pattern, Acorn, Lewis and Lewis plus tons more.

It was a great chance for me to step outside of my comfort zone and speak to these people to ask about their work, techniques and business but mainly if they had any jobs, placements or freelancing opportunities. I always got a chance to speak to the companies I have my placements with later on in the year. Pattern was a company I spoke to for a really long time and got to know the girl I had been emailing and how the companies work. It got me so excited to starting placement there as they seemed so friendsly, laid back and highly hands on with being creative. I also got to speak to the creators at Keeler Gordon who were also lovely and welcoming. Overall it was interesting to see their work up close and the type if processes and designs they use and create.

An interesting thing happened on the metro back to the hotel and it truly made me realise that stepping up and talking to people is worth doing as you don't know what it would lead to. I sat opposite a girl who I saw had a Premiere Vision map and I asked her if she had enjoyed her day, it lead to her explaining she wants to start up her own company using Eco friendly dyes and fabrics. She wanted some advice on whether digital printing or screen printing was more beneficial and, after writing about it in my dissertation, I was able to advise her. We eventually swapped contacts and I offered myself as a designer if she needed one.

Notes on companies I looked at and/or spoke to….

Limonta Print

Italian / London based

Hand painted florals

Pen and ink look and feel

Soft fabrics (although some were heavy and interior like)

Strong colours

Loose mark making

Superstudio SAS

Loose watercolours

Smudgy

Big loose brushstrokes

Blended brushstrokes

Mix of bold strikes and fine lines

Mint Design

Hand drawn look

Soft fabric

Smudgy mark making

Nanni-Costa Francesco

Italian based

All designed in house

All hand drawn designs

New Age My Design

Placement prints

Oversized prints

Soft, smudged mark making

Watercolours and black outlines

Busy prints

Soft fabrics

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Paris | 1st Day

21:02

The day in Paris has been quite surreal and overwhelming already with a lot of travelling and walking. After arriving at our hostel, Saint Christopher's Inn right by the Gard du Nord, we went to a place called Ultramod, right by the Royal Paris Opera House. With one shop on either side of the street they stock ribbons, trims, buttons, fabrics and other textile bit and bobs!

We then walked to Galeries Lafayette, a designer fuelled luxury appartment store. From Chanel, Micheal Kors, Prada and Louis Vuitton to Tiffany, Burberry and Vanessa Bruno. The ceiling was absolutely beautiful and was amazing to look at.