The Couture Collage - Designing Before the Dress
Before a couture garment is draped, cut, or stitched it is imagined. In
the great Paris maisons, collections begin with visual storytelling:
fabric fragments, trims, historical references, color studies,
silhouettes, and emotion translated into form. Designers such as
Christian Lacroix are known for developing collections through richly
layered collage processes blending imagery, texture, and story before a
single pattern piece is drafted.
This workshop will introduce students to that creative process.
In this three-hour experience, students will:
Learn how couture designers build visual storytelling
Define a muse or inspiration theme
Develop a focused color story
Create a layered couture inspiration board using fabric swatches, trims, lace fragments, imagery, and silhouette overlays
Refine and edit their concept as a designer would
The result is not simply a collage but a work of art, a fully realized couture concept board.
