Printed textiles for Louis Vuitton fashion collection.

I was commissioned to do the fabrics for the Louis Vuitton S/S 2007 Collection.

I trialled my initial ideas as design prototypes in collaboration with an embroidery company, developing three-dimensional rosebud organzas (a sheer fabric) which I printed both back and front, a technique which has not been used before. These trials were made without commercial constraints but my prototypes will nevertheless have future implications for the industry in terms of pushing the boundaries of the design discipline.

I applied and developed them in the Louis Vuitton “Marie Antoinette” collection (S/S 2007), which used fine, low level embroidery on chiffon which I then printed colour over, blocking and defacing the beauty and fine work of traditional high fashion luxury textiles.

Fleet Bigwood: Research Areas

Working in close collaboration with international fashion houses and designers, I innovate, design and produce limited runs of specialist textiles that cannot be sourced from conventional mills / studios, or engineered for the mass market, but which will influence the rest of the market in terms of trends and aesthetics.

My work is unique in the industry in respect that I do not sell swatches but always work to commission and in close consultation with designers, developing fabrics to their specification. In many cases I have a close working relationship with my clients that covers ten years of collaboration. My contribution is to design and develop specially engineered fabrics for their ready to wear collections and to provide innovative modern and relevant solutions to enhance and add value to their work.

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