THIRD YEAR JOURNAL

BY
STEPHANIE LYNCH
209091334
Third Year Final Journal
2016

1. I know that plagiarism means taking and using the ideas, writings, works of another as if they were one’s own. I know that plagiarism not only includes verbatim
copying, but also the extensive use of another person’s ideas without proper acknowledgement (which includes the
proper use of quotation marks). I know that plagiarism covers this sort of use of material found in textual sources and from the Internet.
2. I acknowledge and understand that plagiarism is wrong.
3. I understand that my research must be accurately referenced. I have followed the rules and conventions concerning referencing, citation and the use of quotations.
4. This assignment is my own work, I acknowledge that copying someone else’s assignment, or part of it, is wrong, and that submitting identical work to others
constitutes a form of plagiarism.
5. I have not allowed, nor will I in the future allow, anyone to copy my work with the intention of passing it off as their own work.
Name:
Date:
Student Number:
Signature:
PLAGIARISM

INDEX
CONTENT SLIDE NUMBER
Introduction
Inspiration Slide
IDENTIFICATION
Book
Inspiration Essay
CONCEPTUALISATION
Brainstorming
Untouchable and Elements
Word Association
Constraints
REFINEMENT
SCAMPER
Final Range
Storyboards
Design Essay
COMMUNICATION
Final presentation
Facebook Feedback
Instagram Feedback
Range Photographs
PRODUCTION
Sample Making
Making the Mohair Strips
Hand-Knitting Mohair Coats
Dip-dying Mohair Coats
Sewing Inverted/ Box Pleats
Costing
Drawing
CAD work
Academic Research Essay
Conclusion
References
Initial Range Presentation
Mohair Presentation

This journal will take you on a journey of my experience that is my third year in Fashion Design at NMMU.
The overall brief for the year was to gather inspiration from a chosen book. The message and overall feel taken from the book will inspire the garments for the end of year
range.
Taking inspiration from a book does not necessarily mean taken something literal from the book – a bit of exploration is needed. What emotions can I depict? What
events can I represent?
The third year range as a whole needs to consist of eight outfits. Each outfit is made up of three different garment components, i.e. a pair of trousers, a T-shirt, and a
jacket. All in all, there needs to be twenty-four completed individual garments. Within the eight outfit requirement, at least two of the outfits needs to be for men, but there
can be as many men’s wear outfits made. Regarding Mohair, one of the men’s outfits needs to fall into this category, there Mohair outfits will consist of one women’s
outfit and one men’s outfit.
With there being relatively free reign with this third year range, creativity, uniqueness, and emotional expression will be my aim fro the year. This journal will include the
various steps followed throughout the design process from start to end, including successes and hardships – how the end product eventually got to be what it is, such as:
• Inspiration
• Identification
• Conceptualisation
• Refinement
• Communication
• Production
• Costing, and
• An academic research topic that is somewhat related to my range.
INTRODUCTION

INSPIRATION
When I discover who I am, I'll be
free
Ralph Ellison, Invisible Man

One woman’s journey into
manhood and back again…
IDENTIFICATION

INSPIRATION ESSAY
Imagine having to live in disguise day in and day out. The feeling of longing to be accepted for the true you, and not having to please various people in various
situations. This is what has been the inspiring factor behind this years range…
A book, by the name of “A Self-Made Man” by Norah Vincent, was read; and her journey was extremely eye opening and inspiring. Norah Vincent decided to, as an
experiment, transform herself into a man for eighteen months. As this man, named Ned, Norah visited strip clubs, joined a bowling team, lived in a Catholic Monastery,
and placed herself in a few other predominantly male dominated situations during this time. For the duration of the experiment, Norah disguised herself as she met and
got to know the various people she came across. By the end of the experiment, Norah realised that nobody is completely as they seem – we all have our demons, we
all have our own secrets and battles. The most eye opening part of all is that men and women do not realise just how similar their battles and secrets are. Even though
men and women experience different battles, or have different societal standards, they fact that each sex has societal standards to live up to brings a sense of unity
between the battles both sexes face. As Norah Vincent writes in her book, “The pressure of being someone that you're not and ... the fear of discovery and the deceit
that it involves piles up and piles up.” (Norah Vincent: 2006). This lead to the major subject of the book, which was the daily disguise of oneself to fit in to society. No
matter the person, everybody has changed themselves in order to fit into a desired social situation at some point in time. This is evident through the book, as Norah
Vincent has created her whole experimental journey around changing herself in order to fit into social situations – and not just any social situations; male social
situations. She deceives everybody she comes into contact with by becoming a person she is not. By transforming herself into Ned, she literally wears a mask - by
changing the physical appearance of her face, changing the way she dresses, the way she walks, and by somewhat changing her female body.
The overall theme of playing with identity, which is the final untouchable theme, did not come to light as my initial theme. The initial theme was ‘masculinity’. According
to the Online Urban Dictionary, “Masculinity as properly defined is an aspirational and normative style of being and living as a natural-born man that a critical mass of the
members of that population applaud. When "masculine" is applied to women, the term denotes mannish features.” (Prof. F: 2009). At first a masculine theme seemed
the most obvious and suitable. As the process of collecting information and researching into the design process of how the book would contribute the designs,
masculinity began to seem less and less suitable.

The untouchable had to change, but it still needed to fit in with the design elements as well as maintaining the desired message. The design elements are ‘colour’ and
‘structure’. According to Vocabulary.com, colour is “a visual attribute of things that results from the light they emit or transmit or reflect”. (Vocabulary.com: 2016). Colour
plays an important role in portraying the message of societal disguise and the road to self acceptance. The colours that will be used are black, grey, white, and red – each
representing a certain emotion. Black, according to Empower-yourself-with-color-psychology.com, “relates to the hidden, the secretive and the unknown, and as a result it
creates an air of mystery. It keeps things bottled up inside, hidden from the world.” (Empower-yourself-with-color-psychology.com: 2009). Therefore, the black garments
will represent the complete concealment of ones true self from society – you are who everyone wants and expects you to be. Grey, according to Empower-yourself-with-
color-psychology.com, “unemotional color. It is detached, neutral, impartial and indecisive - the fence-sitter. The closer gray gets to black, the more dramatic and
mysterious it becomes. The closer it gets to silver or white, the more illuminating and lively it becomes.” (Empower-yourself-with-color-psychology.com: 2009). The gray
will represent that one is not fully socially disguised, but is not one hundred percent comfortable with being themselves in social situations. White, according to Empower-
yourself-with-color-psychology.com, “is totally reflective, awakening openness, growth and creativity. You can't hide behind it as it amplifies everything in its way.”
(Empower-yourself-with-color-psychology.com: 2009). Therefore, the white garments will represent those who are not trying to hide anything from society; they are who
they are in any social situation. Throughout the range of black, gray, and white, there will be touches of red. Red, according to Empower-yourself-with-color-
psychology.com, “is a warm and positive color associated with our most physical needs and our will to survive. It exudes a strong and powerful masculine energy.”
(Empower-yourself-with-color-psychology.com: 2009). The touches of red will, therefore, represent the power of self-acceptance – living life, and being who you are,
unapologetically.
The second element, namely ‘structure’, is defined as, “The arrangement of and relations between the parts or elements of something complex.” (Oxford University Press,
2016). Structural elements will be pleats, and boxy silhouettes. Pleats will represent that there is more than meets the eye – if one takes the time to appreciate something
complex and dig a little deeper, the hidden might be something spectacular and surprising. The boxyness of the garments will represent the sense of disguise and not
showing off the human form, which links back to the way that people hide and do not let others see them for who they really are.
INSPIRATION ESSAY

INSPIRATION ESSAY
Disguising oneself from society; questioning the opposite sex and your own; trying to learn from your experience, and staying true to yourself, your beliefs, and your morals
– all whilst pretending to be a completely different person must’ve been an exhausting experience for Norah Vincent. Some people do this their whole lives. This book was
a huge eye opener to the social pressures experienced by both men and women. Therefore, solidifying the desired emphasis of the range – there is no longer men vs.
women, men and women can be seen as one (not biologically, but in the sense that each sex faces struggles the other does not fully understand).
The journey of identity is a tough one. How does anybody know if they are truly being themselves? The world today has been brought up on social media, with the certain
ideas of ‘perfect’, therefore forcing people into a box of what is expected, and accepted. Many people, men and women, can no longer think for themselves because they
are all striving for the one standard of perfection.
At the end of the day, identity can be inspiring and discouraging. In this case it has been extremely inspiring in trying to represent an ultimate message of self acceptance.
The world will be a very boring place if people do not accept their individuality – it takes all sorts to make the world go round.
In the words of Norah Vincent, “That was the crux. You. Only you could work on you. Nobody could force you, and if you weren't ready, then you weren't ready, and no
amount of open-armed encouragement was going to change that.” (Norah Vincent, 2006).

CONCEPTUALISATION
IDENTITY
STRUCTURE
COLOUR
GENDERFLUID FASHION
ANDROGYNY
FACE VALUE
DIG A LITTLE DEEPER
SELF-MADE MAN
MASCULINITY
Strength
Disguise, mystery,
reveal
UNISEX
Men and women – we all face societal
disguises. At the end of the day we’re
all the same to some extent.
IT’S NOT ALL WHAT IT MAY
SEEM
Everybody fights their own battles
everyday. We should never take people
at first glance. Chances are, if you
scratch beneath the surface, you will be
surprised at what you might find.
Learn to accept you are who you are.
Colours will represent the process of becoming
comfortable in your own skin, becoming less
mysterious, and more transparent.
It takes a lot of strength to be
comfortable and honest with who you
are. It takes a lot more strength than
people think – as we can see, most
people are always wearing masks.
First untouchable
Through the process, another
Untouchable made itself apparent,
Second untouchable
The journey that the character goes on,
and the range concept fits better with
this untouchable.

UNTOUCHABLE
IDENTITY
the fact of being who or what a person is
ELEMENTS
the way that something is built,
arranged, or organized
a quality such as red, blue, green,
yellow, etc., that you see when you
look at something
COLOURSTRUCTURE

Masculinity
There has been much talk amongst the fashion industry lately about the apparent breakdown of
gender walls, introducing the more ‘gender fluid’ way of dress. Globe and Mail Online state that,
“Androgyny is the fashion world’s latest hot concept, both on the runway and beyond”, and, “Never
before has the complexity and fluidity of gender been so recognized and represented in mainstream
culture. There are transgender TV stars (Laverne Cox of Orange Is the New Black) and chief
executive officers (Martine Rothblatt of United Therapeutics). Bruce Jenner, the Olympic and reality-
TV star, is reportedly embracing a long-suppressed female identity” (The Globe and Mail, 2015).
This is not saying that my range is leading towards trans sexuality, but it just proves that women can
be masculine, and men can also be feminine, whilst still being considered sexy, or manly or
womanly.
Disguise/ Concealment
According to the Cambridge Online Dictionary, it defines ‘disguise’ as, “to give a new appearance to
a person or thing, especially in order to hide its true form” (Dictionary, 2016). The Free Dictionary
Online defines ‘concealment’ as, “To keep from being observed or discovered; hide”
(TheFreeDictionary.com, 2016).
Disguise or concealment will represent the fact that Vincent herself, as well as the men of the people
she comes across, all hide who they really are from society in order to be accepted and considered
the norm. Within my range, the garments mustn’t shoe off the body, but must conceal what the body
really looks like – just as how people go through life; at the end of the day nobody really knows who
you really are. This could be achieved by incorporating oversized, bulky, and boxy garments to hide
the body, as well as emphasising the masculinity of the range.
Colour
Within my range, colour will be very symbolic – as it will determine the whole mood I want to portray.
The colour palette I want to stick to are blacks and greys. In my range black will represent how the
way Vincent has hidden and disguised herself from society. With hiding yourself from society, it
boils down to the fact that you are protecting yourself and not letting people too close to you in case
they see your vulnerability. According to Empower Yourself Online, “The color black relates to the
hidden, the secretive and the unknown, and as a result it creates an air of mystery. It keeps things
bottled up inside, hidden from the world.
In color psychology this color gives protection from external emotional stress.
It creates a barrier between itself and the outside world, providing comfort while protecting its
emotions and feelings, and hiding its vulnerabilities, insecurities and lack of self confidence.”
(Empower Yourself, 2016). Various shades of grey will represent unattachment and almost a lack of
emotion. Vincent maintains this throughout the book, as she never gets too close to anybody she
meets or comes across. Grey also represents a sense of mystery, as well as varying opinions and
conclusion Vincent came to throughout her journey. Not everything is black and white in life – they
are many shades of grey. Empower Yourself Online states, “The color gray is an unemotional color.
It is detached, neutral, impartial and indecisive - the fence-sitter.” (Empower Yourself, 2016).
WORD ASSOCIATION

WORD ASSOCIATION
Structure
In my range I would like the structure to reiterate the strength and the masculinity that
Vincent experienced during her journey. The overall over-garments should be quite stiff and
structured, but other structural elements will be included in each garment, such as pleats.
According to Dictionary.com, a pleat is defined as, “a fold of definite, even width made by
doubling cloth or the like upon itself and pressing or stitching it in place” (Dictionary.com,
2016). In the range, pleats will represent the walls people put up in order to hide who they
are, but once people take the time to take a closer a look people will surprise you and reveal
their real beauty that they hid inside. All in all, they represent how people generally take
things at face value, and rarely take the time to look below the surface.
Silhouette
According Popsugar Fashion, ‘silhouette’ is defined as, “In fashion, the overall outline, or
shape of a garment” (POPSUGAR Fashion, 2007). Silhouettes in my range will play an
important part in representing how we conceal ourselves from society. And, because
Vincent hid behind her disguise as man this must be achieved in a masculine way.
Silhouettes must be stiff, oversized, and square in shape – this will also portray how nobody
wants to show their vulnerability to anybody very often; it will portray the walls we build
around ourselves in order to protect our hearts. Oversized garments will further more
emphasise the concealing of one’s true self, as Vincent did herself throughout her journey;
as well the people she met along the way. The oversized garments can also portray
masculinity. According to the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, ‘oversized’ is defined as,
“being of more than standard or ordinary size” (Merriam-webster.com, 2016).
Identity
According to the Merriam Webster online dictionary, Identity is defined as, “ who someone is
: the name of a person, or the qualities, beliefs, etc., that make a particular person or group
different from others.” (Merriam Webster.com, 2016). Within my range, I want people to
feel the journey of finding, accepting, and even celebrating who you are. The changing of
ourselves to be socially accepted needs to stop. You need to make yourself happy, because
at the end of the day it is your life and you need to be proud with how you live it.
The colour usage within my range will emphasise the self acceptance and discovery.
Identity is an option for an untouchable, as I feel it could help depict my range more
successfully that if it were to be ‘masculinity’.

CONSTRAINTS
INHERENT COHERENT
Constraints that are already in place.
Constraints that come to light through
creative limitations.
1.)
Two of those outfits = Mohair
2.)
At least two of those outfits must be for men
1.)
Fabric for whole range = blockout
2.)
Men’s and women’s outfits must be extremely
similar or the same
3.)
Inverted and Boxed pleats which I have never
attempted before.
4.)
Hand knitting Mohair
5.)
Dip Dying Mohair

DESIGN ESSAY
The aim as a creative person is always make something that people find interesting, and I feel that by following and experimenting through the design process takes you
closer to that desired level of achievement. As per requirement for this current year, I will be designing, an constructing eight outfits, with each outfit consisting of three
separate garments. Two of the eight outfits will be Mohair, consisting of two hand knitted Mohair coats, as well as a male and female crop tops and trousers made from
Mohair cloth. The other six outfits will be made up of three male outfits and three female outfits, all portraying the message I wish to convey.
Apart from being inspire from the book, ‘Self-Made Man’, identity as a whole will be discovered and dealt with throughout my range. My initial theme revolved around
masculinity, but going through the design process, and research, I realised that I was dealing with the subject of identity as opposed that of masculinity. My range will be
portrayed as a journey from total disguise, to a slight reveal, through to acceptance of self. I intend to represent the journey through various structural elements, such as
pleats, structured shoulders, and boxy silhouettes. Pleats will represent the act of looking beyond the surface layer of people’s personas – digging a little deeper and
finding the greatness that is so carefully hidden away, while structured shoulders and boxy silhouettes will represent the societal disguise, and the walls we all put up to
keep people from knowing our vulnerable side. Colours, such as black, gray, white and red, will add to the journey. Although I have my own relations and emotions toward
certain colours, this range is also open to other’s interpretations towards colours, and the emotions that is evoked within them.
Various types of people could wear these garments, those who like disguises and mystery, the ‘open books’, and those who have blurred the gender lines. Although each
outfit is made for either a man or woman, it can be easily interchangeable. Interchangeable fashion between men and women is a currently increasing need, and it needs
to become more mainstream – it needs to be more than a niche market. This does not necessarily mean making women’s clothes masculine, and men’s clothes feminine
– it’s about meeting in the middle.
The benefits of these garments is that anybody can potentially wear them – men and women. I intended then range to eradicate the worry of looking too girly, or too
masculine, it will promote the act of rolling with the times, and showing acceptance for the various gender roles and views that are out there today.
An interesting aspect about this range is that there is more psychological choice – you can choose what you want to reflect or represent. The pleats represent the way in
which people hide their secrets in an interesting way. Regarding my Mohair garment, I thought it was interesting as it was something I have never attempted, and that it is
a summary of the whole range in two outfits; because the outer coat represents the journey of self acceptance by the colours transitioning from black to gray to white; with
a red crop top and red trousers that are worn underneath the coats.

DESIGN ESSAY
I began the process by researching the various way to construct the structural elements I have included in my range, as well as researching all the techniques I did not
know how to complete, such as hand knitting the Mohair coat. Once all the designs were finalised, and scampered I began the pattern making process. The patterns were
checked before the cutting and sewing preparation processes were even a thought. During the sewing preparation, I realised I needed to have the pleating of the normal
pleats outsourced – due to the fabric I used, block-out, and the accuracy required, I found that I needed help. This required further research into who pleats fabric in Port
Elizabeth. Luckily, a reasonably priced company, namely Perfect Pleats, was able to pleat two metres of my fabric for only R95,00. All the other sewing processes I could
do without outsourcing.
The outfits with the most preparation required were my Mohair garments. The desired thickness of yarn I needed for knitting needed to be formed by me before the actual
hand knitting could begin. My desired yarn thickness was created on the knitting machine. The knitting machine knitted strips eleven stitches wide, and multiple kilometres
long – literally. This stage turned out to be the most time consuming – six weeks of sitting in front of the knitting machine (four hours a day; five days a week). As I sat,
other students entered the knitting room, completed their Mohair, and left – all the while I was still knitting kilometres of these strips. Needless to say, I was an experience I
will never get to have again.
The next, for me, was the hand knitting of the two Mohair coats. This stage was incredibly daunting for me as I had no clue how to hand knit on this scale. With much
guidance I managed to knit the two coats, which was not nearly as time consuming as the previous step, but it not lack teaching me anything. Besides the fact that I learnt
how to knit a whole coat by hand, I also learnt how to be resourceful because I had to make knitting needles form broomsticks in order to have the required thickness of
needle. The next step was the dip dying of the coats, which was a feat and obstacle all on its own, which is explained in the ‘production process’.
Due to dying issues I had to unravel my Mohair coats because they had basically stretched to kingdom come. At least I knew how to knit the coats, so that went relatively
quickly the second time around. In hindsight, I should have knitted each coat as one big piece with armholes with raglan sleeves, but the coats still look effective.
There is always change throughout the journey that is the design process. Just because you have finalised your scampers and chosen your final designs, does not actually
mean they are your final designs. But, that is the beaut of the design process. Change that happens along the way will only take you closer to your very own desired idea
of perfection. All in all, I view my range as being very unique as I do not think what I have made or what I am dealing with is necessarily out there or being explored. I have
completed many tasks and operations during the making of my range that I never imagined I could or would actually do. For instance, although I encountered many
obstacles in the making of my Mohair coats, it is something new and experimental, and I am just proud I managed to complete it at the end of the day. We all want to be
number one or be the best, but I have found that if I can learn news skills and be the most creative I know how then I have accomplished a great deal.
“The price of success is hard work, dedication to the job at hand, and the determination that whether we win or lose, we have applied the best of ourselves to the task at
hand.” (V. Lombardi)

COMMUNICATION
INITIAL RANGE CONCEPT POWERPOINT

COMMUNICATION
MOHAIR POWERPOINT

COMMUNICATION
FINAL PRESENTATION

COMMUNICATION
FACEBOOK FEEDBACK

COMMUNICATION
INSTAGRAM FEEDBACK

PHOTOSHOOT – BEHIND THE SCENES

COMMUNICATION
RANGE PHOTOSHOOT

SECOND YEAR WORK
FIRST PLACE – FAIRVIEW RACE COURSE FASHION SHOW

PRODUCTION
SAMPLE MAKING
Sample of pleated cropped jacket (women’s) – the first outfit I
made.
Mock-up of Women’s Pants
Sample of knitting

PRODUCTION
KNITTING MOHAIR STRIPS
In order to make the desired yarn thickness, I had to machine knit strips of natural cream
African Hope Mohair. The strips were 11 stitches wide, and many, many kilometres long.
It took roughly six weeks to knit the required amount of strips.
This task was not necessarily difficult, but it was brand new to me, and it required a lot of
patience – which I generally do not have much of.
Once I had enough strips, I could begin hand knitting the coats.
This too, was relatively simple, but brand new to me, I learnt how
to create the necessary shaping fro arm holes, and necklines, so I
greatly enjoyed this task.
I made my ‘knitting needles’ from broomsticks I had purchased at
the hardware store, in order for the desired chunkiness of the knit. The down side about the knitting of the strips was, that for those six weeks I
would have people come and start and then complete their necessary Mohair
garments, whilst I still sat there – feeling like I was making no progress. But
all in all, I think it was worth it.
Through this process I did learn about time management. As well as
completing this task, I still had to keep up to date with my other outfits
and their due dates – which I managed to do so.
It was also exciting learning about, and how to use the knitting machines
– which looked incredibly daunting all on their own. It took a while for me
to grasp how to cast on and off on the knitting machines, but I got there
eventually.

PRODUCTION
HAND KNITTING MOHAIR
Knitting and shaping a sleeve
Reknitting the Coats
The coats needed to be reknitted due to
hurdles experienced during dying, which will be
explained in the dip dying process.
Hand-knitting the sleeves was a
completely new experience. The
shaping of the sleeve required many
re-dos. Dropping stitches and
knitting more than one together all
aids in shaping the sleeve head.

PRODUCTION
DIP-DYING MOHAIR
It took five people to dye the two coats.
Each coat was made from 2.5 cones of 1 kg of African Hope Natural Cream Yarn.
This process was not as easy as I envisaged, therefore, needless to say, there were interesting
challenges that had to be overcome.

PRODUCTION
DIP-DYING MOHAIR
The weight of the coats, once soaked in hot
water and vinegar, and then dye caused the
coats to stretch a great deal once hung up to
dry.
Trying to get the ombre effect even was a
challenge, as the urn used fro dying was big
enough.
As stressful as it was, it was a valuable
learning experience.
I ended up unraveling both coats, and
reknitting them by hand again.
Due to the unraveling and the reknitting, the
excess dye ended up in my nose and eyes. It
began coming out of my eye ducts, my nose,
and my throat. After about a week, it started to
show up through my pores around my neck,
arms, and ankles.
If I could advise anybody before taking on this
task – make sure you are always using gloves
and a face mask (even when reknitting).
Although it did not make me feel sick in any
way, it should still be cautioned that the dye
can easily land up in your system.
Once the coats had been reknitted, the end
product was a great improvement than before.
Although it was a tough task, and required
some serious relaxation at the end of the day, I
am glad I took it on and produced something I
can be proud of, and that nobody has really
made before.

PRODUCTION
INVERTED PLEATS WITH A BOX PLEAT LINING
On paper inverted pleats are so effective, but
translating that to fabric was quite a task for me.
Initially I did not take into account that my jackets
would be lined, resulting in me giving both layers
inverted pleats – which, if you do the maths, it just will
not work. Eventually I figured that a box pleat will
allow the inverted pleat on the outer layer to lie flat.
The first outfit that I attempted with inverted pleats, I
basically just took it as it came, I did not really plan
ahead as to what was needed to be done. The
stitching closed of the box pleat in the lining worked
perfectly in the garment following this first one. But it
was definitely a learning experience, and once you
plan the steps and do it once, it is actually quite a
simple operation to perform.

ACADEMIC ESSAY
CAN UNDERWEAR BE SUCCESSFULLY UNISEX?
With the ever increasing popularity of gender fluid fashion, and the increasing platforms for people to freely express themselves publically, enters a way in which to express
yourself on a more private level. With the complexity behind underwear construction, it poses the question as to whether or not one pair of underwear can be made for both
men and women. This essay will briefly discuss the early introduction of unisex clothing, companies that are currently producing gender fluid fashion, and a personal
experiment answering the question, on ground level, whether or not unisex clothing can be a successful innovation.
The concept that is unisex fashion first reared its head around the 1960s and 1970s in order to oppose the preconceived ideals of the 1950s. (Chrisman-Campbell, 2015,
para.3). Women were no longer merely housekeepers, they were making a way in the world, and they began to dress accordingly. Before unisex fashions became
commercial, Yves Saint Laurent created a tuxedo for women. This was named ‘Le Smoking’, which used the silhouettes of men’s tuxedos and prints, such as pin stripes.
(Chrisman-Campbell, 2015, para. 8). Around 1968 with The Space Age trend, American Department Stores made room for sections dedicated to this unisex fashion trend,
although majority of these were closed down by 1969. The unisex fashion concept seemed to be short lived. (Chrisman-Campbell, 2015, para. 4). Experimenting with unisex
fashion was not only for the women, but men joined in on the fun too. Women’s wear designers, such as Pierre Cardin, produced garments with the more feminine mandarin
collars and introducing the Nehru Jacket. (Chrisman-Campbell, 2015, para. 9). The end of unisex fashion is said to be in 1974 when Diane von Furstenburg instigated the
wrap dress, “a garment that combined femininity and functionality.” (Chrisman-Campbell, 2015, para. 10). The original wrap dress with its deep V-neckline, unassuming
length, and slit skirt took women’s attention away from the pantsuits, “it could go from the office to the disco.” (Chrisman-Campbell, 2015, para. 10). Enter the 1990s, the
reformation of modern androgyny. “Women donned flannel lumberjack shirts and combat boots while Kurt Cobain posed in ball gowns and housedresses.” (Chrisman-
Campbell, 2015, para. 11). Fast forward to 2015, where gender fluidness, once again, is back in full force. “Rad Hourani even showed a unisex haute couture collection for
Spring/Summer 2015.” New York boutique, Personnel of New York now has categories for, “Men, Women, and Everyone.” (Chrisman-Campbell, 2015, para. 12).
Le Smoking
(Yves Saint Laurent, 1966)
Nehru Jacket
(Dungan Images, 2011)
Iconic Wrap Dress
(Newsweek, 1974)
Kurt Cobain in a dress
(Sims, 1993)
Unisex Collection 2015
(Hourani, 2014)

ACADEMIC ESSAY
Gender, according to The Merriam-Webster Online dictionary, is known as “the behavioral, cultural, or psychological traits typically associated with one’s sex.” (Merriam-
webster.com, 2016). In today’s society, one can be born as a biological man or woman, but does not have to identify as man or woman – that is what gender is. Gender
is the sex you see yourself as, and according to (Marchal, 2016) , there currently thirty-one gender identities: “Bi-gendered, Cross-dresser, Drag King, Drag Queen,
Femme Queen, Female-to-Male, FTM, Gender Bender, Genderqueer, Male-to-Female, MTF, Non-Op, HIJRA, Pangender, Transexual/Transsexual, Trans Person,
Woman, Man, Butch, Two-Spirit, Trans, Agender, Third Sex, Gender Fluid, Non-Binary Transgender, Androgyne, Gender Gifted, Gender Blender, Femme, Person of
Transgender Experience, and Androgynous.” (Marchal, 2016) .
A Swedish brand, Acne, introduced one line of underwear in 2014 that could be sold to and worn by all thirty-one of the above mentioned gender identities. Jonny
Johansson, the Creative Director for Acne, had this to say about these ‘unisex undies’, “It's underwear for real kids, not models. “ (Parker, 2015, para. 4). This underwear
can be worn by everyone and anyone – regardless of your sexual or gender status. Edwina Erhman, the V&A Curator of Textiles and Fashion, has this to say about the
impact of the unisex undies, “They are part of a bigger story about people rejecting conventional ideas of masculine and feminine, and making their own choices about
what they feel right in. They have got people talking, and, most importantly, thinking, about how nuanced gender really is.” (Parker, 2015, para. 8). Even though on
occasion one wears their boyfriends’ boxers or briefs, does it provide enough evidence for a whole range of unisex underwear? Wearing a boyfriends underwear on
occasion is completely different to wearing it 24/7. This could be considered somewhat of an innovation in the underwear industry, but the real question that needs to
be answered is whether or not it can be comfortably and effortlessly worn by those with men’s or women’s genitals.
Although this underwear might be a questionable commercial success, it is playing its part in talking about the protection and oppression roles underwear puts onto the
female body. According to (Parker, 2015, para. 2). This underwear is part of an exhibition for, “Undressed: A Brief History of Underwear.” (Parker, 2015, para. 2).
(Acne Studios Underwear, 2014)(Acne Studios Underwear, 2014)(Acne Studios Underwear, 2014)

ACADEMIC ESSAY
Shortly after Acne introduced its line of ‘unisex undies’, comes another, more playful line of gender neutral underwear. The Playout Range created by New Yorkers, Abby
Sugar and Sylvie Lardeux. Sugar and Lardeux state that, “Play Out is for men, women, and anybody who identifies as in between.” Sugar and Lardeux often say that
they created this unisex underwear as a way to escape the confines of everyday gender binary. Although the pair designed this underwear for a reason, the question still
remains, is it comfortable for both men and women? Men and women have completely different genetics in the nether regions, so how can one pair of underwear satisfy
both body types?
(Playout Underwear
Studios, 2014)
In order to answer the question of whether or not underwear can be considered successfully unisex, a personal experiment needed to be conducted on a handful of
everyday people. This experiment is not to undermine the above mentioned products, but more to answer personal question on the matter.
The experiment was conducted in two different categories:
One - I personally wore men’s boxers and men’s briefs for a few days in order to understand the hype and possibility of everyday wearability. The feeling while
wearing the underwear was recorded as well as whether or not it would be a viable underwear option for certain women’s outer garments.
Two - three different men tried on various women’s panty styles. Each man was a different age, one was 21, another was 25, and the last was 29. Each of their
opinions was recorded as each man tried on the various panty styles. The participants requested to remain private, and pictures were not allowed to be taken, but
there are pictures of the panty styles used.
EXPERIMENT ONE
I decided to take three days and try out three different variants of men’s underwear, namely the boxer brief, the brief, and the boxer. Each experiment will discuss
whether or not that variant of underwear could possibly be successful as a unisex option, and whether or not is wearable as is for the opposite sex. A pie chart at the
end of the experiment will provide a quick visual answer that I came too.

ACADEMIC ESSAY
I made sure that I kept my way of dress the same and natural. I did not want to change my usual outfits because the result
would not be completely honest. On a day to day basis, I usually wear jeggings or leggings, I do not often wear actual jeans,
and tracksuit pants.
BOXER BRIEFS
The boxer briefs had an overall good fit, and they were relatively comfortable. Once I put the jeggings on over the boxer briefs,
it began to highlight the problem areas. I found that there was way too much fabric in the front (for obvious reasons) which
caused it to bunch up and make it uncomfortable. The leg were a bit snug, which clearly indicates that my legs are bigger than
a man who wears the same size underpants. The waist of the boxer briefs sits quite high on the body, therefore constantly
sticking out the top of my jeggings.
I changed the jeggings for tracksuit pants, and it made the world of difference. There was more room for the underpants to just
be.
The boxer briefs were ultimately comfortable when not wearing any pants, but were also comfortable in tracksuit pants and
other loose fitting pants. Due to the limitations, I would say that wearing boxer briefs under normal women’s clothes would be
a ‘no’.
BRIEFS
I did this the same way as the boxer briefs. I started out with jeggings and leggings, and then changed them out for tracksuit
pants. I did not feel that trying on skirts was a necessity for the briefs and boxer briefs because satisfying the pants category
would be more difficult, and if the underpants are comfortable in the jeggings and tracksuit pants, then it would be comfortable
worn with a flowy skirt or dress.
I found the briefs to be the most comfortable, because it almost feels as though you’re wearing really large panties. Although
they are big, they are the most possible to be worn under leggings and jeggings, and because normal jeans have a little extra
movement room, briefs will work perfectly under normal jeans.
Briefs also tend to bunch up in the front due to excess fabric, but are definitely the most wearable. As far as wearing men’s
underwear goes these would be a ‘yes’.

ACADEMIC ESSAY
BOXERS
Before I even started this segment of the experiment, I decided that wearing boxers under jeggings and leggings was
just a no-no. Due to the sheer amount of fabric, and the tight fit of the jeggings and leggings, it was clear that the
boxers would not work.
Women also tend to wear more figure hugging clothing, which made the boxers very limiting in this experiment.
I found that boxers work perfectly under tracksuit pants and a flowy dress or skirt. Even though wearing boxers under
the mentioned garments looked normal from the outside, it just felt like there was a lot of extra fabric around my hips.
All in all, I would say boxers are a ‘no’.
Unless you want to use them as pajama bottoms, then it is a definite ‘yes’.
Ultimately, it seems that men’s underwear for a women to wear is at it’s most comfortable when it is not worn with any
pants. This is due to the excess fabric and the more coverage needed. After testing out the three variants of men’s
underwear, namely boxer briefs, briefs, and boxers, I would say that as far as wearing men’s underwear goes, the
briefs are the most potentially wearable on a daily basis. As a whole, men’s underwear would need alterations in order
to be comfortable and versatile, therefore my personal verdict is that men’s underwear as it stands is a ‘no’. This has
nothing to do with the lack of femininity in the underwear, but because of fit and comfort.
WEARABILITY/ COMFORTABILITY OF MEN'S UNDERWEAR (worn by a
woman)
YES
NO
MAYBE

ACADEMIC ESSAY
EXPERIMENT TWO
I managed to convince three men to take part in this experiment. The three participants will be trying on various styles of women’s panties and giving their honest
opinions regarding comfort and wearability. Each participant will try on a pair of full briefs, bikini briefs, hot pants, and a G-string.
Participant #1 is 21 years old, and is a regular boxer wear.
G-STRING
He felt that the G-string was extremely uncomfortable, from the behind right through to
the front.. He also said that he would not feel comfortable wearing this because he felt
“a bit gay.” For participant #1 the G-string was a hands sown ‘no’.
FULL BRIEF
He felt quite comfortable in the full brief as he said it covers everything nicely and he
doesn’t feel at all exposed. He said it still felt a bit tight, therefore he participant #1
ranked the full brief as a ‘maybe’.
BIKINI BRIEF
He found this to be comfortable too, but preferred the full brief, due to the support and
coverage. He felt that because he ranked the full brief as a maybe, and he preferred it
as opposed to the bikini brief, participant #1 said that it would be a ‘no’.
HOT PANTS/ BOY SHORTS
Participant #1 felt that the hot pants were noticeably smaller than normal men’s boxer briefs, which he expected. He said that this pair felt the closest to normal men’s
boxer briefs, therefore ranking the hot pants as a possible ‘yes’.
OVERALL THOUGHTS
Participant #1 really did not enjoy the G-string and found it quite uncomfortable, and because he ‘felt a bit gay’ wearing it, he would not even want to wear it under all his
clothes because he feels people will just know. For participant #1 the full briefs and the hot pants, if push comes to shove, will be considered the most wearable.
Participant #1 stated that, “There still isn’t the same comfort and fit, but that is understandable because it isn’t men’s underwear. I would feel weird as a whole wearing
any women’s underwear, no matter how comfortable, because it just seems a bit gay.”
Final tally for participant #1
YES = 1; NO = 2; MAYBE = 1

ACADEMIC ESSAY
Participant #2 is 26 years old, and a regular boxer brief wearer.
G-STRING
Participant #2 was pleasantly surprised at the general comfort and the amount it
actually covered, although he did find it a bit annoying and tight in the back.
The G-string for participant #2 is ranked as a ‘no’.
FULL BRIEF
He said this felt almost like normal underpants, despite being a bit tight in the
front. He felt quite comfortable, except it sat quite high in his hips (higher than
men’s underpants would). Participant #2 wasn’t sure about these, so he ranked
them as a ‘maybe’.
BIKINI BRIEF
Participant #2 had the same comments as above, except he preferred this style
because it sat lower on the hips, but he questioned whether or not it was too
low now. Again, because of his uncertainty he ranked the bikini brief as a
‘maybe’.
Participant #2 ranked these as the most comfortable out of the whole lot. He said, “it feels the most like home”; therefore ranking this as a ‘yes’.
OVERALL THOUGHTS
According to participant #2, even though none of the underpanties were completely awful, they would still not be worn by him – even the maybe’s. The only ones that
were comfortable enough to tolerate. He even said, “It just felt like I wasn’t supposed to be wearing them.” Which in reality, he wasn’t really supposed to be wearing them.
YES = 1; MAYBE = 2; NO = 1

ACADEMIC ESSAY
Participant #3 is 29 years old, and alternates between boxer briefs and normal
briefs.
G-STRING
Participant #3 found that the G-string was not as bad as he initially though it was
going to be. He said the only problem was the strap at the back, but after a few
minutes you get used to it. Even though it is possible to get used the feeling of the
string part of the G-string, he said it is definitely not for everyday wear, therefore
ranked it a ‘no’.
FULL BRIEF
He found the full brief comfortable, and provided good support mainly because they
were a bit tight. Due to the comfort factor and the amount of coverage and
support, he ranked this as a ‘maybe’.
BIKINI BRIEF
This one he ranked as a ‘no’ straight away because they sat too low, and were not
as comfortable as the full brief, and were a little bit tighter.
As did the other participants, participant #3 found these to be the most comfortable. He said it still felt like women’s underwear, but other than that it fit relatively well.
Therefore, participant #3 ranked the hot pants as a ‘maybe’.
OVERALL THOUGHTS
Participant #3 said that even though some of the underwear might be relatively comfortable, it is still an all round no-go for him. “Men’s and women’s underwear is
different for a reason – we have a very different biological make up down there. It’s not only about keeping up the feeling of being a man, but just wearing something that
is made for your body.”
YES = 0; MAYBE = 2; N0 = 2

ACADEMIC ESSAY
COMFORTABILITY/ WEARABILITY OF WOMEN'S PANTIES (worn by men)
YES
MAYBE
NO
As both charts suggest, it will be a very difficult task to get both men and women to agree to wear the opposite sex’s, or even unisex underwear. With majority of the
answers being ‘no’, followed up by a ‘maybe’, it does not prove it to be very promising. Men will probably not be eager to wear unisex underpants as it might make them
feel less manly, it is well known that the underwear we wear string affects how we feel, “Wearing something we perceive as sexy can make us feel more self assured,
more powerful and more confident.” (G. Sarda-Joshi, 2016). This goes for both men and women, if you are wearing good underwear it will make you feel good to outward
society. That’s why the participants will feel awkward even if nobody can see the underwear they’re wearing – if they feel uncomfortable, it will show.
There are men, however, that do wear women’s panties on a daily basis in order to fulfill sexual fetishes.; “Transvestic fetishism is a sexual behavior in which an individual
achieve sexual arousal from wearing clothing of the opposite sex.” (Self-Help-Sexuality.com; 2016). This however will not effect the concept that is unisex underwear,
because these people wear this underwear for the sole purpose that it is that of the opposite sex.
I feel the concept that is unisex underwear is mainly aimed at women; women who no longer wish to wear the ‘sexualised’ women’s underwear on the market today. It is
also more directed towards the women who want to be on a more equal playing ground to men and, by wearing this gender neutral underwear it will make them feel less
objectified because they are not wearing sheer, lace or other novelty underwear.
This gender neutral underwear seems to be aimed at women, but then it can no longer be called unisex or gender neutral. Although society is progressing quickly and
becoming more acceptable to different chosen lifestyles and sexual orientations, conventional men will not want to wear the same underwear as women. As it stands, I do
not think that unisex underwear will become a commercial success, but successful in more alternative markets.

CONCLUSION
This year has been a whirl wind of new experience, from learning how to hand knit a coat, dip dying, and learning new sewing techniques have all been a part of the ride.
Along the way I have definitely learnt a great deal about myself. Mainly that I stress too much and way too quickly – I have not really changed, but I do try and tell myself
that stressing will not solve the problem it will probably make it worse. I have also learnt to stand firm in the design aesthetic that I want to go for, while still being open
minded and listening to people’s critique.
Time management has not really been an issue for me this year, although some outfits did take a bit longer than anticipated. I have learnt that sometimes it is better to
walk away and return later with a fresh mind and perspective. This all again leading back to the fact that I am naturally a stress pot and want everything done when it
needs to be done.
The one aspect coming into third year that got me feeling a bit nervous was the fact that we did not have structured classes as we did in second year. Although, it was
something I got used to very quickly, it was such a change from having to do specific things at a specific time. In a way it was a test to my self-discipline and work ethic. I
managed to get all work done on or before time, and I never really worked past 21:00 in the evening – even though I did give up many weekends to work, it was all for the
best because all my outfits were finished before time. Rather work hard in the beginning and have things finished before hand, because you never know what hurdles wii
arise and knock you off your way to meet deadlines.
The main thing I have learnt about myself this year is to be confident in what I’ve created and designed, and not to second guess myself or degrade what I’ve done after
seeing other people’s work. I wouldn’t say I’m competitive, but it is always nice to do the best you are capable of, and seeing other people accomplish amazing things
makes me wonder if I can do it too. It is still a working progress, and maybe with time and experience and finding my key design aesthetic I will become comfortable with
my own design style.
This year has been a wild ride filled with blood, sweat and tears – literally. But I would not change it for anything, I have learnt so many new techniques and solidified what
I already know, and I have grown so much as a person too. It is sad that it is now all at an end, but hopefully I can produce something really beautiful and of substance in
the future.

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Oct. 2016].
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Hourani, R. (2014). Unisex collection. [image] Available at: https://models.com/work/rad-hourani-rh-10-unisex-rtw-collection [Accessed 5 Oct. 2016].
Parker, R. (2015). Gender Neutral Underwear Are On Display At The Victoria & Albert Museum — PHOTOS. [online] Bustle.com. Available at:
https://www.bustle.com/articles/123968-gender-neutral-underwear-are-on-display-at-the-victoria-albert-museum-photos [Accessed 5 Oct. 2016].

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