Monday 29 June 2015

Palm Culture : The Sketch and Fabric

Sneak peek at the Kelly leggings. This will be your everyday 'go-to' leggings. Made of super soft and stretchy Nylon/Spandex. Opaque and runs long to the ankles with several colour options. The insert colour will possibly be woven silk pretty sheen or metallic.







Sunday 21 June 2015

Palm Culture : The Design

Happy international yoga day! Yes guys, its a fitting time indeed.
Exciting news! Here are some first design sketches for my yoga wear collection. Let me know your thoughts, I would much appreciate it.



Wednesday 17 June 2015

Palm Culture : The garments

Hi! Here's an update on Palm Culture...




The most indecisive process so far seems to be my range plan, I must have drafted about 4 different versions on this. As the first collection the range of items will not be as vast as I would have liked but it's good to have a clear ideas so its easier to work out cost and materials. I will be looking into manufacturer for these items. I'm still contemplating on the production of yoga mats, this is depending on research into the market demand, might be looking to inclined them in a later collection. What I hope to achieve from this 'Sample collection' are complete outfits that can be mix and match. I have limit to one original print patten and will see how well it does then there will be possibility to design more. There will be 8 basic colour swatches with 4 colour combinations/options. The combinations are not fixed yet but I will only be looking at four options out of the eight swatches for now.   

Monday 15 June 2015

Palm Culture : The Moodboard

I have some new ideas and concept for the first collection for my soon to be fashion/ sports wear brand Palm Culture. Right now the collection is still at research stage. I'm looking to hopefully design, produced and launch the first collection beginning of next year. Here are some ideas on the moodboad. From this I will draw up some sketches of items I would like in my first range plan. Potentially looking into creating original pattens to print onto fabrics too.


  
Exotic Florals: Looking at vibrant colours of flowers such as Birds of paradise and Plumeria, their fragrant attracts exotic birds. Also colour blocking trends are my favorite look for sportswear because its bold. Exploring paneling, cutouts and clean geometric shapes. Japanese origami could provide inspirations for patterns.

Sunday 14 June 2015

Palm Culture : The Brand Value

I'm launching my own fashion label. It's such a scary thought doing something like this, alone and no one to blame if this doesn't work out but it has been a life long dream and no time is as good as the present. Starting out this journey solo I know won't be easy and this may take time, there will be people who make me doubt myself but I'm going to stay strong and see it through.

Narrowing down on from last post, I have decided on the name Palm Culture, it gives a sense of togetherness and unity. As yoga has always been a favourite past time of mine, well more like a habit as I practice Ashtanga daily. I discovered yoga by accident. I must admit I fall into the cliches of non yogis who thought that yoga was about hippies who gather to chant and meditate to Indian music and gongs. I have always been interested in fitness and use it as a form of distress and my local gym had free yoga classes. I went because my personal trainer said it was great for stretching and relaxes sore muscles. After the class my mind felt calm and my body relaxed, which was a slightly different than the hyper but exhausted feeling I get from gym workout. I then spoke about it with my friend who was doing yoga regularly and she suggested i tried hot yoga class, then that became Bikram and Vinyasa flow and eventually Ashtanga. Then three years past and I'm still amaze that I can find the strength to go everyday, do the same sequences and still never felt bored. I have felt the difference in my body and mind since I stared yoga and will continue on this path and make it part of my daily life.





For this brand concept I though why not combine my two passion and really make something out of it. Then all of a sudden Palm Culture began to have a purpose. I live in Chelsea and my studio is Triyoga on the Kings Road. I see women of Chelsea come here every morning always well dressed, not overdone but defiantly refined. I became interested in what they wear and the idea began as I see there's a market for yoga clothing. The clothes I see are not your everyday Nike tee or your old gym shorts. They have high price tags and advance material and sports technology. These women care about fit, style and function. Leggings will have leg zips, stirrups feet, tummy shaping bands and tops will have built in bras, accent hems and fitted shapes. Possibilities are endless and exciting to me. The market is niche but vastly becoming popular. Yoga wear market already exists and its competitive. Most studios have a separate store stocking few brands of athletic wear for impulse buyers before or after class and big sports wear brands are noticing this gap in retail.

Palm Culture will position it self strategically. We will provide Ready-to-Wear, contemporary apparel & accessories such as Vests, tee shirts, bras, leggings and socks with unique patterns and great comfort for women at a reasonable price. Specify in active wear for women who do Yoga and Pilates. Palm Culture customer is an independent fashion concerns twenty to forty something women looking for something not form the high street but for the competitive price of high street brands. With so many excising sportswear brands like Nike, Lululemon and Adidas dominating the athletic wear market, with their logo plastered across their garments it seems we end up wearing the brand rather than the brand representing us. Palm Culture will have the costumer in mind, caring for what the costumer really wants, they should never leave the store/site feeling like they have not found something that fits their needs. We want to also cater to women who have busy schedule and may want clothes that they can workout in and do daily errands or lounge around comfortably after.



Saturday 13 June 2015

Palm Culture : The Logo

Hi guys and girlies I'm very excited to announce my new but lifelong vision for my very own fashion label!! This site will still be my baby and I'm still dedicated to keeping you all informed on all things fashion but I thought it would be fun to take you all on this journey with me. I will document the steps my brand will take and hopefully become a real company one day. Not sure what direction the clothing will take form but for now I'm working on name and logo of my brand. Time to put my graphic design skill to use.

I have been playing around with the name PALM. Being born in Thailand, the house I grew up in were surrounded by palm trees, of different shape and sizes. The trees would grew big and strong and provided shade for otherwise a hot tropical climate. This would be the core of my brand as it represent the strength and growth I hope for my brand to become while staying rooted to my ethics and my consumers. Upon research into the name, Palm trees in many cultures were symbols of love, peace and fertility, also one of the strongest rooted trees that can withstand storms and tsunamis. This meaning seems fitting for the women my brand will cater to.

Palm as a stand alone name has already been taken (surprise). So I was toying with a few variations : Palm Society; Palm Generation; Palm Collective; Palm People etc. Here are some of my logo ideas.