Corsets have a long and complex history that evolved from early forms in the 16th century to the Victorian era to Jean Paul Gaultier's iconic designs. Corsets were primarily associated with and worn by women, however men also used them for support and shaping, particularly in the military and dandy fashion. This course is designed to introduce students to a variety of techniques for the making and designing of a corset. Offering students foundational instruction in apparel design techniques including design process, basic sewing (hand and machine), pattern making, draping on the dress form and comprehension of the relationship between textiles and the body. The main objective of this course is to enhance student comprehension of both material properties and principal elements of clothing construction, which can be applied in other experimental and engineering projects in the fine arts and product design. Students are encouraged to bring personal allurement and intention to this vigorous, technical and creative class that concludes with the final project and presentation.

Elective

The North American Cowboy Boot is an iconic symbol of cultural individualism and strength of character that bridges design, making, function, and fashion. The boot itself is at heart a functional object, a work tool, whose construction techniques have remained unchanged since the late 1800s. This complex and sophisticated traditional art is kept current largely by artisanal apprenticeships and a patterning template system that circumvents the highly technical footwear pattern making more typical in industry footwear production.

In this course students will measure their own feet, adapt boot lasts to their measurements – the forms around which we build boots - draft/cut/sew uppers, and then join all the components together and sole the boots. This is a complex, labor-intensive hands-on process requiring dedicated attendance and out-of-class work. The result will be a pair of bespoke, one-of-a-kind leather boots individualized to the students’ size and design.

Estimated Cost of Materials: $85.00

Elective

This studio-elective course will follow a series of twelve lectures given at the South Kensington Museum as published in P.L. Simmonds, Animal Products. This seminal work served as a compilation of the trade exhibition collections from the 1851 Crystal Palace exposition that eventually served as the seed for the collections of the South Kensington Museum and finally the Branch Museum of the Department at Bethnal Green. These collections laid the foundation for much of the Victoria and Albert Museum collections (V&A) that in turn influenced the creation of RISD and the RISD Museum in 1877. This course will examine design and fashion, naturalist journals, and literature as a means to develop the students design vocabulary and materials palate. Students will compare the tastes and techniques of the Victorian era to contemporary design practices, with case studies of designers utilizing the natural world as a resource and source for design. Weekly lectures will introduce students to artists and designers of the 19th century and compare them to contemporary artists and designers. These introductory lectures will be paired each week with a specific material examination and hand-on exploration via materials demonstrations and a sample notebook. We will engage in readings, group discussions, critique of student Naturalist Journals, materials demonstrations, and examine historic and contemporary Museum objects within each theme material. Field trips to the RISD Museum will be augmented by visits to the Edna W. Lawrence Nature Lab, RISD Materials library, The Providence Athenaeum, The Haffenreffer Museum of Anthropology at Brown University, The New Bedford Whaling Museum, and The Museum of Natural History, Roger Williams Park.

Estimated Cost of Materials: $20.00

Elective

WHO WEARS THE PANTS? is a studio course covering the fundamental history and principles of making trousers, i.e., "split-leg garments" – starting with an overview of their cultural contexts and historical development, then moving into pattern development, basic construction, and fitting of a standard size pant sloper. You will then learn how to design and execute custom-made trousers by recording and calculating key body measurements to draft, construct and fit a basic pants sloper.

Students will acquire the skills to manipulate the basic pant sloper into a variety of styles through pattern drafting exercises integrating trousers shapes|silhouettes, pockets, waistbands, openings, and design details. Classes and individual tutorials will cover the development of trousers from concept to execution. You will gain a better understanding of the apparel and creative-problem processes, pattern drafting techniques, laying out and cutting fabric, constructing a basic trouser, fitting diverse body types, constructing a fly front opening and pockets; including tutorials focused on resolving individual trouser designs.

Elective

Dressed bodies, is a course conceived to expose students from external departments across RISD campus to a variety of making practices stemming from traditional apparel design practices. Students are expected to bring their current skill set and their apparel related curiosity with the aims of developing a personal project or enhancing apparel related skills. Clothing development, brand, soft-goods development, principles for creating 3 dimensional works around the body from 2 dimensional sketches and patterns as well as basic sewing skills will be covered throughout the body of this course. Principles learned here may be applied to a variety of fine arts processes as well as product design. Students will be encouraged to develop a better understanding of materials and construction techniques while exploring deeper relationships between 2D shape and 3D form. This dynamic, technical and creative class; supports students further understanding of sewing construction and how it directly relates to- and impacts any creative or technical project, ultimately broadening the students understanding of both material properties and essential technical components of fabric construction.

*Components of this class are seminar and self-directed.

Elective

Dressed bodies, is a course conceived to expose students from external departments across RISD campus to a variety of making practices stemming from traditional apparel design practices. Students are expected to bring their current skill set and their apparel related curiosity with the aims of developing a personal project or enhancing apparel related skills. Clothing development, brand, soft-goods development, principles for creating 3 dimensional works around the body from 2 dimensional sketches and patterns as well as basic sewing skills will be covered throughout the body of this course. Principles learned here may be applied to a variety of fine arts processes as well as product design. Students will be encouraged to develop a better understanding of materials and construction techniques while exploring deeper relationships between 2D shape and 3D form. This dynamic, technical and creative class; supports students further understanding of sewing construction and how it directly relates to- and impacts any creative or technical project, ultimately broadening the students understanding of both material properties and essential technical components of fabric construction.

*Components of this class are seminar and self-directed.

Elective

Building on basic techniques taught first semester, students proceed to more complex cuts for bodices, sleeves, skirts and pants through techniques of draping, drafting and construction. One finished garment is required.

Estimated Cost of Materials: $125.00

Majors are pre-registered for this course by the department. This course is a requirement for Sophomore Apparel Design Students. 

Major Requirement | BFA Apparel Design

The design course builds on design process skills from the first semester through assignments that focus on research and its application, conceptual development, and team dynamics. Varied facets of apparel design are explored through lectures, museum research, classroom discussion, and creative exploration.

Estimated Cost of Materials: $150.00

Majors are pre-registered for this course by the department. This course is a requirement for Sophomore Apparel Design Students. 

Major Requirement | BFA Apparel Design

Students focus on tailoring techniques and the design of tailored apparel. Drafting and classic tailoring techniques are taught and students explore shape and structure through experimentation on the form and creative pattern making. During this process, students use these technical skills to design and execute a jacket and companion piece.

Estimated Cost of Materials: $400.00
 

Majors are pre-registered for this course by the department. Enrollment is limited to Junior Apparel Design Students. 

Major Requirement | BFA Apparel Design

The class explores fashion and gender representations and aims to emphasize content and context in students' design work. Students focus on silhouette, form and proportion as they explore the structural possibilities inherent in the art of tailoring. They will sculpt the torso with original shapes, by inventing either a bolero, a caraco, a coat, a jacket, a manteau, a suit, a tuxedo, or an hybridation, an extrapolation, or a re-invention of these classic tailored garments, thereby creating a piece that defies sartorial codes or costume classification.

Estimated Cost of Materials: $200.00

Majors are pre-registered for this course by the department. Enrollment is limited to Junior Apparel Design Students. 

Major Requirement | BFA Apparel Design

This senior level course focuses on the design of unique interpretation of apparel design. The senior collections are a culmination of their skills and an exploration of their design vision. Originality, problem solving, and an organized design process are defined as essential elements of a successful degree project collection. Seniors refine and build their portfolios. Projects are aimed at enabling students to express a diverse but cohesive design vision.

Estimated Cost of Materials: $1,000.00

Majors are pre-registered for this course by the department. Enrollment is limited to Senior Apparel Design Students. 

Major Requirement | BFA Apparel Design

Building upon the research, explorations and discourses that began during the fall, students are prepared to be resourceful, feeling thinkers who use fashion/clothing as a platform for diverse cultural dialogue. They refine and execute a series of works that demonstrate their philosophy, vision, and establishes their authentic design language and identity. As they develop the capacity to express their mission and concepts in their fullest form/s, they are better equipped to communicate their ideas to their intended audience, and potential collaborators. The two semesters culminate in a portfolio, lookbook, film short and written essay. Students also have the opportunity to collaborate with International Flavors and Fragrances on the scent of their collection. Classes are navigated through group work, tutorial-based sessions, cross-disciplinary prompts and critiques.

Majors are pre-registered for this course by the department. Enrollment is limited to Senior Apparel Design Students. 

Major Requirement | BFA Apparel Design

Topics in Fashion Theory introduces students to the ideas and debate that have enriched our understanding of fashion. Through the manipulation of the visual and tactile symbols of clothing (cut, cloth, texture, ornament, and color) fashion expresses individual, community and societal attributes and attitudes. Yet, as Fred Davis notes, social identities are rarely the stable amalgams we take them to be.They can shift over the course of a lifetime and are prodded by social and technological change. Drawing on scholarship in a range of disciplines, including sociology, cultural studies, gender studies and queer theory, the class explores how clothing communicates aspects of identity linked to gender, sexuality, class, race, religion, and nation. We will examine the extent to which fashion is currently formulating effective social commentary, and consider questions, for example, that surround sustainable fashion and cultural appropriation. The class integrates reading and reading responses with discussion and visual analysis of clothing and fashion across the twentieth- and twenty-first centuries. Students will develop a final essay that assesses a debate of interest encountered in class discussion and readings.

Elective