tackdesign

TACKdesignsTAYLORmellon | ANJELICAcesari CATALINAfriscia | KATRINAballesteros

WARDROBE BOUTIQUEWINTER2011

WINDOW2

WARDROBE BOUTIQUE entrance

Before Installation:

STORE WINDOW DESIGN criteria

The goal for this project was to use recycled clothing to create new, fashionable outfits which

would then be used as part of a window display. The concept behind this assignment was to

try and draw a new, younger demographic of customers into the Wardrobe Boutique, and for

our window displays to be the catalyst toward achieving this goal. Each outfit that our group

selected had to be made from at least 90% recycled clothing found at the Wardrobe Boutique.

Since our group had the lobby as our location, we had slightly different criteria, yet it still

encompassed the guidelines of the project. Almost everything that we incorporated into the

lobby redesign was recycled clothing that we altered and created into new decorative items.

TACKdesigns Taylor Mellon's Initial Sketch

My original design concept was focused on bringing your eye up forcing you to visually

explore the amazing space available in the foyer of the Wardrobe Boutique retail location.

I was focused on a spring theme and used flowers to guide the viewer. I was also in a

more traditional way was creating the “refresh, renew, recycle” concept by designing

the flowers to be created out of recycled newspaper or magazine advertisements.

TACK Anjelica Cesari's Initial Sketch

My concept was to utilize and emphasize the height of the lobby. My design included

element hanging from the chandelier into the space below, flanked by mannequins.

There was a clear focus on spring and general renewal when we spoke with the client

and I wanted to bring those into the design. Flowers, created from unsellable garments,

would fill hatboxes that we’re suspended from the ceiling. Those elements would cascade

down into the space and using the flowers, we would create garments for the dress

forms.

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TACK Catalina Friscia's Initial Sketch

My initial idea for this project was to create an environment that combined elements of

recycled material and clothing. I wanted the focus to be on the curved wall and the chandelier.

I envisioned the curved wall would be filled with empty cans of soda, and as you went up the

wall, they would get fewer in number. The chandelier would have cascading metal-like strings

of different lengths. Connected to the bottom of each string, would be bottle caps. This would

tie the two elements of the recycled materials. I wanted the feel to be somewhat industrial,

attracting a younger demographic of customer. My vision tried to stay true to the idea of

using recycled materials in a new way as decorative accessories. Of course, the mannequins

would be dressed in appropriate recycled clothing and staged amidst the installation.

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TACK Katrina Ballesteros's Initial Sketch

After reviewing the space, I wanted to highlight the elements that made it unique while

incorporating elements that the client wanted as well as the upcoming season. The atrium

entrance to the Wardrobe Boutique had the unique features of a high ceiling, ledges, and

a balcony as natural levels. To bring attention this, I suggested using these as key areas

to highlight. The use of dahlia-like fabric poofs were to give pops of color while fulfilling

the client’s criteria of upcycling donated garments that weren’t able to be sold. The use of

these fabric flowers was also to help the viewer’s eye throughout the space. I also added

towered hatboxes to show another element of levels and to use repetition in the space.

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TACK Final Sketchdesigns

WARDROBE BOUTIQUE&

contractTACKdesigns

TACK DESIGNS

Contract proposal for visual installation design prepared by TACK Designs or Wardrobe

Boutique.

The purpose of this proposal is to identify all important aspects of the design package

required to complete. Please review the following pages and discuss any/all portions as

required enabling you to completely understand the proposal.

Scope of Services

TACK Designs will provide services to complete this project based on the request of

Wardrobe Boutique. Outlined and listed in the following are the identified necessary areas

of importance concerning which TACK Designs will deliver a complete design package.

TACK Designs will provide the following services

- Initial review and critique of existing retail and design plans in Wardrobe Boutique,

for the purpose of determining a new design direction. The direct application is for

the lobby/entrance of the Wardrobe Boutique. The completion date is February 24th,

2011.

Estimated hours to complete this portion is 1.

- Provide initial design roughs in reference to definition of store space. This will

be achieved through block plans, space planning, and traffic flow. Interior design

concepts will start to be defined and identified in this portion through rough sketches.

Initial design development will include interior elevations, perspectives, and any

relevant graphics and signage. This will be the first exposure to the actual design

imaging with application to the store’s lobby.

Estimated hours to complete the initial rough design phase is 3.

- Fixture design definition and detailing for review, approval, merchandising direction

for standard areas and specified key focal points within the store, finishes and

material specifications, resourcing for competitive pricing of fixtures used, evaluation

of resourcing for fixture application. Finalization of actual concept presented for

Wardrobe Boutique review and approval.


- Designed elements constructed both inside and outside of the store location and

the final installation.


- It is important to note that communication during all phases of the design process

listed will be between TACK Designs, Wardrobe Boutique, and others as deemed

necessary by the two pertinent parties involved. Open lines of communication are

vital to delivery of a complete and successful store design package.

This defined portion of the project is inclusive of all important parts of the total display

design.

TACK Designs will better define in greater detail any or all areas if required for Wardrobe

Boutique to fully understand the process and final package.

SUB-TOTAL OF ESTIMATED HOURS REQUIRED TO COMPLETE THIS PORTION IS 56.

Timing and Action Schedule

In order to determine the actual Timing and Action Schedule, it is necessary to have

further conversation with Wardrobe Boutique. Tack Designs will establish a rough draft for

review by February 18th, 2011 and approval by Wardrobe Boutique. The actual finished

schedule will based upon the February 24th completion date.

Confidentiality Clause

For the interest of both TACK Designs and Wardrobe Boutique, this project will not be

discussed by TACK Designs with anyone who could be a possible competitor. All parts

of conversation regarding Wardrobe Boutique finances, yearly business, merchandise

selection, or other personal business aspects will not be mentioned to anyone by TACK

Designs. It is therefore understood from acceptance of contract that all conversations

regarding this project will be held in strict confidence between TACK Designs and Wardrobe

Boutique.

Financials

For the lobby design, a budget not exceeding $20 will be provided by TACK Designs. Items

that we already own will not be counted in this budget. Wardrobe Boutique will provide

$100 of merchandise and the use of all available props.

TACK Design will not receive monetary compensation for this project. Instead they will be

compensated with academic credit from Drexel University.

Concept and Design Rights

Wardrobe Boutique will own the concept and designs made by TACK Designs. They will

give TACK Designs and Drexel University credit through a sign hung in the window. The

designs must stay up, in tact, for a minimum of 2 weeks.

TACK Designs will not to use any concepts designed for Wardrobe Boutique with any of

their competitors.

STORE WINDOW DESIGN budget

TACK Designs Budget

Purchases Cost PurposeMetalic fabric and white backing $18.47 wall fringe

DonationsFabric $0.00 fringe/vines/flowersMerchandise $0.00 $100 worth of merchandise for the mannequins

Already Ownedhot glue $0.00 fringe/flowersfabric $0.00 fringe/vinesfishing wire $0.00 flowers/hangingcardstock $0.00 signage lettersmasking tape $0.00 hanging fringedouble stick tape $0.00 hanging signagenails $0.00 hanging vines

Total $18.47


During Installation:


After Installation:

WARDROBE BOUTIQUE criteria

Our goal for this project was to create a display that not only fit the criteria

of the assignment, but to also meet our client’s wants and needs. Our

client was Melanie Frazza, a representative from the Wardrobe Boutique.

The retail store is associated to Career Wardrobe, which is a non-profit organization

that help woman get back on their feet and gives that clothing and the knowledge to

get a job and try to get off welfare. Melanie told us the Career Wardrobe was getting

so many donations for clothing that they decided to start the Wardrobe Boutique’s

in order to house more clothing and continue to give back to the organization.

Melanie also said that the current clientele is a woman from 40-55 years in age, but she was

hoping that was the window displays could be targeted to a younger audience in order to

bring in a new market of customers. Melanie said she wanted the display to be appealing to a

customer around the ages of 18-25 years and convey a spring feeling to the over all display.

Melanie also said that she would like us to create an installation type design aesthetic to the

space, similar to store such as Anthropologie. While we were discussing the criteria with

Melanie she gave us many option of using old clothing that was donated to the organization

but could not be used to reselling. She said that we could tear it up to create something new,

we loved this concept and it helped us create of final plan for what we would do with space.

Our group was truly inspired by the space and our discussion of using donated garments

as material with Melanie. We were also inspired by a design company called Confetti

System and their installation pieces that we have reviewed. We decided to put a spring

twist on their installation and fuse it with the idea of using garments as a material to

give it a “second chance” for our store display installation. We did this through braided

garments and altering fabric into a confetti panel for the back wall. The flowers were

also made from donated garments, but also function as interesting pops of color.

The atrium entrance to the Wardrobe Boutique had brought the complication of having

the viewer walking through the space, so an installation that can be viewed in a 360

degree setting was necessary. We included the vines to help bring the eye of the viewer

around the space and make it visually interesting no matter what angle the viewer looks

at it from. These vines also helped bring a height to the display and helps move the

customer in the upward direction to the door of the boutique.

TACKdesign Why the Final Sketch was chosen...

STORE WINDOW DESIGNinstallation

The installation process was by far the most difficult aspect of this project. We did

not have the standard window; instead we had the challenge of designing a circular

display that would be viewed from every angle. The other challenge of that was

that customers would be walking through our display, so minor details would face

much more scrutiny than it would in a window that is viewed from the street. This

meant that we had to adjust our design approach and be sure to have nice craft

and polite attitudes to customers walking through our space during installation.

In fact it wasn’t the actual installation that was the most time consuming part of this project,

but actually the prep work. All of the fringe and the vines in our design were hand created

from clothes that were previously donated to the Wardrobe Boutique, but could not be sold.

This meant that we did not have raw materials to use and we had to deconstruct jackets,

pants, skirts and tops to get fabric in a usable form. Cutting, folding and gluing fabric took

up most of our time leading up to installation. Once we finished that, creating the design

was simple. We stayed true to our sketches only drastically changing our color story because

we were using the clothing provided to us by Wardrobe Boutique, a second hand store.

STORE WINDOW DESIGN time estimate

We were fairly on schedule in regards to all planning stages of the project. It took roughly

6-7hours to complete all design research, initial concepts and revisions. The installation

however took our team a significant amount of time. We updated the time estimate after

our first contract draft from 10 to 50 once we really zoned in on the processes and

exceptional details of the construction that would be involved. Our final calculation is that

we were about 6-8 hours over our final estimate of expected hours. However, considering

the scope of the installation, we were extremely successful in our time-to-production ratio.

STORE WINDOW DESIGN final critique

As a group, we were all very happy with final result of the installation. We think that the

finished product fulfilled the criteria of the assignment, and it met the wants and needs of

the client as well. The final result looked almost identical to our original sketch. The client,

Melanie seemed to be extremely excited and pleased by the final result of the “window”

display. The feedback that she gave us included removing a few of the flowers that we

had on the window sill, which we did after the final reveal was over. Melanie also said that

she felt that two of the outfits that we had chosen for the mannequins were a little older

than the younger customer (18-25), the target market that she was trying to attract. She

also recommended that do something with the chandelier; she suggested that we hang

the vines and flowers. Overall, the feedback from Melanie was very positive. One aspect

in particular was that she said we did a good job in making the space look large. She

loved that we used the whole 360 degrees of the space. Melanie also said she was very

happy with our signage and that we incorporated the colors of the Wardrobe Boutique.