Pick your favorite artist or designer. Write about a day that you would spend with her/him, what questions would you ask and/or what would you hope to learn from her/him?
My first experience of an Ulf Moritz fabric was at an early age. As my mother explained the fabric, I was struck by the 3D effect and unusual texture of the fabric. Over the years I have seen many collections from him. My most recent exposure was at the Paris SAHCO showroom. I am struck how each collection is different and unusual. One collection could be sober with minimalistic designs and tone on tone colors and the next flamboyant, avant-garde and revolutionary.
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Rhea, you did not answer the prompt in the proper manner. Although you signified your intention to learn and ask questions of your chosen artist (fashion designer?) You did not really relate how you would be able to accomplish all of this within a day spent with that special person. You are required by the essay to speak of a day you will spend with the person and what you hope to accomplish within that day. A day is composed of 24 hours. Your essay covers a period of time of, at least month or 6 from what I can tell. Rework the essay to happen only in 24 hours. Imagine if you say, had one day to shadow this person. What would you do? What questions would you ask? Why would that day with him or her be the most important day of your life? Those are some questions that you can answer in this kind of essay.
Dear Vangiespen.. could u pls check if this is better and give your suggestions...
Pick your favorite artist or designer. Write about a day that you would spend with her/him, what questions would you ask and/or what would you hope to learn from her/him?
My first experience of an Ulf Moritz fabric was at an early age. As my mother explained the unusual texture, I was struck by the 3D effect and unusual texture. My most recent exposure was at the Paris SAHCO showroom. I am struck how each collection is different and unusual. One collection could be sober with minimalistic designs and tone on tone colors and the next flamboyant, avant-garde and revolutionary.
Spending a day with Ulf I saw the broad spectrum of his range. We visited a sample loom where he had woven silk and metal threads into gossamer to create an ethereal looking fabric. He showed how he worked with diverse yarns to make fabrics out of pineapple fiber, horsehair and bamboo. I saw that Ulf was a perfectionist which was evident from the attention he paid to every detail and carefully listened to technical changes suggested by his team. When I asked him what made him choose such diverse yarns, he explained that "one is as famous as their last collection". He made me feel different yarns and explained visualization did not necessarily translate into a marketable fabric if it did not meet the technical specifications. We then saw how a fabric was washed with a chemical to make it fire retardant. I asked him whether any fabric is naturally fire retardant. He demonstrated with a piece of silk to show this was naturally fire retardant. When I asked him where he drew his inspiration from he told me that observation leads to inspiration; in a perfectly coiled baby fern as well as in haute couture. Colors for clothing and for furnishing often draw inspiration from each other. I asked him if he restricted himself to one theme or technique for a collection he told me that he uses both traditional methods and latest techniques to achieve designs that range from the opulent to the outlandish. What is the time period for a collection from visualization to production of an entire collection? Every collection has a part that is more a work of art and not for practical, everyday use and these have brought him many Design awards. Does he include these in his collections as a "crowd- puller" and how does he balance these fabrics with his more practical fabrics that can be washed or dry-cleaned? He showed me his latest work in progress. His theme was a royal, extravagant look. For curtains/decorative fabrics, he had silks in various shades of purple and gold, some plain, some embroidered and printed. With this he had combined thicker fabrics for upholstery with deeper shades in jacquards and plains. Together we went through different textures of velvet and linen which would complete the collection as each collection needed basic fabrics with a reasonable price point. No collection is complete without nondescript colors like beige and off-white. Thus I learnt how a collection should be compiled with rich, exotic fabrics as well as plain fabrics.
Shadowing Ulf Moritz and simply observing him; I learnt that I need to be more versatile in my designs, develop my taste and style and learn to think "out of the box", create fabric compositions that are not only stylish but also are functional on a deeper level by using natural materials thus reducing environmental waste. My experience is limited to my culture and with him I was exposed to a different culture and concepts.
He inspired me to go back to school and create a fabric design using nails which I rusted with vinegar and imprinted on a fabric which I first dyed yellow with turmeric, a natural dye
Words: 603 words
Rhea, this is the perfect response to the essay prompt. I congratulate you on developing such an interesting day to spend with Ulf Moritz. The interaction you had with him seems to be based on fact and not assumptions. I assume you are very familiar with his work and interviews? It sometimes sounds like you are quoting sound bytes from him which is why I am asking. Don't worry, that did not affect the impact of the essay. I noticed that you posted a word count. Did you go over the count? If so, what is the count and would you like me to help you bring it down to the required count?
DEar Vangiespen,
Thank you so much for your comments. It means a lot to me as I have really worked hard on this.
The word count is 650 words so this should be ok.
I am also sending my common app essay which you commented on earlier for improvement.
Please give me your feedback as it means a lot and has really guided me