Part 1: Create a dossier on your designer. The dossier should include:
• A brief biography and photograph of the designer-including such items as nationality, birth date, death date, upbringing, education, and career beginnings.
• Inspirations and influences from history, trends from the time period, and art movements, which are apparent in the collection(s) of chosen designer/brand/fashion house. How did the designer fit in with the "Spirit of the Times"?
• Muses that inspired or reflected the style of the chosen designer/brand/fashion house.
• Years of glory and major breakthroughs, including new and innovative or signature construction techniques, fabrics, and designs adopted by the designer/brand/fashion house.
• Discuss the designer's/brand's/fashion house's collection(s) use of:
• Silhouettes (line and shape)
• Fabrics, including color and texture
• Mood or theme reflected in designer's/brand's/fashion house's collection(s).
• Identify the audience and target market for this designer/brand/fashion house.
• Marketing strategy adopted by the designer/brand/fashion house, such as celebrities' endorsements/relationships, ad campaigns, branding, promotional approaches, licensing, etc., under designer's name.
• Awards
• Include five or more images to illustrate the designer's/brand's/fashion house's creations from the period 1850-1940. Label each image with the approximate date that the garment was made.
Part 2: Follow your designer through time.
Step 1: Research your designer to see if there is still a business under their name. If so, follow the instructions under the heading "Current", if not follow the instructions for "Past".
Current: Include additional pages in your dossier, bringing it up to date. Cover the legacy of the house after the passing of the designer. Include:
• Designers or business owners who followed the original designer, and dates of their tenure.
• History of ownership of the name/business.
• Obstacles the house/business encountered over time, and how they were or weren't overcome.
• Current form of the house, including types of products and lines (ie, men's wear, women's wear, couture, ready-to-wear, licensed products, etc).
• Evaluation of how current house designs reflect (or don't) the ideals and aesthetics of the original designer, and images to illustrate.
• Assessment of why the house has succeeded through time. Include at least 2 strategies employed by the house or designer that contributed to their success.
• Additional images to illustrate the designs of the designer/house from different decades, from 1940- the present. Label each image with the approximate date that the garment was made.
Past: Include additional pages in your dossier to discuss the discontinuation of the design house and designer name. Include:
• Information about when the house went out of business, and why.
• Obstacles the designer/house encountered, and how they did or did not overcome those obstacles.
• What, in your opinion, the designer or house could have done differently to remain in business.
• Whether or not you think this designer's name could succeed in the modern marketplace if it were revived.
• Ideas for marketing a modern version of this name/brand/house.
• Included additional images to illustrate the designs of the designer/house from decades after 1940. If none are available, include more images from before 1940, OR more modern images that show this designer's influence on other designers after their passing. Label each image with the approximate date that the garment was made.