Tricky tutus: Designers Journal

3...2...1... L.A.U.N.C.H!

L- Look, Listen, Learn
A- Ask Questions
U- Understand the Problem
N- Navigate Ideas
C- Create a Prototype
H- Highlight and Fix

L- Look, Listen, Learn

All dancers, myself included, have their own physical limitations. This could be pointier feet, a straighter posture, etc. However, more often then not, a dancer’s self doubt usually comes from body shape. Many people have in mind what a “perfect” dance body should look like, however, very few have it. Most costumes are then based off of a certain body shape and size and dancers that are either too large or small cannot get a certain dance role due to costuming.

Costumes also cost a ton of money to alter and buy. As a dancer grows, a new costume must be purchased. Meimei, my client is no exception. I’ve experienced this problem first hand in the past and therefore was motivated to help her. I decided I would try to create a tutu (ballet costume) that can easily be altered.

Ask Questions

I’ve accepted the challenge and have a small understanding of what I need to do, however, before interviewing my client, there are a few questions I need to think of. These questions will later help me further understand the project. On the next page are the questions I thought of as well as the answers from my interview.

Understand the Problem

Before creating a prototype, I needed to gather more information. Not only did I research different types of tutus and how they were made, but also, I interviewed my client, MeiMei. After a few days of intense online researching to discover items similar to mine, I interviewed MeiMei to gather further information about her problem. To the right, is my complete interview.

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Navigate Ideas

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After my interview, I did a bit more research, however, this time, my research was on different materials. I then made this brainstorm on different materials that would help transform the tutu into something easily adjustable. Notice how I wrote the pros and cons of each material or idea. This helped me take a closer look at which materials would work best.

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Create a Prototype

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My first prototype was nothing more than a sketch on what I planned to do. When I began to create an actual product during my second prototype, many of these ideas just didn’t work and I therefore had to change my original plan. I decided on using hooks and eyes as they were easy to attach and detach. I also used the ribbon to create corset sides as the ribbon was both stylish and easy to adjust. I also used adjustable straps that are easy to decorate as well as are fast to adjust as they are quick release bra straps. Rather then buying a larger and nicer leotard to work with, the whole process was done on one of my old leotards. Therefore, I needed to add fabric to enlarge the bodysuit.

Highlight and Fix

Once the prototype was created, I tried it out on both my brother and mother. While the adjustability worked well, the overall appearance wasn’t all that great. The fact that I had to add extra fabric to enlarge the leotard made for a trashy and used look. Therefore, for my final prototype, I used a new and large leotard as well as exchanged the hooks for more ribbon as the ribbon was more visually appealing. I kept with straps as well as the corset sides.

3.2.1...L.A.U.N.C.H!!!

Finally, the night of the exhibition arrived and it was time to share my product with the world! I prepared my tutus and my slideshow as well as other decorations that would be used at my booth. To advertise my product and project, I used mainly word of mouth and told my friends about the event and invited them to come. I also put a post on my Instagram page which featured a photo of the tutus as well as an invite to the exhibition. On the night of, the tutu was displayed on a mannequin but was eventually modelled by friends and classmates.

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