Some of my inspiration was western suede leather jackets. Through research and Pinterest boards of my inspiration, I found that the Western aesthetic overlaps a lot with indigenous aesthetics leading to my discovery that both aesthetics and ideas overlap within history. I didn’t want to make something that was indigenous or to appropriate that aesthetic since the mood I wanted was something more flamboyant rather than historic. I want to exemplify a more true American Western type that would be modernized outside of time or place but with obvious inspiration. 

I want to start by testing the laser cutting in-depth and treating it with a lot of care. Leather is an expensive material I want to make sure that I have the least amount of errors and mistakes in the laser cutting, especially on my pieces of leather for the jacket. 

I bought and found two beautiful jackets one suede and one vinyl leather. I will first cut out the sleeves to get the leather that I need from the vinyl leather then I want to laser etch the designs to the leather strips that I will then sew to the original jacket. I then need to dye the fringe to the desired color that I want.

My ideas are to use laser etching as a modern and computer look but the designs be floral and true western. That way it combines both modern and “Western” that would be something that is outside of time or place. I had done some testing on the laser etching and I loved the look I think it succeeded in the base aesthetical goal that I am going for.

A struggle that I had was the dynamic piece of the jacket. I found that maybe making snaps at the bottom hem, and adding interchangeable bottoms to the cropped jacket. Ideas I had were a fur bottom, tassel, or just extending it to the floor for a floor-length trench coat. 

My timeline would be: 

Lazer testing 

Testing on the fake leather, real leather 

Making the official designs

Etching the designs 

Making jacket alterations

  Adding more flourish with vinyl leather, 

changing the sizes of the sleeves

Heming edges 

Adding fur

Finding, buying, and sewing fur on 

Adding snaps and making the other parts of the piece, 

Fringe, trench coat, fur

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Pippa Fringe Jacket