Mr. Blackwell: From Inspiration to Innovation
The Avenir Museum is home to the largest publicly held collection of apparel from Mr. Blackwell, a fashion designer active from the 1960s to the 1980s who died in 2008. The exhibition recognizes Mr. Blackwell’s longtime support and contributions to CSU and celebrates his passion for fostering the next generation of designers.
The Blackwell exhibition features 11 original Blackwell garments alongside 22 garments created by Department of Design and Merchandising students that were inspired by the original Blackwell pieces.
Mr. Blackwell: From Inspiration to Innovation is a multi-course, interdisciplinary collaboration between the Department of Design and Merchandising and the Avenir Museum, celebrating the 100th birthday of Mr. Blackwell (1922-2008, born Richard Selzer).
The museum’s permanent collection of approximately 25,000 objects of historic apparel and textiles includes the largest publicly held collection of apparel by Mr. Blackwell, a fashion designer who was active from the 1960s through the 1980s. Mr. Blackwell is best remembered today for his biting and wry fashion commentary, made famous by his annual list of “worst dressed” women celebrities. He was an ‘influencer’ before the internet made social media influencing possible.
Students, please meet Mr. Blackwell…
The Avenir Museum engages students in using and learning from the historic apparel and textile collection whenever possible, collaborating frequently with faculty in the Department of Design and Merchandising and with other campus departments to access and incorporate the collection into academic coursework. The Mr. Blackwell From Inspiration to Innovation project provided the museum with a chance to further research and document the Blackwell collection, providing the basis for this exhibition. The project recognizes Mr. Blackwell’s longtime support and contributions to Colorado State University and celebrates his passion for fostering the next generation of designers.
Not Your Grandmother’s Tissue Paper Patterns
This interdisciplinary project allowed students to learn specific fashion-related technologies across three different apparel design courses. One of the project’s major goals was to digitize 42 master flat patterns created by Mr. Blackwell’s design company, which are now part of the Blackwell Archive in the Avenir Museum’s permanent collection. Students enrolled in AM 341: Patternmaking III (Computer-Aided Design) used ‘Lectra Systems Modaris’ patternmaking software to produce digital surrogates of the 42master flat pattern sets from over 500 individual cardstock pattern pieces. These digital surrogates will be maintained on the museum’s network drives and will be linked to the digital accession records of original garments created from these patterns in the collection. Eventually the Blackwell Archive and Collection, including the digital pattern flats, will be accessible to the public through a collection database that will be made available through the Avenir Museum website.
Fashionable Can Be Sustainable
In the spring of 2022, AM 342: CAD Textile Design students visited the museum to investigate Mr. Blackwell’s use of color, textile design, and surface embellishment. Students used their research findings to create a collection of textile prints directly inspired by original Mr. Blackwell designs. Using Adobe Creative Suite software, each student developed a focal print along with four coordinating prints. Students chose their favorite print, which was then ‘sublimated’ onto fabric using the CSU Nancy Richardson Design Center’s Prototyping Lab. The direct dye sublimation process is a more sustainable approach to textile design and fabric prints because it requires no water, using pigment instead of fiber-reactive dye, and is printed on 100% polyester (Polyethylene Terephthalate [PET]), which is made from recycled plastic bottles.
Design Inspires and Innovates
Students in AM:340: Patterning Making II (Draping) also visited the Blackwell Archive and Collection. They analyzed original garment silhouettes and construction details to create a new modern take on the Mr. Blackwell aesthetic. The draping students poured over their sketches and landed on their best interpretation of a Mr. Blackwell-inspired look. Back in the design studio, they draped toiles on their body forms to perfect the fit of each silhouette; a toile is an early version of a finished garment made up in cheaper material so that the design can be tested and refined. The final looks are made from the fabric that was sustainably printed by their classmates in AM: 342 CAD Textile Design.
The end result is Mr. Blackwell: From Inspiration to Innovation – the celebratory culmination of Department of Design and Merchandising students’ academic inquiry, collaboration, creativity, and use of new technologies to create modern silhouettes inspired by a popular culture-fashion-icon of the mid-twentieth century.
Happy Birthday (and thank you) Mr. Blackwell, Happy Birthday to you!
