Designer Loungewear

This loungewear design has actually been in the making for a while. I created the initial moodboard for it on Instagram back in July and was eager to get started but it proved more difficult than I thought.

Inspiration

What I like about loungewear is how comfortable and how natural a person feels in it. To me, a good piece of loungewear is like a soft comforting hug. While pulling images from good ol’ Pinterest, I wanted to lean into the natural and comforting vibes that loungewear provides and started to look towards nature itself. More specifically I started to be inspired by women who had  a spiritual connection to nature. But you know I couldn’t leave it there.

To contrast the natural element, I brought in some opulence. Some luxury. Some glamour but in a kitschy sort of way. I wanted the designs to be rooted in earthiness and have nurtur qualities with an artistic glamorous vibe.

Design

While I was clear on my concept, I wasn’t clear on the design at all. That’s actually why this design came months after the initial mood board was shared. It was a whole challenge for me to come up with loungewear designs that fit my aesthetic.

Loungewear typically includes t-shirts, hoodies, joggers, biker shorts and the like, which is fine, but they’re all pretty basic. I felt constricted and limited to what I could do designing in this category. I pulled and pulled style inspo but nothing really clicked. It all looked the same. I was honestly going to throw the project out altogether but my heart of hearts wouldn’t let me.

Fabric

It wasn’t until I looked up fabrics on Mood that triggered the inspiration for designing these loungewear pieces. I searched their selection by focusing on the color, since I knew I wanted a light cream color and scrolled from there.

I ended up with a small mixture of stretch crepes and brocades but also some rayon jersey and rib fabrics. Overall, I was looking for textured yet soft fabrics that had elements of nature to them or an unique detail that gave it the kitschy opulent feel.

I chose a brocade that looks similar to the rings of a tree trunk if you were to slice it, a plush rib with thick lines and a burnout jersey with a geometrical pattern across it.

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Final Look

For the menswear design look, I took the diagonal plaid burnout jersey and layered it over a white jersey and paired it with a pair of heavily ribbed basketball shorts with welt pocketing details.

For the women's designer loungewear design, I’d use the metallic spiral organza brocade for a cropped hoodie with voluminous sleeves and a pair a biker shorts made from the heavily ribbed silk.

I love how these designs came out! I think because I struggled a little bit initially, I appreciate the results a little more. My favorite pieces is the cropped hoodies and I would love to see this one come to life...

The View

If you want to see how the illustration came to life, you can watch it right here.

What do you think about the designs? Is it too much to be considered loungewear? Would you wear any of them?