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PROSUMPTION
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Contributors
Editors
Martin Mitchell / Sofie Nordahl / Pernille Secher Mosbech Editor in Chief
Martin Mitchell Writers
Malthe Rye Thomsen / Devin Hentz / Myrto Papailiou / Pernille Sandberg / Kristine Harper / Sofie Edvard / Rasmus Simonsen / Oda Severine Lillehagen / Mats Lillehagen / Nicoline Lyhning Nissen Photographers
Mikkel Völcker / Alice Berg / Petra Kleis / Tom McKenzie / Jessica De Maio / Malou BumBum / Jesper Drejer / Mishael Phillip / Nicolas Andreou Other
Alicja Biala / Valeriya Olkhova / Line Jarde / Anne Lauritzen Graphic Designer
Silja Björk Hoff-Møller Graphic Assistant
Vanessa Hofmann Proofreader
Anna Di Laurenzio Cover
Jessica De Maio
PROSUMPTION / 3
Editorial - prosumption
The current issue of Less Magazine revolves around the theme of Prosumption, a term that is closely tied to the understanding of sustainability that we support. Prosumption is understood as a level of conscious consumption, a point where the producer and consumer are in dialogue, either directly, or through the personalization of items that are purchased. Prosumption is a theoretical term that has many possibilities for interpretation, and throughout this issue you will experience a wide range of ways to understand how we as consumers can become more conscious about what we buy, what we wear, and how we can feel more connected to the pieces that we choose to include in our wardrobes. We have focused on presenting articles that will display a vast array of opinions in order to offer a broader understanding of how we can act as conscious consumers, and shed light on the new development within sustainable fashion that prosumption presents. The element of participation is crucial to the understanding of prosumption, whether it is in the design process, or the way that we interact with the items. Brands wanting to involve their customers in the development of new collections to better fit their needs, designers creating versatile pieces that can be personalized and tweaked to fit everybody, mending rather than replacing, and how we attach emotional value to certain garments, are all examples of how prosumption is visible throughout the many levels of participation that the fashion industry is opening up to. But there must be a limit that allows the designer to be just that, without too much interference. This issue has been approached visually from a wide selection of perspectives; from co-creational viewer involvement and appraisal of uniqueness in a trend-based industry to nesting birds of blue. We have invited people from all over Europe to participate, taking us to The Hague, Milan and the Alps to name a few. Loyal, well-known Less
Magazine contributors have been involved but new faces have also taken part in making this seventh issue intriguing. We have stories taking place far and wide; some set in beautiful nature, others in studios; some are prop-filled and others are clothing-based. The common ground is the respect for our values, the depth and well-thought-out moods – and of course the aesthetics. Fortunately, immensely talented slow brands and designers agreed to work with us, including Spanish handmade shoes, heritage-based wool garments, and monochrome Nordic multifunctional creations. Conscious consumption and personal interpretation, and ascription of value are what we want to showcase in this issue, an issue that is a little different from previous editions. Less Magazine has a new editor, and as Pernille will be moving on to work on other important parts of our magazine, Sofie will be taking over as editor of written content. The current issue has been a close collaboration between the two. Martin Mitchell / Sofie Nordahl / Pernille Secher Mosbech
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Content
P. 6-7
P. 42-47
Statements on
BARBARA I GONGINI Archive Revival
Words by Kristine Harper / Mishael Phillip / Naemi Gustavsson
Editorial / Mikkel Vรถlcker P. 48-53
P. 8-21
The Power of Participation - An Experience-
Merging Appearences
Economic Perspective on Fashion Branding
Editorial / Jesper Drejer
Investigating / Nicoline Lyhning Nissen
P. 22-26
P. 54-62
What is Prosumption?
Sub-Strait
A Theoretical Consideration
Editorial / Jessica De Maio
Introducing / Rasmus Simonsen P. 63-71 P. 27
Graduates
Visualizations
Design Graduates Feature
Introduction P. 72-77 P. 28-33
Malou BumBum
Mishael Phillip
Visualization / Malou BumBum
Visualization / Mishael Phillip P. 78-87 P. 34-41
The Future Role of the Sustainable
BARBARA I GONGINI
Fashion Designer
Interview / Malthe Rye Thomsen / Sofie Nordahl
Investigating / Kristine Harper / Sofie Edvard
PROSUMPTION / 5
P. 88-95
P. 130-135
Edelweiss
Nicolas Andreou
Editorial / Alice Berg
Visualization / Nicolas Andreou
P. 96-101
P. 136-139
STORY mfg
Prosumption - A Critical View
Interview / Devin Hentz
Considering / Oda Severine Lillehagen / Mats Lillehagen
P. 102-107
P. 140-141
Anne Lauritzen
Slow Manifest
Visualization / Anne Lauritzen
Slow Clothing According to Less Magazine
P. 108-111
P. 142-144
Emotionally Indispensible Design
Brand List
Uncovering / Myrto Papailiou P. 145 P. 112-121 A Range of Plastic Artifacts in a Bower
Editorial / Line Jarde P. 122-129 Frank Leder
Interview / Pernille Sandberg
References
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Statements on prosumption
KRISTINE HARPER / Master of Arts in Philosophy and Art History
I would define prosumption as conscious and proactive consumption. The conscious part implies that this kind of consumption means buying ethically produced products. The proactive part involves investing in things and garments that can "develop" or that will get increasingly beautiful or interesting with time and usage. The prosumer enjoys products that tell a story of the creation time, or that can become "carriers" of new stories. Therefore, prosumption typically involves a design task: the designer must consider how to design things that hold an"openness" so that they can develop with or be developed by the prosumer. This could mean using materials that age with beauty or designing garments that are multifunctional, or flexible in other ways.
Photographer
/ Jesper Drejer
PROSUMPTION / 7
NAEMI GUSTAVSSON / Master’s Degree in Fashion Design
You have to do it yourself to survive. Prosumption is part of survival, taking matters into your own hands. To make consumers a part of production we need to make products that create an active choice and where interaction occurs. Then products will be long-lasting, higher-valued and therefore prosumption will be beneficial. I believe we are heading for a future where we all have to be a little more of a prosumer to survive.
Photographer
/ Stina Eldsten
MISHAEL PHILLIP / Bachelor of Science in Economics and Geography, Master of African Studies
Clothing for me has always been a thing which holds fluidity. Working constantly in clothing retail outlets, somewhere along the line the decision of practicing the stance of proactivity with my own clothing was made. Whether interning with tailors in London & Copenhagen or attempting to get to grips with even the initial steps of Japanese ‘boro’ stitching, the urge to fabricate or preserve quality garments has always simply made sense to me. Garments which are designed with the journey in mind, cared for and are worth resurrecting in whichever way we see fit are those garments worth a second look. Assigning this non-commercial value to clothing is a way in which we can edge away from the machine of fast-fashion and the waste associated with it.
Photographer
/ Andreas Klassen
Merging Appearences
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We are all special, and we are all the same. There is no you without us and no us without you. This editorial tells the story of how we are all affected by each other. Your social heritage, the people you meet and the people you interact with tells the story of the person you are. This story merges viewer and creator by letting the viewer interact with the production of the editorial. By involving our followers in the choice of location and model they are part of the creative process.
/ Jesper Drejer / Martin Mitchell Make-up + Hair / Emilie Preskou Model / Victor Kirketerp, Le Management Assistant / Silja Bjรถrk Photographer
Art Director + Stylist
brand lives up to Less Magazine slow manifest garment lives up to Less Magazine slow manifest More information on page 140
Coat
/ Hansen Garments
Suit
/ Maja Brix
Shirt
/ Frank Leder
Shoes
/ Petrucha
PROSUMPTION / 9
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Knit + Trousers
Stutterheim
Hat
/ Verena Schepperhyen / Reinhard Plank
Highneck
/ Andersen-Andersen
Jacket
/
PROSUMPTION / 11
Jumpsuit
/ Trine Lindegaard
Knit
/ Andersen-Andersen
Jacket
/ Frank Leder
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PROSUMPTION / 13
Showpiece
Jacket
/ Barbara I Gongini
/ Trine Lindegaard
Shirt
/ Frank Leder
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Knit
/ Andersen-Andersen
Jacket
/ Stutterheim
Hat
/ Reinhard Plank
Jacket
/ Trine Lindegaard
Shirt
/ Frank Leder
Pants
/ Verena Schepperheyn
Shoes
/ Petrucha
PROSUMPTION / 15
Dress
/ Armoire Officielle
Vest
/ Frank Leder 16 /
Jackets
/ Andersen-Andersen
/ Trine Lindegaard
Pants + Shirt + Hat
/ Hansen Garments
PROSUMPTION / 17
Trousers
/ Barbara i Gongini Henrik Vibskov
Shoes
/ Petrucha
Jacket
/
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Suit
/ Amoire Officielle
Shirt
/ Hansen Garments
Scarf
/ Ivan Grundahl
PROSUMPTION / 19
Jumpsuit
/ Trine Lindegaard
Knit
/ Andersen-Andersen
Jacket
/ Frank Leder
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/ Hansen Garments Jacket / Frank Leder Shirt / Armoire Officielle Shoes / Petrucha Suit
Overalls + Vest
/ Barbara I Gongini
Shirt
/ Armoire Officielle
Shoes
/ Petrucha
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What is Prosumption? - A Theoretical Consideration / Rasmus Simonsen / PhD in English (Literature and Culture) Illustrator / Alicja Biala Writer
Conscious consumption has been
a major trend in the fashion world for years. Conscious consumers are attentive to manufacturing practices, workers’ rights, and other ethical concerns. But this consumer identity also involves what can be termed a care for the self, meaning an attention to how ethical consumption influences one’s sense of self. The more attention we reserve for the underlying social, economic, and environmental processes of the garments we wear, the more our wardrobe becomes an expression of our values. The concept of prosumption builds on conscious consumption, but it is expressive of an even closer connection with the particular material elements of fashion as a craft. The prosumer, as defined in this
issue, is similar to what Colin Campbell has referred to as the “craft consumer”. Central to both definitions is “participation”. Prosumption can be succinctly defined as the union of production and consumption, each being of equal value, as the prosumer becomes both maker and consumer of goods (with an emphasis on textiles in this issue). The term is typically attributed to Alvin Toffler, who in his 1980 book, The
Third Wave, locates prosumption as being prior to both production and consumption in how we understand them today as tied up with market forces and the process of supply and demand. Pre-industrial and pre-capitalist, prosumption belongs to the agrarian age, but we are now seeing a return to the idea of self-consumption – as a contemporary term, it is an easy bedfellow of current trends such as sustainability and everything “slow”. In its original definition, pro-
sumption appears as a self-sufficient activity. The focus is on self-sustenance in relation to the individual’s immediate surroundings. There is thus no exchange of goods between the self and another – perhaps the most central activity in capitalism. In this brief essay, however, I want to think about prosumption as a relationship between the self and the object world, as no kind of production or consumption happens in isolation. What sets prosumption apart from formalized systems of production is a concern with and a close connection to the immediate world. In order to define and explore prosumption, I will introduce what I call, “primordial participation”. This concept is inspired by
PROSUMPTION / 23
the German philosopher Martin Heidegger, especially his seminal work, Being and Time. However, the many philosophical nuances of Heidegger’s
thought will not be explored in this article; instead, I will simply note that the good life, for Heidegger, essentially has to do with how we define the relationship between the self, the other, and the surrounding world. In Being and Time, he makes the following pronouncement: “the world is always the one that I share with Others”. In a sense, we can only know ourselves – environmentally, that is – through what we do and use, but also through what we avoid. Negative or positive, each act or decision impacts on our surroundings and determines our future relation with the world. Objects resonate with how they were made, the work and time that someone put into creating them, and this concept of time – from when an object was conceived, produced, and finally, consumed – is central to the philosophy of prosumption. The way prosumers relate to things (garments, for ex-
ample) is centered around a process of seeing things in context, as how we relate to and talk about our surroundings and the things in them – the idea being that a given thing can, in principle, be re-discovered as the sum of its material elements of production. Any object we behold or make use of is a container of time. Sometimes the work we think we see reflected in the object is imaginary – but common to all objects is that they are what we could term “fluid fossils”. The invisible strata of time may shift according to the user or viewer: how much life-knowledge does a single object contain? And how much is yet to be produced? The relationship between subject and object fluctuates according to what I will here call “primordial participation”. This is where the pro- of prosumption comes into play. The prefix means “before”, “in front of”, and “on behalf of”, among others – and, in addition to “production”, we must take seriously this linguistic signification when making sense of the term. Primordial participation is not an activity driven by nostalgia for a more “pure” world of less technology (“technology” is essential to what it means to “make” things in the first place). Rather, to become full participants, we must cultivate a concern with origins. In order to fully appreciate a garment, prosumption teaches us to delve into the details of each stitch or textile thread, getting a feel for how they contribute to the form of +
24 / INTRODUCING
the garment as a whole. In this sense, a thing is never one – it is made up of a multitude of interrelated materials and an entire history of making that involves untold cultural, social, and economic processes and influences. Any one thing exists as a totality of relations rather than
as one single item: pen, paper, and ink, for instance – or in today’s world, it is more likely to be keyboard and screen – combine to allow for writing to occur. However, we must do more than simply look at something to comprehend its role. Prosumption is all about use-value, but this value is not economical or even goal-oriented; instead, use-value has to do with how when we use a thing, instead of staring at it trying to grasp its essence
as a thing, a primordial truth about us, the thing we are using, and the greater environment is revealed. For example, sewing with a needle and thread instead of using a machine takes us closer to the primordial, or original, application of different things to produce an essential object of survival: clothing. It is thus only by using objects, by eliciting their “manipulability”, that we can understand our own being-in-the-world. Being alive is a never-ending series of activities – it is when we are engaged in producing something that we truly exist. So let’s put these considerations into the context of
the present issue of Less. When we pick up a garment, we encounter not only the trace of the process that
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made the object, but all the future people for whom it was made. In any kind of work, the future is always present, in the sense that a reference to potential wearers is inherent in any process of putting fabrics to use, for example. Not all garments possess this temporal quality, however. Ready-to-wear products conceal the craft that produced them, because essentially, the means of their production cannot be considered crafting as such. In contrast, prosumer objects communicate their own manipulability; in other words, any prosumer object is inseparable from the work that produced it – the maker’s marks can (ideally) be discerned in the fabric, stitching, etc that complete the impression of the object. Again, we see how it is the “referential totality” (a phrase I borrow
from Heidegger) of the work, not the object itself, that we encounter when we engage in prosumption. When we use any object, it is with the future sense of use-value in mind. A pair of shoes is produced for the future activity of walking. In this sense, the pro- can also be understood as “proactivity” – meaning a producing that anticipates a future use. In short, objects are always for the future. But what happens when we re-direct an object’s use? When we manipulate it to function in a different way from its initial manufacturing? In the fall of 2007, an exhibition called Hackers and
Haute Couture Heretics took place at Garanti Gallery in Istanbul. The exhibition was curated by Otto von Busch, +
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a self-proclaimed DIY-demagogue and a researcher at the Academy of Design and Crafts in Gothenburg, Sweden. A central aim of the exhibition was to pose a challenge to the hierarchical world of high-street fashion through what von Busch refers to as “subconstructive hacking”. It is important to understand here that hacking is not destructive, but rather constructive. From being strictly associated with software and computer jargon, hacking is now more generally associated with “a DIY ethos and a desire to amplify our means of interaction with the world”, as von Busch explains. Hacking emphasizes user agency by exploring the limits of manipulability of conventional forms and production methods. Hacking is prosumptive in the sense that it constitutes, again in von Busch’s words, “the will to improve things by knowledge of their inner workings and a mastery of techniques”. Furthermore, hacking is about sharing knowledge to offer new points of intervention for others to build on. This definition of hacking is an excellent example of prosumption, as hackers strive to open up the craft-world of a given garment or design (or even brand) in order to expose the multitude of relations that made each possible in the first place. Fashion hacking aligns well with the philosophy of prosumption, then, as both offer ways of unveiling the potential of existing objects to elicit new connections between them, the environment, and us. In order to hack a garment or brand, one must first un-
derstand its “code”, or building blocks. During the Garanti exhibition, Giana Gonzalez’s workshop, “Hacking-Couture”, sought to involve participants in reverse-engineering or the activity of tracing the origins of brands such as Gucci. Polaroid images displaying Gucci’s brand history in the form of advertisements, collections, catalogs, catwalk shows, etc. were organized on a wall to map out the brand’s code. A very simple example of a couture hack can be found in Gonzalez’s manual of hacking methods called VakkoVamps, in which different artists and designers show off their hacks of upmarket Turkish brand, Vakko. Stephanie Syjuco took a readymade leather handbag, cut away the center V-portion of the bag, and replaced it with clear vinyl to create what she branded the Conspicuous Consumption Bag. The clear vinyl exposes the contents of the bag, subverting the central function of the bag: to conceal. Of course, its fashion function is to signal the cultural capital of its owner: this is someone who not only has enough money to purchase expensive design objects, but also knows which brands carry the most symbolic value. With her hack, Syjuco “re-programmed” the bag’s fashion code, creating both a physical and a metaphorical window into the contents of the bag. It now invites the gaze of passersby, who then enter into a relationship with the owner, the bag,
and the contents to create a further network of material, social, and cultural connections. Additionally, the hack (any hack, really) exposes how a particular item was put together, what kind of stitching was used to hold the different elements in place, and so on. This kind of material exposure is also central to prosumption, which aims to draw out the processes of the world and how the way we manipulate and interact with them forms our being. In this way, fashion hacking can help
us understand the point about the primordial character of work, defined as the intimate relations between the self, the other, and the environment. Syjuco’s Conspicuous Consumption Bag – which ironically increases consumer consciousness – emphasizes the ongoing and fluid manipulability of things and traces a prosumptive future that calls on us to consider and offer our concern to the materials and the objects we produce. ×
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Visualizations of Prosumption A pivotal part of Less Magazine is to let creative people show their talents. Visualization is a section divided into four parts as we choose four different stylists or protographers to visually interpret a theme given by the editors of the magazine. In this issue the theme interpreted is PROSUMPTION.
Mishael Phillip p.28-33 / Malou BumBum p.74-77 / Anne Lauritzen p.102-107 / Nicolas Andreou p. 130-135
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/ Mishael Phillip / Mickaela Berman Photo Assistant / Moses Fapohunda Stylist / Martin Mitchell Models / Ananya Nisbet / Elias Gozal Photographer Make-up
Special thanks to L. M Tapetsererne + Tue Ejlersen brand lives up to Less Magazine slow manifest garment lives up to Less Magazine slow manifest More information on page 140
Visualization 01 / Mishael Phillip This story sets out to observe comfortable, utility-inspired, quality clothing in altered and upholstered environments. Individual elements, their tangibility and ’the journey’ assemble in order to achieve this easy yet nostalgic reunion.
A
/ T-shirt / Neutral Jacket / STORY mfg Trousers / Orslow Shoes / Dr. Martens E / Trousers + Jacket / STORY mfg / Merz b. Schwanen x Junya Watanabe Comme Des Garcons Shoes / Jack Purcell Converse
Shirt
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/ STORY mfg / Norse Projects
Trousers + Jacket
stock
Hat
Shirt + Denim Jacket
/ Vintage
Shoes
/ Birken-
Shirt
/ Orslow
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PROSUMPTION / 31
Jacket + Trousers + Scarf
/ STORY mfg
Shirt
/ Orslow
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A
/ Trousers / STORY mfg / STORY mfg
+ Trousers
/ Vintage / Orslow
Jacket Shirt
Shoes
/ Novesta
E
/ Jacket + Scarf
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BARBARA I GONGINI The relational coexistence between faroese roots, japanese avant-garde design, and the responsibility towards sustainability
Writers / Sofie Nordahl / Master of Art and Philosophy / Malthe Rye Thomsen / Bachelor of Science in Anthropology Photographer / Sofie Nordahl
PROSUMPTION / 35
It is Friday morning in Copenhagen. The central part ofthe city is buzzing and alive. The inner part of Copenhagen has this commercial spirit and mainstream feeling, but when we take the harbor boat from Esplanaden to Refshaleøeninbright sunlight it all looks different. Refshaleøen is more industrial, at least onthe surface. We walk along the road from the harbor in the direction ofthe industrial buildings. In one of these buildings the production of the avant-garde brand BARBARA I GONGINI takes places and this is where we are going to interview Barbara I Gongini. Barbara was born in the Faroe Islands in1966. She explains that she often hears people portraying the Faroe Islands as a green oasis, but she stresses that this is not the whole story to her birthplace. Barbara explains how in winter the window of light can beas short as just a few hours, and that itis dominated by dark and heavy rain clouds. Barbara tells us how she never wore a raincoat inthe Faroe Islands despite the constant rain, and because of this she has a memory of always feeling wet. She describes living inthe Faroe Islands as sometimes living in a gray and black, misty and rainy fog mass: “You can hear the boats trying to navigate in this mass of black and gray. Wooh Wooh. Itis a very particular sound. Itisin our bones.” The horns from the ships create an atmosphere of slowness; an everyday life where you goto school and go home, without seeing much daylight during winter. You just goto A to get to B, Barbara explains. There is a certain conformity about it. She describes how the capital, Thorshavn,
is almost the shape of a pot and that it sometimes feels like the rain and the fog are contained in the pot of Thorshavn. When you look at Barbara’s designs, it’s easy to see that she is heavily influenced by the Scandinavian darkness, the moody winters, and melancholic undertones that define the Faroe Islands. You are what you emanate from, she says. It’s very deep in my bones.
A DIVERSE AND MULTI-INSPIRATIONAL APPROACH TO DESIGN Barbara never approached design in a way that it was supposed to be something specific. Her very first collections were made from scraps, and her CSR policy and non wastage ambition was established. When she designs her current collections, she is more concerned with what inspires her, what fits into her wardrobe concept, and where pieces from each collection can all be worn together. Barbara is inspired by her Faroese roots, Scandinavian women, and the avant garde tradition which was defined in the 90s all of which is visible through her black, and monochrome, expression. It all comes together with the underlying relationship to the Japanese avant-garde that pushes boundaries beyond the point of comfort, and the Scandinavian undertones are supported by the challenging expressions of the avant-garde. She naturally falls into this domain, and with her roots in the Faroese culture it is not surprising; you are a product of your upbringing, surroundings, and inspirational sources. Like her inspirational source in the avant-garde’s intellectual and feminist pre-punk take on fashion, Barbara’s brand also has a similar political dimension. It represents both a resistance against normative views on fashion and also a political urge to work against the way society dictates women’s bodies and social injustice. She advocates free and unconditional love regardless of sexual orientation. It’s in her DNA to resist the normative pressures and societal order towards the body and sex. At the same time, the brand’s DNA also has a playful and explorative imagination towards how to style and wear clothing, mixed with a nordic respect for craftsmanship. The development of your identity is shown as an expression of your web of interlocution, and for Barbara I Gongini, this goes for the identity of the brand itself, as well as its creator. You are affected by your roots, but there is also a great need to change and mold this expression. In an ever-changing time we need to acknowledge that +
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“Everybody thinks the Faroe Islands are so, so green. Very often it is the contrary, almost like living within a black and grey mist.” - Barbara Gongini, Designer of Barbara I Gongini
we need to change and develop not only in relation to our personal development, but also in relation to the changes that our planet and our society are going through. Customers today are demanding more and more from the designer, and sustainability is becoming a bigger issue for many consumers, leading to an increase in the demand for transparency when it comes to the production ofthe items that they purchase. This has started to affect the approach of many brands and is indeed challenging the foundation of the fashion industry as a whole. For many brands, this means going back to their roots, and re-evaluating how they can interpret sustainability in their domain, to fulfill their responsibilities to the brand, the consumers, and the demand for sustainability. The Scandinavian way of approaching design is very minimalistic; it references nature in its use of textures, colors and cuts, and is in many ways a good starting point for sustainable production, because it favors the natural and the raw. This is also how Barbara approaches design, pushing the limits even further
with her avant-garde approach, still rooted deeply in her Scandinavian background. The Faroese culture insisted on playing a crucial role in Barbara’s life, and she is in no way trying to romanticize her roots and upbringing in the Faroe Islands. She talks about it critically, but also warmly and respectfully. She explains that she has this feeling of being so small, and that coming from a little society, deeply interconnected with nature, has made her very aware ofthe crucial connection to nature, and how weneed to guard this connection, not just in design, but in life in general. This is who I am, she underlines. Barbara I Gongini’s design has a very distinct look and most of her pieces are black with occasional white. She underlines that there is poetry in black. Black is part of the brand’s DNA and refers to both her roots in the Faroe Islands, and the Japanese avant-garde.
THE CREATION OF VERSATILE PIECES Barbara explains that she has been working from the idea of the square and the circle for many years. Once again, like her inspiration in Kawakubo, she is finding new ways to twist the conventional form into new possibilities and structures. Barbara explains her ideas, inspirations, and materials are a collective thought. She does not necessarily sketch her collections. Sometimes she uses draping – so the development of the styles are a mixture of the fabric and the possibilities they hold within her principles. Barbara emphasizes that experimenting with fabrics and shapes are a central part of the DNA of the brand. Over the years we have seen her experiment with different materials such as thin and thick cotton, +
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wool and leather, but also with more experimental fabrics such as technical silk etc. Barbara does not only experiment with fabrics; she has also tested out different prints and even though the black color is a strong part of the DNA, she has also surprised everyone with blue, green and yellow color shades. We will argue that this experimental approach towards design and fashion opens up possibilities for a particularly close and special relationship to Barbara’s customers. A relationship where co-designing and co-production might be possible. The consumer and designer should exist in a close relationship, and what Barbara offers with her designs is a way for the consumers to take part inthe final part ofthe design. This is constituted not only through listening to the demands of the consumers in terms of a more sustainable production line, but also in the design itself. Barbara makes pieces that can be personalized and worn in many different ways sothe consumer has the freedom to shape it according to their bodies and personal style. We ask her how she comes up with these pieces: I can’t think of a design; I explore it, she explains. Furthermore, the intelligence sits in another place, a non-verbal place. I draw the essence from another space - a deeper space within. For Barbara, the design process is linked with intuition rather than intellect. You can set a direction in terms of shape, fabrics, tendencies, and stitching, but the design process itself happens between her hands, not in her mind. The design of the different pieces gives consumers a greater sense of freedom to interpret them.
Because of the combination of a strong brand identity and versatile pieces, the consumer receives something quite special. They are wearing something with a strong and clear DNA, and while taking part in the expression of the brand’s identity, they still have the freedom of creating the expression of the particular item by bringing their own personal spin into the mix. Not just in the aesthetic expression of the item itself, but also in the way the item is worn. The clothes can be worn in different ways, dressed up or down for different occasions, and it is a physical manifestation of Barbara’s ideas about design and fashion as a need for more substance and more versatile solutions.
INTERPRETING SUSTAINABILITY Talking to Barbara, it becomes very clear that the concept of design and sustainability stretches far beyond the choice of fabrics, dyes, and production. For her, it is also about the social responsibilities that are hidden in these categories, which include social responsibility towards the factory workers, the rights of women in the industry regardless of whether it is in India or Pakistan, and our responsibility towards the planet. The time we live in is defined by rapid change, and it can sometimes seem like the bigger, slower changes are ignored because of this. Barbara explains that the demand for sustainability has been on her radar from the beginning, but that she has only recently started to feel like this is becoming a trend. Fashion is a great starting point for change when it comes to becoming more sustainable in the way that we consume, and Barbara underlines that she feels a responsibility as a designer to make her production as clean and sustainable as possible. When it comes to sustainability, Barbara acknowledges that the fashion industry is a tricky place to be in. Everything that is used inthe production can in some way be harmful to both the environment and the workers. The dyeing and tanning of fabrics, coating, glue, threads, and trimmings are all problematic in one way or another. Even though one might have the ambition to be sustainable, Barbara explains that it is in many ways impossible. The market is just not ready yet, she says, which means that the demand for sustainable fabrics and production is not putting enough pressure on the industry to change. There are not enough options for the sustainable domain to create a 100% clean product. Sometimes sustainable +
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fabrics are dyed in a non-sustainable way or the other way round, which makes it tricky to choose. As a designer you must have a lot of knowledge and constantly be updated of changes within the production line, in order to stay on top of what’s currently happening. This is of course one way of looking at it, but isn’t it exactly that which constitutes the job of a designer who wants to be branded as sustainable? Doing the work, being on top of what is currently going on within the developments of sustainable options, and to always being informed about the new and better options should be just what these designers do. Apart from the fabrics and other physical elements that go into the production of her designs, Barbara has very strong opinions on how and where the different elements of her clothes are made. She keeps most of her production within Europe, but she also has production in Pakistan and India because she believes that withdrawing completely from the East is not necessarily the answer to a more sustainable production. She thinks that committing long-term to factories in these challenged countries and implementing change in a way that makes them feel safe with the shift that the planet needs us to make happen, is the right way to go. Change, not boycott. “Support them where the shit happens”, is her approach to it, something that is admirable these days. Tweaking where they can, the production line becomes cleaner and she makes sure to visit the factories, so she can influence the production of conventional fabrics in a CSR friendly way. Barbara’s opinion is that her production should be transparent, and she is open and honest about not being able to maintain a 100% sustainable line. Honesty has quite an impact on people, she emphasizes. Barbara’s interpretation of sustainability is not only defined by the production of her garments, but also bythe way she creates her collections. Her versatile pieces can be worn in many different ways, which is yet another way to make a garment more sustainable, because it can be used in different ways, in different contexts, by different body types and in different seasons. She wants her clothes to fit each consumer so that he or she can shape and wear it in the way that appeals to them. Her focus is on versatile, long-lasting items that can forever be reinterpreted into anindividual wardrobe. The items of her collections are also part of a bigger wardrobe concept throughout her time as a designer, rather than just referring to trends
and being separate, independent collections. She is inspired by trends, but does not follow them, just like my customers, she says.
THE FUTURE Maintaining a good relationship with the consumer is important for any brand, but for Barbara it is more than that. Connection to her consumers is crucial for her production, and she wishes she could get more feedback from them. For Barbara, her designs all emanate from a need to create, and she feels inspired by seeing how her customers wear her clothes. She is often surprised by how experimental even her customers can be in how to wear her clothing. Barbara admires Scandinavian women. But she also feels that the essence of Scandinavian women is unexplored and subject to very unproductive body ideals that act as a constraint. The customer is important to Barbara, and she believes that her versatile pieces make it easier for a wider range of customers to wear them because they can be altered and worn in different ways to cater to different body types. This approach to design is a step in the right direction when it comes to turning consumers into prosumers and to, in many ways, inspire the customers to take a stand when it comes to the item in front of them. At a point in time where the rapidly changing trends are still the dominant contributor on the market, the rise of the prosumer underlines a demand for a change that will bring us closer to a new understanding of value. An understanding of value that connects us to what we purchase and makes us look at the items we wear in a new light. Not as something constantly shifting and to be replaced next season, but something that we can constantly change and personalize, something that will be a part of our wardrobe for years to come, something that we will maybe take a break from for a couple of years but then reinterpret and wear again. A piece of clothing that we will take good care of – because we understand the real value behind what we wear and the value of protecting the garment so it can be used in the future. ×
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/ Archive Revival
BARBARA I GONGINI
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A key element in the universe of BARBARA I GONGONI is the longevity featured in her designs. Therefore, this story sets out to prove the coherency in design presented by BARBARA I GONGINI because is is impossible to distinguish one season from another thus achieving the much-needed timelessness!
Photographer Stylist
/ Mikkel Vรถlcker
/ Valeriya Olkhova
Make-up + Hair Models
/ Patricia Bongo Baier
/ Zenia Fejerskov-Hansen, Le management / Lars Fixen
All Garments BARBARA I GONGINI
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The Power of Participation
- An Experience-Economic Perspective on Fashion Branding Writer
/ Nicoline Lyhning Nissen / Bachelor of Science in Aesthetics and Culture / Alicja Biala
Illustrator
How can the produseage influence the consumer’s engagement in sustainable fashion?
Imagine that one of the fashion brands you follow on
social media started asking for your input on their design process and to join them in developing their next collection, all through social media. This imaginary scenario isn’t really imaginary at all. This is exactly what Organic Basics, who were asking their female followers to help them develop a requested female underwear line, did – because who would know best about the everyday wear, struggles, and requests of bras and briefs than women of all shapes and sizes? The idea behind this is called co-designing, which means
that a group of professionals and passionate amateurs meet to develop something together. This meeting between designers and consumers makes a new kind of knowledge-and value-exchange, where the designer can learn about everyday experiences and the consumer can influence the final product. This creates a new kind of consumption which goes beyond the latest trends and desire for newness – it establishes a new kind of connection between producer and consumer, which is in fact an important connection to sustainable fashion. SUSTAINABILITY AND ITS STRUGGLES Throughout the last decades, our ears have been filled with environmental challenges as an outcome of our lifestyles. These warnings have resulted in new consumer behaviors, where ecological or local food, electric cars, and sustainable tourism, among other things, are relatively new and popular patterns within consumer behavior; new cultural tendencies where consumers want to contribute to a better, healthier world. This shows that there is more awareness of this topic than ever before, but the fashion industry still struggles to change its unsustainable production, non-concerning values, and
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unhealthy behavior of their consumers, even though we all want to contribute to a more sustainable lifestyle, and we all know what we should do when it comes to fashion: buy more sustainable clothes, buy only what you need and love, wear what you have despite the trend of the season, and so on. Yet despite this awareness, our behavior doesn’t seem to change. We know that our duty as consumers is to be conscious about what we buy, and to be aware of our own patterns of consumption, but why is it then, that sustainable clothes still struggle to be the consumer’s first choice? One answer to this question is that
when it comes to fashion, we disconnect our minds when we go shopping. Instead of taking ethical and environmental dilemmas into consideration, our shopping behavior, seen from a consumer-cultural perspective, is more likely to be controlled by social structures. We purchase our items in line with what the system of fashion, magazines, commercials, and bloggers show and tell us to buy – we are almost programmed to buy the trend and the aesthetic of the time, without much consideration of how the clothes are produced or where they come from. These different strands of media shape and control our behavior when we buy clothes in such a way that when we go shopping for clothes we don’t make active choices when it comes to what to buy and what not to. All these decisions, which appear to be our own
choices, are shaped by the surrounding fashion wheel and culture. Now the question really is: How can the fashion industry
influence consumers in a way that makes them think of sustainable fashion and makes them choose it when they go shopping? How does sustainable fashion become part of this fashion wheel and part of the consumer’s mindset? Among the importance of bringing sustainable clothes into
high-end magazines and blogs, another suggestion could be to involve the consumer more in the designing and production of the clothes. This way, the consumer is not only invited to contribute by spending money, but can contribute throughout the design process. By showing why, when and how the designing and production take shape, and even asking the consumer to contribute, there might be a chance that the consumer’s shopping behavior changes in a way that makes them buy sustainable fashion, not as an active choice, but because it seems natural to do so. NEW SOCIETAL INVOLVEMENT Involvement in the production chain, also called co-creation, is a new buzzword. When it comes to fashion, co-designing has up until now meant that the label has worked with another brand or designer, and developed a collection based on such a collaboration. Yet everywhere we look, co-creation and co-designing means to open up to the consumer. For instance, consumers of art are not only spectators, but are often invited to be co-producers of art pieces, by helping to construct the piece with the artist. Likewise, patients and their relatives are invited to help plan out a new hospital, and governments don’t just construct new parks and roads without first asking the residents of the area about their opinions and needs. We, as consumers of cities, goods and cultures, want to be part of the production process. We want to invest time and effort, and to get our opinions heard. This kind of production and consumption creates new relationships between the two. First of all, the consumers, patients or residents suddenly have a voice. By listening to the opinions of the consumers, the system of fashion +
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changes. Now it is not about the consumer consuming what is being sold through magazines and commercials, but more about what consumers actually experience and need in their everyday lives. In this way, the work of the designer is less about the artistic and sculptural look of the clothes, but more about the combination of functionality in everyday life and aesthetic beauty. The consumer contributes with everyday knowledge and suddenly has an opinion and a say in how clothes should be developed and fit into everyday life. This way of thinking about a design process means that the consumer can affect and contribute to a more sustainable production line, and that the clothes will be more suited for everyday life, but it also means that the designers and producers have to give up some of their power, and put it in the hands of the consumers. Suddenly it is not about making the consumer want a product; it is about listening to their opinions, beliefs, and values. Secondly, this means that there is a change that makes consumers feel more connected to the product and the values associated with it, because they feel like they have had a say in the design process and thereby impacted the final product. If we now return to the fashion industry, the perspective of co-creation and co-designing mentioned above must be taken into consideration. The consumer gets used to having a voice, and maybe even more importantly for that voice to be heard, and sustainable fashion can use this new tendency as a stepping stone to break with the patterns of fast fashion, and connect with the consumer in a new way. This trend of co-creation is visible through a greater
use of social media as a new platform where producers and consumers meet on equal terms to discuss fit, form, material, and color. Organic Basics, a menswear underwear brand now
heavily uses social media in their research. Primarily through social media they have received inquiries about women’s underwear, and now want to meet this demand. Organic Basics have therefore asked their female followers about their preferred style, shape, and material, thereby inviting their future consumers to co-create a +
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new line of underwear, this time for women, with them. This way, the brand has already established a relationship with their consumers; they have planted an as yet non-existent product in the minds of the consumers. On the other hand, they have engaged their followers and potential customers in parts of sustainable production and thus changed the mind-set of the consumer. By introducing the consumer to the production and designing of the clothes, they bring their consumers not only one step closer to the garments, but they also bring themselves one step closer to the consumer. The next time the consumer is looking for new underwear, there is a much bigger chance that Organic Basics pops up in those people’s minds, because they responded and contributed to the development of the underwear. There might even be a chance that these people have talked about the concept and therefore, just like rings in water, this trend will spread further through these people. In this way, sustainable fashion brands bring themselves much closer to the consumers and by doing so also demonstrate that it is not necessarily more difficult to find sustainable alternatives. Another way of involving consumers in the production
stage is to leave them with an unfinished product that they have to complete. The sustainable denim brand, Nudie Jeans, tells a story about the lifecycle of jeans, a lifecycle that never really ends. The owner of the jeans is encouraged to wear them without washing them for at least six months and thereby form his or her jeans in a personal way. The wear and tear will show what kind of life the owner lives and every pair of jeans becomes a special and personal pair. When buying a pair of Nudie Jeans, the consumer becomes part of the production, because it is by wearing the jeans that the fit will be established. This means that the brand sees every pair of jeans as unique as it tells an individual story about the life of their owner. Every mark, scratch, hole, or stain tells the story of a lived life. The brand underlines this statement by establishing repair stores for the customers. In these repair stores owners of Nudie Jeans can stop by and get their jeans repaired for free. In this way the brand encourages the consumer to hold onto the jeans
for life which means that the production is transformed into a never-ending process, where the jeans are always evolving through the life of their owner. It becomes a co-creation of sustainable jeans, where the brand touches the everyday life of the consumer, and thereby gets involved and touches the consumer in a way that surpasses the situation of purchase. These two examples show us that
this kind of consumer-participation introduces a new set of values and connections between the consumer and the product. By inviting consumers into the production stage, values will be exchanged from consumer to producer and from producer to consumer. Through introducing consumers into the production stage of the garments, designers mediate a new form of consumption that allows the consumer to become a prosumer. THE PRODUSAGE Sustainable production suddenly
seems a collaborative, social production, which makes the consumer more connected to the product. Nudie Jeans is not a finished product that the consumer simply buys. Instead they seem unfinished and it is up to the owner to complete, while Organic Basics invite their followers and consumers to become a part of their sustainable lifestyle by asking for their opinion. Creator and user merge in this situation, if not on a practical level, then on a symbolic level. In this way, the consumer has
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more or less a say in the creation process. Because of this collaborative effort, the brand’s values and visions seem to spread out from the designer’s sustainable vision into the consumer’s everyday life. The outcome of this co-creation is the establishment of
a new connection between the designer as a producer, and the consumer. First of all, when the designer opens up to the consumer, the designer abdicates some of his or her power to the consumer. The consumer doesn’t just have a voice in the purchasing of the clothes, but now has a voice in the production process as well. This means that the consumer can demand more of the designer and the brand, and the consumer’s values and needs have the power to influence the work of the designer. On the other hand, the designer, by introducing the consumer into the production process, establishes the values, vision, and clothes into the consciousness of the consumer much earlier on. The consumer is engaged in the process of crafting and making sustainable items, which may change our choice of clothes. Where we have for a long time perceived sustainable clothing as something that is difficult to find, expensive, or not fashionable, these consumer-engaging principles may have the capability to make us think otherwise. Bringing the consumer into the production line establishes the clothes in the mind of the consumer, who in one way or another has been introduced and involved in the development of the item. In this way it now is something the consumer sees and recognizes among all the other garments – not because it doesn’t look like regular clothes, but because we, as consumers, have been thought into the clothes. The consumer, the final user of the item, has been a main participant in the goal of the production and design process. ×
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When from a long-distant past nothing subsists, after the people are dead, after the things are broken and scattered, still, alone, more fragile, but with more vitality, more unsubstantial, more persistent, more faithful, the smell and taste of things remain poised a long time, like souls, ready to remind us, waiting and hoping for their moment, amid the ruins of all the rest; and bear unfaltering, in the tiny and almost impalpable drop of their essence, the vast structure of recollection. - M. Proust
/ Jessica De Maio / Irene Lombardini Make-up + Hair / Judy Bedetti Model / Joana, Brave Models Photographer Stylist
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Shorts
/ Isabel Benenato
Cardigan
/ Andrea Ya’Aqov
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Shorts
/ Isabel Benenato
Cardigan
/ Andrea Ya’Aqov
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Dress
/ Isabel Benenato
Top
/ Andrea Ya’Aqov
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Total Look
/ Gall
Hat
/ Reinhard Plank
Gilet
/ Minoar 60 /
Turban
/ Isabel Benenato
Jacket
/ Minoar
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Total Look
/ Gall
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Graduates Students hold the key to the way we will perceive fashion and clothing in the years to come. We have chosen 4 of the most intriguing designers who graduated with a Master’s degree from the two design schools of Denmark, Kolding & Copenhagen this year. They all work within the slow or sustainable frame.
Tobias Birk Nielsen / Julie Amalie Svensson / Katrine Elander / Erika Positano
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/ Ingi Arnason / Charlotte Ea / Tobias Birk Nielsen Models / Gustav Walgaard, Unique Models / Andreas LĂŚrke, Le Management Photo Assistant / Rikke Nissen Westesen Make-up + Hair / Mads Stig
Photographers
Art Director
Tobias Birk Nielsen / Copenhagen
The collection evolves around the melancholic state between dystopia and utopia, and is a secluded journey into an annihilated man’s search on finding the great hope. The inspiration is a mixture of references to the late 30s cold flatlands of Ostrobothnia when the Finns was fighting the Russian superior in Talvisota, combined with elements from scientific studies in bacterial life. This has caused a chemical oriented approach to the collection identity, especially to the development of fabric composition. The collection’s idiom and shape evolvement is found in the synthesis of representation and manipulation, and is created through building anatomical grotesque figures, where details, lines, and spaces have
appeared, and have been analyzed and transformed into a ready-towear collection. The fabrics used for the collection are a mixture of externally found and internally made. The internals are all made by hand from already acquired textiles, and are therefore put in a new context together with especially toile fabrics which have been giving new life through cold dying treatment, latex washes, and paint layers among other techniques.
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66 / GRADUATES Photographer
/ Dennis Morton
Models / Amalie Juvald / Nicola Baretta Make-up + Hair / Cecilie Fleur Design / Julie Amalie Svensson
Julie Amalie Svensson / Copenhagen
Through an investigation of the unique in worn and reused objects, the work evolved around found objects from everyday life. The idea of giving old clothes new life by rediscovering a hidden beauty in them. Julie Amalie Svensson found beauty in the old to create value in the new. It started out as a concern with over-production in the fashion industry, and a disagreement over the need to produce completely new products in order to develop a new design. Throughout the process it has become more than a sustainable agenda. Finding uniqueness in the worn and discarded is a huge inspiration. It is also an aesthetic choice that mixes the old, trashy, and damaged, with a more crafted and polished expression. Julie has a love for working with whatever she has at hand, and there
are refurbished textiles in all the styles. She has collected materials from thrift stores, dumpsters, and from friends, family, and her own storage. With the available materials she has been constructing and deconstructing, torn things apart and put them back together, stripped them down and built them up, and finally assembled every element and gathered the results in a collection of 20 mismatched garments.
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/ Viktor Sloth Schroeder
Model / Sophie Feline Spang Make-up / Pia Aankjær Poulsen Design / Katrine Elander
Katrine Elander / Kolding
In a time where the fashion industry has used “sustainability” as a marketing tool – Katrine Elander has tried to challenge the popular conception of the meaning. She has done so by using alternative materials that do not necessarily seem directly linked to conscious consumption in popular consensus. However, duck down is in fact a sustainable resource as it is a by-product from the food industry, and has multiple durable properties. It has low CO2 emission, and the truth of the matter is that ducks would never be killed for their feathers. Therefore, if their
feathers weren’t used, they would go to waste. Down is a natural resource as opposed to the synthetic filling used as substitutes in outerwear. She has created a collection of streetwear finding inspiration in futuristic modernism (see Kubrick 2001: A Space Odyssey), sportswear and volume.
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70 / GRADUATES Photographer
/ Anders Kiilerich
Model / Rasmus W. Christiansen Make-up / Beauty and Style Design / Erika Positano
Erika Positano / Kolding
With her Master collection ‘Melt’, Erika Positano, saw sustainable fashion as a misfit in the contemporary fashion system and that is how she wanted to present sustainability in this collection. Through the maladjusted types, those we know from movies, the misfits becomes the inspiration and the ambassadors of the collection. The geek, the skater and the grunge musician, classical and immortal, details and styles crossover and merge into the pieces of my collection. The misfits’ styles also communicate a message about the impact of climate change with a storytelling built with prints representing melting glaciers; destroyed details; cut-off jackets with the numbers of a countdown to the end of the world; patches, and colours that create a visual story. A story that she believes can be a powerful tool to reach those who do not care about
sustainability but only about style and fashion. The way of communicating problems through clothes is inspired by the punks’ attitude from the 70s which also influenced details of the collection. The pieces are made with fine sustainable materials, such as organic cottons, certified wool, and Alcantara mixed with a more street style fabric rage like denim and fleece to create a contrast that shows how these precious long lasting materials can fit in with classical street wear choices.
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/ Malou BumBum / Eva Salman Designer / Yuki Ito Assistant / Cecilie Huge-Lind
Photographer
Model
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Visualization 02 / Malou BumBum when we consolidate the way we see, the way we feel, the way we touch, the way we create; existing connections get stronger.
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The Future Role of the Sustainable Fashion Designer Writer & Photographer Writer & Illustrator
/ Kristine Harper / Master of Arts in Philosophy and Art History / Sofie Edvard / Master’s Degree in Fashion Design
The fulcrum of this article is the role of the future fashion
designer. How can the fashion designer reclaim her/his position in the fashion industry and start focusing on the importance of the thorough design process? Which skills will the future fashion designer need? Perhaps the future design process will include selecting relevant materials, craft methods and techniques in order to innovate and create new products - or upcycling of existing garments?
RECLAIMING THE VALUE OF CLOTHING Our Zeitgeist is influenced by slow design, mindfulness and the philosophy that “less is more”. There is a desire in our time to rediscover the value of the simple, thoroughly made, and sensuously stimulating product; whether this is bread, a table or a coat. But despite the general emerging consensus to slow down consumption and to cherish well-made, ethically produced products, we are facing the fact that the fashion industry continues unabated in pushing the consumption of fast fashion. This results in the fact that the price of a T-shirt in a supermarket is the same as organic eggs, and that buying a pair of socks is cheaper than buying bread. And there is a market for these products! The consequence thereof is a significant value-decrease in basic clothing, which is transferable to other garments due to the tendency of fast fashion to meet an artificially incited consumer need to constantly buy new clothes and discard old ones, or to even view shopping as a hobby. This sad tendency to over consume obviously has a huge effect on the environment - but it also affects the role of the designer and the way designers work. The design process is almost non-existent in the fast fashion industry; in order to keep up with the fast pace, research, experiments and thoroughness are removed from the design process in order to make room for imitation and trend-ruled changes from previous styles. This leads to homogenous, badly made clothes that leave no space for creativity and individual expression and imprint.
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It is hard to define the source of the problem; is it the
However, fortunately not all con-
Creator or the receiver that causes overproduction and overconsumption? Is it the industry that creates the artificial need to “shop till you drop”, or is it the consumer that wants what everybody else has and requires cheap clothes in order to be able to afford to constantly “shed skin”?
sumers engage in fashion-overconsumption. Alongside the slow-design trend, a need for “less, but better” and the value in mending and maintaining is rising - and the new sustainable fashion design should latch onto this tendency!
The designer needs to reclaim the value of quality clothing
and to stop designing indifferent, un-repairable fast-fashion products made from poor quality fabrics that decay in the ugliest way after just a handful of usages. If not, we are faced with a fashion industry in which designers and the thorough design process no longer have a raison d’être.
REACHING THE PROSUMER The amount and the price of things affect our perception of value. Dining at an all-you-can-eat buffet often decreases the value and preciousness of the food; you instantly get the urge to eat a lot, but you always end up leaving a lot of leftovers on your plate, either because you lose interest at a certain point or because you become disgusted by the amount of different food options. The same perception of value loss often happens when you are exposed to the gigantic fast fashion “buffet” of cheap clothes.
The proactive consumer - or the
Prosumer - seeks a relation to the product that differs from other (indifferent) products. Prosumers are characterized by their need to be proactive and conscious in everything they do, which also includes their shopping habits. They seek to purchase products that match their value-set, or products that they can actively affect and even co-design or re-design. Therefore, to design products that “speak” to the Prosumer’s needs, an understanding of what she/he values is crucial. The Prosumer typically values local community activities in which he/she can participate and +
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“There is no pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. There might not even be a rainbow if the environment continues to collapse as it has.” - Ehrenfeld & Hoffman
influence his/her immediate surroundings, unique products that are charged with history and time, as well as “open products” that hold the opportunity for him/her to make small changes, or in some way affect their aesthetics or function. This type of consumer doesn’t mind investing time in understanding the thoughts behind the product, or making an effort to gain knowledge about the processes or craft techniques used – on the contrary. The Prosumer actively seeks products that are more than just a product; products that make a difference in some way or that are aesthetically nurturing due to their tactile qualities. The designer can benefit from reflecting on which com-
mitment strategies are applicable to the Prosumer. What makes the Prosumer commit and engage? And how is it possible as a part of the design process to consider the post-creation period? Alternatively, what happens after the designer releases the garment out into the world?
THE CURATOR, THE SUSTAINER AND THE MAKER The future sustainable fashion designer should hold the following holistic mantra in mind, based on ethics, aesthetics and empathy: do good, create durable products and respect others. In order to reclaim the value of design professionalism, the future fashion designer must extend his/her role and work with sustainability as a cornerstone. However, to make a real difference, sustainable design must be expanded to concern itself with much more than recycling and working with organic materials – and this expansion could be a part of the designer’s future task. In order to contribute to the fundamental change that the fashion industry should face for environmental and humanitarian reasons, and to reclaim the importance of the role of the designer and the design-process, the future fashion designer must seek to design long lasting garments that will have a meaningful impact on the wearer. Our hypothesis on what future fashion designers will be working with consists of three different elements: curating, sustaining and creating. +
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THE CURATOR Will the new role of the designer be more to “curate” responsible design solutions than only to consider aesthetics and function of collections? Or should the sustainable fashion designer even design collections anymore? Why not only focus on a few products, produced with consciousness and quality, created to last? The expression “curator” is well known within the art scene, where curators are the ones in charge of the selection of specific pieces of art and combining them in an exhibition. The curator also plays an important role in controlling the production of the exhibition from idea to final output, taking care of funds, fees, distribution, sponsors, corporate executives, press, politicians etc. The curating-sustainable fashion
designer works in the same way by organizing and collaborating with selected skilled partners that can vary from traditional artisans, local producers, material researchers, researchers within new technologies,
press etc. The curating designer works as an intermediary between stakeholders; creating the framework of the design solution for the structure of our society. The curator’s expertise includes concept building, collaboration skills, cross-cultural communication, trend-research, and prototyping. The role of the curating fashion de-
signer would not necessarily be to create products, but rather to organize and instruct the right partners to do so; this would include utilizing the different properties of selected partners and customizing the design product to fit the market and the receiver. Being able to multitask and gaining knowledge and skills in various fields, such as design, business, production, sourcing and communication, is essential for the curating designer, since a curator creates “the glue” between the different partners in the value chain. Curiosity is also a vital capability of the sustainable curator-designer, as well as empathy and aesthetic skills. The curating sustainable fashion de-
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signer is a pioneer within the fashion industry; letting go of product creation as a designer means expanding the fashion designer’s professionalism similar to the way that the readymade artists from the beginning of last century did by selecting their object trouvé and exhibiting them as art. The mission of the readymade artists was to emphasize the importance of picking out the right elements/ objects and placing them in a constructed context. This would question the role of the artist as the creator and enable the receiver to view well-known objects in a new way.
THE SUSTAINER The role of the sustaining fashion designer includes renewing traditional crafts, which are in danger of becoming irrelevant due to stagnating aesthetics and the time-consuming processes that often characterize such techniques. It could also include working with social entrepreneurship or social inclusion. These elements of the sustainable fashion designer’s role will become increasingly important in the near future, as they will meet the conscious and proactive consumer’s need for transparency, as well as the need for equality in our time. The Sustainer needs to build up a great deal of empathic
abilities and cultural understanding. Therefore, in order to educate this sustainable fashion designer-type, engaging in anthropological, sociological as well as philosophical, particularly ethical, studies would make sense. These fields expand the traditional skills of the fashion designer; an expansion that is a necessity in order to develop and refine the fashion designer’s professionalism and reclaim its value. In many places in the world, traditional crafts are in the
process of dying out, either due to the fact that there is no status or money in working as an artisan or because the aesthetics of traditional crafts tend to stagnate, which sometimes gives traditional craft products the unfortunate connotation of being kitsch. Another reason that traditional craftsmanship is struggling is that the products made don’t always meet the needs of the contemporary consumer. However, when traditional crafts techniques and traditional crafts expressions disappear, valuable knowledge and skills are lost. The problem is that crafts techniques are rarely enshrined or written down as they are often taught face-to-face, or rather, hand-to-hand. They are characterized by being non-verbal skills. +
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We recently spent nine days in Ker-
ala in southern India with a group of 20 design students. The purpose of the trip was to explore crafts of the region and to engage in a design process involving innovating and rethinking the use and the aesthetics of the crafts in order to meet the emotional and aesthetic needs of the contemporary Scandinavian consumer. The crafts techniques of the region are mainly handloom weaving, bobbin lacemaking, and screw pine weaving. One of our collaborators was the small company Kara Weaves. Kara Weaves is highly concerned with sustainability as well as with the innovation of the aesthetics of traditional handloom weaving in order to reclaim the value of traditionally weaved products. It was truly amazing to experience how much we were in sync! Our mission was basically the same: we wanted to maintain the core of the craft and the essential tactility and “feel” of the products whilst at the same time engaging in innovation and development. When we visited Kara Weaves’ weav-
ing units it was an eye-opener to our students to see how immensely time-consuming weaving is. Just setting up the loom takes days! Witnessing all the steps – as well as documenting these and making them a part of the product communication to the end consumer – can be a very important part of working as a Sustainer. The sustaining sustainable fashion designer must be equipped to communicate the value of thoroughly made products as well as that of products that empower local communities to survive due to their unique skills. Despite the fact that the present trends are inspired by slow design, the con-
sumer is not willing to pay the price for slowly, thoroughly made products – at least not if they are not made aware of the long and slow process behind the product. Therefore, storytelling about the time that crafts products are charged with is a very important part of sustaining and innovating traditional craft techniques. The value of traditional crafts lies within the history of the traditions and the distinct and slightly uneven beauty that characterizes unique products made by human hands. When working with innovating crafts, the challenge will always be not to lose the spirit of the fibers and of the aesthetics – and at the same time to innovate the expression. This balancing act is one of the sustaining designers’ most crucial tasks. Another example from our journey to Kerala includes the
innovation of screw pine weaving. We had the pleasure of visiting one of the last units of screw pine weaving in the middle of the jungle, where the process of utilizing fibers was demonstrated to us. Screw pine or Pandanus is a tropical plant with over 600 species, which was, since the 8th century, used as fences for local households in the region. The leaf arrangement of the plant is like the threading of a screw, hence the name screw pine. The leaves have thorns on the sides, a very flexible structure, and are water repellent. The story of screw pine weaving goes like this: village
women started exploring the screw pine fibers around 800 years ago, and discovered that they could weave bedding mats and other household items of the plant fibers. Screw pine mat weaving is one of the oldest craft-techniques practiced in Kerala. However, the problem with this particular craft is that most people in Kerala have stopped sleeping on woven mats, and the traditional weavers find it hard to innovate the technique in order to create another range of products. In relation to the sustaining and innovation of screw
pine weaving, we collaborated with a very interesting and innovative design academy in the city of Kollam: Kerala State Institute of Design, which had already been engaged in the innovation of the crafts-technique. The faculty had arranged an amazing workshop for us in which all steps were demonstrated to us – from splitting the pines to boiling and coloring them and finally weaving them. The overall task for our students was to innovate the possibilities of woven screw pine as well as traditionally woven cotton fabrics, targeting the contemporary Scandinavian consumer. They developed garments and accessory
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products made from the materials collected in Kerala; hand-woven fabric and woven screw pine mats. The final collections were presented, along with the storytelling of the craft origin, in a pop-up shop at Copenhagen School of Design and Technology upon our return. The sustaining fashion designer
must develop an ability to renew aesthetics and the functions of dying crafts traditions, as well as to empower artisans to believe in the durability of their skills. And this must be done with empathy.
THE MAKER The Maker is in a way the most tra-
ditional fashion designer role, since product development is the focal point. The tasks of the Maker include the creation of durable garments that are aesthetically sustainable, radical upcycling of existing garments, the development of new, durable or degradable materials, and the creation of flexible garment solutions in high-quality, sustainable materials. As we are entering a time of scarci-
ty, rethinking the materials used in the garment industry is a necessity. One way of doing this could be to start focusing on the afterlife of the enormous amount of already produced garments in the world. Upcycling – particularly radical upcycling, meaning not just changing buttons or adding new sleeves – is a very useful method to renew the lifetime of garments. We recently conducted a project for
our BA students called Entrepreneurship & Social Inclusion – upcycling garments for young people +
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with a refugee background, in which we combined upcycling with social inclusion. The purpose was to engage our students in an entrepreneurial value-creation of clothing targeting people in need. We had the ambition of showing our students that upcycling and utilizing discarded resources can be a very useful method in the process of creating desirable fashion items. We cooperated with volunteers from a refugee center in Copenhagen and a primary school teacher in charge of a class of young refugees that had recently arrived in Denmark from Syria and Eritrea. Based on the principles of explorative investigations and user-centered design, our students started interacting with the young refugees and arranged a dinner in order to meet and exchange cultural experiences. The meeting between our students and the young refugees was an inspiring and empowering experience; thoughts and opinions were exchanged, and everybody realized that they were very similar and had almost the same interests, dreams, and needs. Based on the interaction and subsequent interviews with the young refugees, our students started to gain a thorough understanding of their target group. We had the pleasure of receiving an enormous pile of discarded clothes through the volunteer based community Venligboerne (The Friendly Citizens) and these clothes constituted the fabric available for the upcycling process. The process of investigating the discarded garments was a very useful experience, as it included sensing the quality, color, durability and structure of the different fabrics as well as judging the resource potential of the different pieces of garment. The students started to select garments that suited their target group and concept ideas. Then they engaged in the upcycling process. We ended up launching the finished products in a shop in
the center of Copenhagen – styled as a normal fashion shop – in which the young people from Syria and Eritrea were invited to come and choose a piece of clothing, free of charge. Experiencing the young men and women wandering around the shop, carefully selecting the style that suited them best, was an inspiring experience. They cherished the garments enriched by the upcycling process. Even though we have chosen to place this project example
in the category of the Maker, working with upcycled discarded garments for refugees actually involved all three of the future tasks of the sustainable fashion designer, i.e. curating, sustaining and making. And this will generally be
the case; the three identified roles of the future sustainable fashion designer will often interact and be combined in order to innovate the fashion designer’s professionalism, as well as to meet the needs of a new, rising consumer type. An aesthetic and empathetic awak-
ening of the consumer would be the ideal outcome of design products created by the Curator, the Sustainer and the Maker. The new roles of the sustainable fash-
ion designer, as described above, hold some of the answers to the questions that were raised in the beginning of this article: What makes the Prosumer commit and engage? And how is it possible as a part of the design process to consider the post-creation period? Alternatively, what happens after the designer releases the garment out into the world? When curating, sustaining and
making, the designer provides the receiver with durable design solutions based on insight, empathy, innovation, and creative processes. And by doing so, the Prosumer’s need for engagement and for being proactive is potentially met. ×
Edelweiss
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This story was inspired by a legend about the birth of the Edelweiss flower that grows in the higher peaks of the Alps. Once upon a time a Snow Queen lived on the highest peak, protected by goblins. Every climber, every man to reach the top would immediately fall in love with the queen and would offer her marriage. Her heart always remained cold and once she received an offer, the goblins would throw the men off the cliffs into the abyss. But there was one man who climbed to the top and when he saw the queen, he was so astonished by her beauty that he could not say a word. If a climber didn’t offer to marry her, the goblins were not allowed to throw him off the cliff. And this time queen’s heart melted and she fell in love with the man. The goblins saw the threat and without waiting any further, they threw him into the abyss. The Snow queen could not save the man, but for the first time in her life she started crying. The tears dropped onto a stone and turned it into a beautiful silver flower, which was then called Edelweiss. The motive behind our story is to show the feminine beauty in the native lands of the Edelweiss flower, which in itself is a symbol of a rare and graceful kind. Real flowers further contribute to showing the duality of timeless, and yet very fragile, beauty.
Model
/ Amandine Elina, Women (Paris)
Photographer
/ Alice Berg
Stylist / Yaya Moo Flower Design / Maria
Tyushkevich / Camilla Lutz Hair / Yumiko Hikage Post-production / Sofia Zasheva Make-up
brand lives up to Less Magazine slow manifest garment lives up to Less Magazine slow manifest More information on page 140
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Dress
/ Isabel Benenato
Coat
/ Martin Grant
Tights
/ FALKE
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Ruff /
Alexandra Konwinski
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Jacket
/ Yiqing Yin
Ruff /
Alexandra Konwinski
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Skirt
/ Ilaria Nistri
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Bustier Dress
/ Nora Rieser
Tights
/ Repetto
96 / INTERVIEW
STORY mfg
Writer / Devin Hentz / Bachelor of Science in Art and Philosophy Photos / STORY mfg
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I met up with Katy Katazome and Bobbin Threadbare, the duo behind STORY mfg, at Monocle Café in London. I immediately noticed Bobbin’s blue acetate glasses, the texture of his woven denim jacket, and the salmon color of Katy’s jeans - each a STORY piece. It’s the details that make STORY a truly unique brand, and Katy and Bobbin spend a lot of time deciding on the details. Since starting the label in 2014, their decisions have taken them all over the world so that they may choose sources for the organic cotton for their clothing, or the sources for their natural dyes. They work with local artisans and craftsmen in India and Thailand to get their natural cotton, which is sometimes grown in the gardens of the craftsmen next to their food. Katy and Bobbin share the creative process, as well as the demanding physical labor that goes into their designs, on their website in a section aptly titled “Stories”. It is here that brand enthusiasts and prospective clients can really get a sense of the effort, thought, and time that goes into creating each piece. Through the stories, the garments transcend simple objects, and are embedded with a narrative. Like a narrative, we can follow the raw materials, from a beginning to an end, watching the transitions along the way. STORY’s transparency, through narrative, is how the designers connect with their customer base. The videos and photos really focus on the materiality of each item, highlighting details of the raw materials that once combined, yield truly unique, conscious garments. It is here that we see the many steps the materials must take before becoming a finished product. The “stories” section is also a place to learn more about the materials than meets the eye, for example, the fact that indigo-dyed cotton is actually green before it can oxidize and turn blue! I was able to catch the two founders of STORY before one of their trips to Thailand. We chatted about criticism, “positive products” and their plans for the future. An ambitious desire for a more “authentic, fulfilling and kind approach to fashion - one that wouldn’t involve a trade-off between aesthetic and sustainability”. The duo’s passion for the pursuit of natural resources, natural dyes, and great design shines through their speech, proving that
although their desire may be ambitious, it is also possible. Because of its ambitious agenda, STORY has received some criticism for the language they use to describe their products, as Bobbin explains, “I read a comment someone wrote on a forum about us and they said that we have our heads in the clouds and that we probably only use one percent natural dyes and materials and that means we can say we are natural. I updated our site that day to make it clear that we use 100 percent natural dyes and fibers and the only place we don’t is in our reclaimed fibers.” In addition to criticisms from skeptic consumers, the brand is criticized by others in the denim industry for the way they work with indigo. Bobbin explains: Indigo is an odd dye; it won’t actually dye if it’s just added to water and fabric like you’d think - it has to be “reduced” for it to bond to fabric. The way we use it, which is one of the oldest methods, is to ferment the indigo and use native bacteria to reduce the pigment and dye fabric – because it’s a natural process there is no nasty waste and it can all be put back into the earth. It does use more water, but the way we do it recycles the water and makes it usable without treatment post-production. Most commercial dyeing uses synthetic indigo and manmade chemicals to reduce indigo – which can be very efficient but leaves waste that needs to be treated. Where industry misunderstands the allure of natural indigo is in thinking you simply use natural indigo dye and +
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then chemically reduce it and dye the fabric – which is the worst of both worlds because it involves more water to cultivate the plants and the same chemicals that were being used for synthetics. What we’re trying to do is help industrialize ways that work with nature which may seem bonkers but make far more sense. The way STORY use indigo highlights their approach in every step of the process of creating a STORY piece: a focus on working with the intrinsic nature of the raw materials. The brand has expanded by using recycled materials, polyester to be exact. Polyester sounds like the opposite of natural. To most people when they hear the word polyester, images of rigid, brightly and artificially dyed 1970s clothes come to mind. Katy explains, “...using recycled materials makes sense. Polyester, for instance, doesn’t break down, so it’s going to be around for a long time. We plan on taking the polyester apart and re-spinning it using the original color. Polyester is really quite difficult to dye with our natural dyes. There are lots of ways to use recycled polyester – it can be taken from post consumer waste (plastic bottles, sea waste, etc). It can absolutely be dyed but we are looking towards seeing what can be done when we don’t.” Here the raw material is previously processed waste, but by choosing not to dye it, their ethos of creating “positive products”, products that don’t create a deficit in the world, stays intact. The designers use the term “positive products” to describe the clothing, though many people have described them as vegan. Although the designers became vegan months before starting the label, they prefer to be thought of as conscious rather than vegan. It is consciousness and a sense of intent that drive them to create their garments. It is also what keeps the brand slow. Every step of production is methodical, and according the designers, it will stay that way even as STORY expands. “We like to say we expand outward as opposed to upwards. Because the process is slow, we can’t make the weavers weave faster; we just have to work with more weavers.” When visiting the STORY mfg website, you can see just how slow the process is in the videos in the “Stories” section. It is here +
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that the brand answers many of the questions consumers are asking. You can see the who, the what, and the where involved in making each piece. The brand feels this is one of the most important aspects of their brand, stating, “The way we shop is the way we like to market to people. We share the story of how our clothes are made – we are very transparent...I think the insider access we give is kind of like a collaborative process with our consumer. Consumers are better equipped these days, so they know what questions to ask.” In the future, they are hoping to take customer collaboration further by creating a space in London where people can come and talk, eat, and take dye workshops with the designers. They have a similar set-up happening later this year in France, a project dubbed a “slow retreat”, an experiment designed to move their consciousness and intent beyond their garments. In addition to the “slow retreat” the duo are also looking to start an outdoor wear brand called SLOW-TEK, and a fermented food brand called BYHOM. Both brands were used as parody logos for their workwear inspired clothing before they were actually companies. Right now both Bobbin and Katy have careers in addition to designing for STORY. Bobbin works in the space where technology meets retail. Katy worked for WGSN, and she is now a trend consultant in the denim market. Compartmentalization,
for both Katy and Bobbin, is key, because as Katy explains, “What I kind of do is a contradiction. [In my consultancy work], we give information to large brands so they can move a little faster. I always make sure to include information about brands similar to ours because sustainability is a trend. But more than that, being environmentally conscious is how the world is going to have to work – the brands will thank us later.” STORY mfg is still a very new label, and only time will tell if their current methodology for making denim will be sustainable. As the world continuously pushes for faster clothing, (faster everything actually), they will have to hope that garments embedded with narrative value are strong enough to secure and retain a solid customer base. ×
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Visualization 03 / Anne Lauritzen This story is about gender neutrality and freakiness set in a mundane office environment, with an unconventional composition of textures, materials and garments. The fashion industry has a strong voice that reaches out to a lot of people and with that follows a responsibility to take a stand and facilitate the need to be unique. Garments do not make an individual unique– individuals make the garment. The majority of people tend to see fashion as frivolous, dictating only how to and how not to dress. Often the people who follow trends religiously are the ones that blend the most into the crowd. Fashion allows you to stand out, be free and be yourself. Dare to stand out!
Photographer / Tom McKenzie Creative Director + Stylist / Anne Lauritzen Hair + Make-up / Cecilie Do Models / Bastiaan / Carla, Scoop Models
brand lives up to Less Magazine slow manifest garment lives up to Less Magazine slow manifest More information on page 140 / Trousers + Belt / Jean//Phillip Playsuit / Agent Provocateur London Gloves / Vintage Alaia, The Arc.London B
C
/ Top + Choker / Jean//Phillip
Trousers
/ Vintage, The Arc.
Beadhouse
Trousers
/ Jean//Phillip
Shirt
/ Freya Dalsjø Pearls
/
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Skirt
/ EDDA
Gloves
/ Sorcha O’ragallaigh, The Arc.London
B
/ Dress / Vintage, København K no Tan Earrings / Beadhouse
C
/ Dress / Mark Kenly Domi-
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/ Jean//Phillip Bustier / Vintage Vivienne Westwood, The Arc.London Earrings / Beadhouse Trousers
Top
Corset
/ Stylist’s own
/ Rachel James
/ Jacket / Vintage Versace, The Arc.London / Agent Provocateur
Playsuit
B
London
Jumper
Belt
/ Vintage, København K
/ Victorian Vintage, The Arc.
Stockings
/ Bloch
C
/ Blazer / Filippa K
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B
/ Trousers / Jean//Phillip
Bustier
/ Vintage Vivienne Westwood, The Arc.London
Earring
/ Beadhouse
C
/ Body / Agent Provocateur
Fishnets
/ Wolford
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108 / UNCOVERING
Emotionally Indispensible Design / Myrto Papailiou / Bachelor’s Degree in Sustainable Fashion Illustrator / Alicja Biala Writer
If I was asked to think of a personal item which is of deep
value to me, I would think of one of my favorite dresses. It is a pleated lilac dress made by one of my favorite brands, named Akira Mushi. At this point I should mention that I don’t usually wear lilac and I definitely don’t wear pleats, therefore it is a mystery why this dress is so important to me. This dress, though, has a different story which couldn’t compare to any other of my wardrobe stories.
clearly on my emotions at the time, since I could have logically chosen something black and minimal, which would fit better with my everyday style. Consequently, the value of a product is based on different, practical or impractical factors, which are basically driven by emotions.
When I finished my first degree in fashion I dreamed of
The factors, which set the value
working as an intern to the brand I mentioned above and, eventually, I was lucky enough to achieve this. I instantly developed a very special relationship with the owners of the brand, which probably explains why we are currently partners. Right before I went to continue my studies abroad, I was asked to choose one piece of clothing as a goodbye gift and, as a result, I chose this dress. It was so impressive with its lilac color and its many pleats; it felt like I couldn’t resist the sight of it even though I knew I wouldn’t wear it every day.
of a product on a more general basis, have been defined differently by several people, but their meaning always remains the same. Patrick Jordan, in his book Designing Pleasurable Products, evaluates the value of a product according to its emotional, hedonic, and practical benefits, while Don Norman presents the product’s value through its visceral, behavioral, and reflective design aspects. The emotional benefits derive from the feelings we develop while using a product and they can be easily linked to its reflective aspects, which represent the personal pleasure we get from our relationship with it. The moment I chose the dress, I knew it would have a story of personal importance due to the special bond I had with the brand. Therefore, interaction with this dress always brings happy feelings and pleasurable memories. On the other hand, both the hedonic benefits and the visceral aspects represent the pleas-
However, the part we have to focus on is how the value
of this dress, and in fact any other product, is created. According to Don Norman, director of The Design Lab at University of California, in the design process a product gathers many factors of consideration, such as practicality, usability, manufacturing methods and marketing tools. Nevertheless, what he thinks is worth mentioning is the emotional component of a designed product. Cognition, the little voice which speaks of practicality and logic in our minds, is inseparable from emotions, which are what drive our final decision-making. Therefore, the emotional value of a product is, perhaps, the strongest component of its value proposition. This is the reason why I would gladly throw anything away but this dress, even though its usability and practicality lie low in comparison to other clothes. Moreover, my decision-making was based
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ure we get by experiencing the product with our physical senses. For example, we have all experienced the feeling of “falling in love at first sight” with a product. A garment can be so pleasurable to our eyes or have such a soft touch, which makes it so difficult not to fall for it, despite its lack of practicality or usability. Personally, I couldn’t resist choosing a lilac dress because it was so appealing to my eyes, even though I had never worn this kind of color before. Finally, the practical benefits, as well as the behavioral aspects, represent the pleasure which is derived from the effective use of a product. Despite the emotional value, which inevitably has a tremendous effect on our purchasing choices, a product should and must always cover basic criteria in terms of its usability and practicality otherwise there is no reason for it to be in the market. In order to understand the deeper value of a product, we
must first acknowledge the fact that each interaction between a person and a product is defined as a relationship, from which results a rate of pleasurability on different levels. Specifically, there is a very interesting framework, which is used in order to address the different pleasures concerning a product, named The Four Pleasures. According to this framework, the four pleasures are: the Physio-pleasure, the Psyco-pleasure, the Socio-pleasure, and the Ideo-pleasure. All four pleasures are nothing but a deep dive into the emotional, hedonic and practical benefits we get from the product, but they bring us closer to understanding the weight of its emotional value. The Physio-pleasure represents the pleasure of experiencing a product with our physical senses, as mentioned above. The Psycho-pleasure expresses our emotional reactions while using a product. It is funny, in fact, if we picture how people yell at their computers when the network is slow or something is accidentally deleted. The Socio-pleasure is described as the enjoyment which we derive from +
110 / UNCOVERING
the relationship we develop with our social environment while using a product. It could be a product that brings us closer to our social circles, like a cell phone, or maybe something which creates happy memories between friends, like a board game. In my case, for example, the lilac pleated dress represented the friendship I developed with this brand and when I wear it, it makes me feel part of a team. Last but not least, the Ideo-pleasure has to do with our personal beliefs and values, which are reflected through a product. A person who chooses only environmentally friendly and organic products clearly possesses certain concerns about the environment. In conclusion, nowadays, products have a role in our
lives, which covers much more than needs; and their emotional value has overcome their practical value. We communicate with them as though they were life partners: we share values, emotions and social circles. For example, the concept of co-creation is a very popular example of how products can be linked to consumers, thus creating a strong relationship. More and more brands want the consumer in the middle of the creative process, in order to build a trustful relationship as much as directly learn their preferences. Customers can now customize their athletic shoes, print personal photos on their clothes or even choose the components of their shirts. It seems like a win-win situation, since brands get loyal customers and the consumers’s loyalty is being developed by becoming more appreciative and selective. It is one thing if you buy a pair of shoes, but it is a whole new world if you can customize it according to your taste. This is because that specific pair of shoes is part of you; it reflects your preferences and activates all pleasures at once. However, could it be that emotional value can serve a
higher purpose? The higher the value of a product, the better the chances of it not ending up going to waste. Living in a world of hyper consumption, we constantly come across poor purchasing choices, which encourage us to lose the link to our emotions. We buy stuff at such speed, which makes it impossible for us to evaluate them appropriately and create a relationship with them. Unfortunately, this mindset leads most of our purchases to go to waste. As a result, this is how emotional value links to sustainability. By increasing the emotional value of a product, and therefore the meaning of the product for the buyer, we prevent the latter from hyper consumption. Imagine the emotional value of a product being so fulfilling that the consumer wouldn’t dare to exchange this product with anything else, thereby losing the appetite for mindless consumption. Personally, I would describe myself as a collector of stuff and not a consumer.
I never had half of Zara and H&M in my wardrobe simply because they seem cheap and expendable to me after a short while. On the other hand, I feel such bliss when I look at my wardrobe and I see every single piece of clothing that I remember everything about. Even the clothes I don’t usually wear, like this lilac pleated dress, play a very important role in my collection. This means I have become a very elusive customer. I cannot buy something if I am not absolutely sure it could support this golden space in my wardrobe, even if sometimes I feel like I desperately need it! In the case of customized athletic shoes, for example, the consumer would never forget the experience nor, eventually, compare it with any other shoe experience. Therefore, at some point, other purchasing choices will seem boring and indifferent. I may, in fact, come to this conclu-
sion: It is very important to reconnect emotions to products and create strong bonds between them in order to prevent a huge pile of waste, whilst simultaneously turning consumers into appreciative and caring customers. Think of it as the Toy Story movie all over again and just for a moment consider giving a product the life it deserves. ×
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A Range of Plastic Artifacts in a Bower
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/ Line Juul Jarde / Suzy Mikkelsen / Line Juul Jarde / Suzy Mikkelsen Stylist / Line Juul Jarde Photographer / Petra Kleis Model / Marius Bøjer, Le Management Text / Line Juul Jarde Clothes / Kansas Art Directors Art Object
brand lives up to Less Magazine slow manifest garment lives up to Less Magazine slow manifest More information on page 140
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violet-blue eyes uniformly
colored dark blue
- it’s satin –it’s a
bowerbird.
bowers build and decorate with blue
objects
- a range of plastic artifacts. females visit and choose which male they will
allow to mate with them
- it’s satin –it’s a bowerbird Males dance to woo their mates - uniformly
colored
dark blue experimental manipulations of the ornaments
around to get their mate
- a range of plastic artifacts
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122 / INTERVIEW
Frank Leder
Writer & Photographer / Pernille Sandberg
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“Everyone can make matters into their own hands and work by setting their own time frames. The velocity of the fashion industry is born out of fear, not out of creativity. I never played by their rules, I was lucky enough to be able to make my own set of rules; a much more healthy and meaningful approach to work and life.”
The streets of Berlin can feel very industrial, slightly barren, and somehow impenetrable. The air of Berlin can feel dark and heavy; sprinkles of broken wine bottles and the smoke from the dawn-to-dusk parties are still hanging around – even in the most exclusive neighborhoods. I love surprises; especially positive surprises that make me feel like I’m entering another universe far away from the rapid rhythm of the Berlin-jargon. The studio and showroom of the German and Berlin-based fashion designer Frank Leder is a universe of that kind, oozing with self-confidence. Leder’s presence makes me feel comfortable from the moment I step inside and the atmosphere is welcoming and embracing. I feel lucky that he wants to share his experiences with me for Less Magazine. I get the feeling that what actually shapes the atmosphere and relaxing mood of Leder’s studio is his approach to life and work: for him, challenges are wonderful and exciting but it is important to stay balanced and learn from experience. Bringing in different elements of one’s lifestyle, being curious and learning new skills will optimize all other parts of life. This is why his brand is much more than just pieces of clothing to fulfill the customer’s shopping cravings. It’s a brand of many divergent layers that you can keep on exploring, dig deeper into, and astonish yourself historically, physically, and intellectually. “The customer plays a very important and supportive role. After all, he or she is the one who makes it possible for me to work continuously season after season on this level. In
the design process itself, I concentrate more on the clean message I want to get across as a designer – though not necessarily thinking of the certain commercial situation of the market. I think coming from too much of a business angle dilutes the design process and makes it less strong and more predictable in the end.” Leder lets himself dream of new places and brings in the parts he can use to develop personally and professionally. Having been settled in London for eight years before moving to the centre of Berlin he has learned what works and what doesn’t work for him. For instance, he does not make fashion shows anymore – instead, he has created this atmospheric showroom to welcome his customers by appointment and present them with his collections along with his scent and skincare brand Tradition. His space is decorated with personal possessions and memories. It is in control and yet so vibrant. It makes me feel like I am stepping into a studio that is unusually personal and far more courageous than many +
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other design studios I’ve previously entered. Leder dares to present his vision to the world and to stand by it. He strongly believes in a close connection with his clients and manufacturers in order to create sustainable collections. In the end, the customer will feel it at first touch when they wear a garment with a Frank Leder tag. “Every single customer takes my design into his/her own world and integrates it into their wardrobe and lifestyle. Fashion should always be about throwing together different forms of designs/designers and creating a unique style of your own.” Frank Leder trusts his customers. He knows that as a designer you cannot expect your customer to buy a full look, nor would it support his idea of his customer as a creative, open-minded consumer. In other words, Frank Leder believes his customers to be prosumers that take care of their own visual identity and he believes he can contribute to their creative mindset. Production-wise he likes to stay grounded and have the ability to present a homogenous platform to his customers. “In my profession you need to have people that support you, so subconsciously it’s not so easy to just jump from one city to the other. It’s easy to design and sell everywhere, but I think it’s important to be in the place where my design is actually being produced, especially for my kind of label. I like to have a very close look at all processes and it’s a part of the world I want to share with my customers.” This philosophy recurs throughout Leder’s vision. Not only is the close physical distance of importance to keep everything in control, but also the mental connection to his work relations like factories and collaborators is part of the final experience that the customer receives when buying a product of his. Every piece of garment is checked in this studio in Berlin before being sent out to stores, to keep control of the quality, and it is important for Leder to stay true to his integrity. “I have a friend who has a restaurant in Berlin and he only uses ingredients that are produced within 100 km of the city. So, he doesn’t use pepper or lemon for example, as they are not produced here. I find it interesting to force yourself to adapt to a place and, within self-made limitations, find new kinds of techniques. All my garments are produced here in Germany. We have five different small factories,
all chosen because of their qualities. Our factories for fabrics are very small as well, all family businesses. I like to look at old fabrics from the 50s or 60s and reproduce them so that they fit my concept. Some of our factories still have the old machines that can produce them exactly as they did back then! I’d say that 20-30% of all our fabrics are produced in this way.” Another element that makes me curious and interested in the story of Leder is his approach to design. Many designers feel some kind of personal division when it comes to the design processes: as if they have to compromise, be over-the-top innovative and renew themselves from scratch twice a year in order to keep up with the customer’s interest and the tempo of the fashion business. Leder works differently – for him, it is important to keep the things that work and change things only if absolutely necessary. Maybe this originates from his fascination with his Berlin-based restaurant founder and friend; the art of creating something new within a self-made limitation. An approach to life and work like this feels like an utter relief in a world that is so well connected with (almost) no limitations, especially in the fashion business. “For many people it is the cutting or the final details that work as the major inspiration for a collection, but for me fabrics are the very starting point. Patterns and shapes are quite traditional. Over time we have found out how we like the fit of a pair of trousers or a coat and we keep using those patterns without adjusting them. A good fit is a fit to maintain and I like to give
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the customers the opportunity to stay with the same design. Of course we adjust details like the pockets or the colors, but it is very interesting how the use of a new fabric can change a piece of garment with the same pattern completely. We produce around 140 pieces every season, so 140 pieces twice a year divided by four different collections. When people see our website I don’t think they realize how many garments that are actually being made. Of course we don’t photograph everything; that would be boring. I want to create a certain feeling and mood with the photographs and it is completely okay that the images only show a fragment of the scale of fabrics we use. Less is more.” All interesting careers have a story. No pain, no gain, that’s what they all say. Leder studied at Central St Martins, which has changed drastically since he left university in London and worked for BLESS, Self Service Magazine and i-D as an art director before going to Berlin to create a new base for his brand. The job gave him a special insight into the fashion industry as it was a part of his job to visit all the designers’ showrooms. It was the time of Raf Simons’ period of uprising and BLESS was at the time producing wigs for Martin Margiela, in other words, an epoch-making, definitive period of time in the history of fashion. Many different elements played a part
in his final decision to go to Berlin, but one of them was the fact that it was easier to visit his factories whilst in the same country. In a city like London where creative influences are almost drifting through the air like oxygen, it can be difficult to stay true to your DNA and believe in yourself. Nevertheless, Leder believes that the best way to behave as a human is to be open-minded and listen to other people’s experiences – that is the only way to move forward in work and life and it also creates new opportunities. “Some years ago I was afraid of looking at the work of other fashion designers, show-images, blogs and things like that, because I was afraid someone would have the same idea as me. When I saw an idea similar to mine, but much more developed, I would stop developing and working on my idea immediately. I didn’t realize at +
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that point that two creative individuals with the same idea would never execute it in the same way; it would always turn out differently. It was too easy for me to get distracted and focus on developing my own world. As soon as I developed my own design language and felt comfortable in what I was doing, it wasn’t a problem for me to look at other designers’ work again.” Leder finds art interesting – probably even more interesting than fashion. Again, I see a connection and interest of his in work and crafts that last longer than the usual prêt-àporter, and a personal ability to cut out the unnecessary elements in the production of his work. I’m aware that this is a skill on its own. “Art is more interesting for me and I’d rather go to gallery openings than fashion shows. And I have more friends that are artists than friends that are fashion designers, interestingly enough. I find art more exciting. Photography is really important too. I don’t photograph that much anymore but I used to photograph everything and do cross-processing, I used to experiment with colors. I did a lot of print-outs that I’ve archived and that’s what I remember. I don’t remember research processes or work I’ve done before and I don’t archive all my collections, otherwise I would have 3,000 items in my studio. It’s good to always renew yourself and not to stay with a ballast of the past. You can work with something, process it, and then be done with it. Then new things are coming.” Leder’s respect for art and crafts might descend from his Czechoslovakian father, originally from the city Bohemia, who was an architect and in some ways, a designer. Leder’s grandfather was killed by the Nazis in Prague during World War II, which left Leder’s father orphaned at the age of only eight. The rest of the family lost everything and went to Germany for a new beginning. Leder’s grandfather on his mother’s side, on the other hand, was a Nazi. Yet, with these contradictory backgrounds, they fell in love when they met in Africa. Leder himself thinks his interest in history originates from this part of his family tree – an interest that penetrates all his fashion collections. “I never dreamed of being an architect. There are too many numbers, physics and logistics to carry out and I was very bad in school. I nearly failed my examination for Abitur (final high school examination) and I remember looking at the mathe-
matics test and having absolutely no clue what to do. So it felt obvious for me not to go for that kind of architecture. But creating garments for human bodies is architecture on bodies – it’s similar, drawing patterns. Back in the old days, architects were working in the same way, creating patterns and systems by hand without any special computer programs.” This special history of his family has not only taught him about the war and all its participants, but it has also given him the ability to be thankful and appreciate opportunities. I believe that humbleness and gratitude has brought him from sleeping on the couch at BLESS and in need of money, to the designer behind a – to this day – grandiose brand. Gratitude, humbleness, hard work, and an undeniable great talent are the reasons he was discovered by his current Asian agent when Leder was still selling only on commission. Today he sells in 80 shops around Asia, especially in Japan and Hong Kong. “It is fantastic how life can collide. I’m thankful every day for the ability to work and to create something. It is always a gift to be able to work with something you really like to do.” Leder grew up without siblings. He tells me about his friend, who is a musician and doesn’t have siblings either, and their processes are similar in some ways. His musician friend goes on stage and gives all his energy to an audience. Both processes, whether you’re creating a collection of garments or an album, are the same – you have to embrace the power of enclosing yourself and eventually a team and stay true +
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“Everybody has a story. That is the most beautiful thing. No life is boring and everything is inspiring. You just have to look for it.”
to your ideas. Leder inspires me – he has a taste for life that keeps him dynamic and an enthusiasm that keeps him going. He makes me feel that the world is infinitely inspiring and that there are plenty of eye-opening experiences waiting to be discovered? “In the studio I always work with three or four people. Maybe I’m trying to create the brother- and sisterhood I never had. It can be heavy to run a company, but I’m trying to do new things every day, make every day different so as not to get into any routine. I travel a lot, usually with a purpose or an eagerness to see something I’ve heard of or read about. The last time I travelled I went to the top of Mount Ararat in Turkey to see where Noah’s Ark was stranded. We even built a small ark ourselves from stones. Previously I went to Egypt to see the Crystal Mountain. I want to explore myself through travelling.” Energetic curiosity has always been implemented in Leder’s way of approaching his design and he dares to try out new things to develop. He reflects on the first time he was “out in the open” in comparison to the safe environment at school at Central St Martin’s. Back then the legendary Louise Wilson was still a professor of the MA and she chose Leder to be a fitting model for MA students while he was still an undergraduate. According to Leder this was his most important education, listening to her explaining the dos and don’ts for the MA students and all the while Wilson only had one functioning eye;
the other was made of glass. In Leder’s words: “she saw more with one eye than most people see with two”. “I want to change the way people look at fashion. Fashion is not about champagne and fashion weeks. That’s probably why I’ve never done that many fashion shows. In fashion, you’re not allowed to make mistakes – if you make one nobody will ever come to your next show. I made a show in London that was all about mistakes. I looked in old pattern books – in those there is always a section with patterns showing how not to make them and I chose to base my entire collection on those “wrong” patterns. We drew the mistakes on a big blackboard and at the end of the show it was completely full with sketches illustrating the mistakes. The music was from a little record player. Everything was very different, but fun! And it was only possible with the help of friends around me. That was my first way of showing something of my own work. I was still a student at that point. I started doing my own things at a very early point in my life, because I realized it wouldn’t make sense to wait until I was a graduate. On one occasion, to show another collection of mine I asked all my friends to choose what they wanted to wear themselves and then we drove by bus to a venue where another designer’s show was about to take place. Of course we didn’t want to intervene in respect of the other fashion designer; I just wanted to present it quietly, so we showed it along the queue of people that were waiting for the show to begin. Another time I announced my show to be at a specific venue and I asked my models to take part in the queue outside. A friend
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of mine and myself then rolled out a big catwalk of paper and my models stepped out of the queue, undressed and then dressed in my designs, which they had been carrying in their bags, and then walked along the paper catwalk. It was all over in five minutes. It was such a surprise for everyone.” Leder tells me another story of a big historical inspirational source that also gathers threads to his dynamic lifestyle – the journeymen, a tradition that goes back to medieval times and that is still alive in German-speaking countries. The journeymen travel for several years after fulfilling their apprenticeship as craftsmen, they are not allowed to go home and they have plenty of rituals they have to do to complete their journey – rituals, not routines. They are not allowed to spend money and they have to ask people to help them with their transportation. In other words, they are modern people with an alternative approach to Western living. “I once picked up one of these guys and drove him to his next place. I had a lot of questions of course and all he told about this way of living really inspired me. Sometimes, that’s how a collection can start.” Along the way the journeymen collect memories based on only personal experiences and personal interaction. Leder wants a personal connection with his customers as well and wants to learn from their interesting stories. That is why for instance, he has collected old keys over time, to place one key with one garment for his new collection. One of these keys, regardless of whether the garment is sold in
Tokyo or New York, will fit the lock of a special box placed in his studio in Berlin. What is inside is a personal secret only to be revealed to the lucky one. The studio and showroom have only been open to the public for around a year. “This studio is very close to my heart, but why shouldn’t I share my world? It is important to be engaged in every step of the process but it’s also important to have the ability to let go of work that is not possible for me to do and to trust people. I like to have a relation to the people that are working for me. When the dressmaker knows me and likes me, I’m sure the final product will turn out better. It will make it more valuable.” All the garments and products of Frank Leder are valuable – even his brand Tradition, fashion- and art-collaborations have personal stories behind it. There is no doubt that Leder will continue exploring, designing and creating while sharing his journey with the public. I’m curious to follow it. ×
130 / Photographer Stylists
/ Nicolas Andreou
/ Rasa Drukteinyte / Connor Parks Make-up Model
/ Romina Albarez
/ Zenia Fejerskov Hansen
brand lives up to Less Magazine slow manifest garment lives up to Less Magazine slow manifest More information on page 140
Visualization 04 / Nicolas Andreou Bettina Bakdal
In order to be implemented into their designs, a designer’s emotional inspiration has to become a reality, though it oftentimes get lost inbetween the product itself and the consumer. Taking five specific collections from Nordic designers’ approach to that first emotion, we pay tribute to their existence by giving garments their deserved stature by handling them in an installation dialogue.
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Naemi Gustavsson
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NO-ON
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Beate Godager
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Thelma Bjรถrk Steinman
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136 / CONSIDERING
Prosumption - A Critical View Writers
/ Oda Severine Lillehagen / Designer / Mats Lillehagen / PhD student in Sociology / Alicja Biala
Illustrator
Prosumption can be considered consumption taken a
In light of this cultural context we
step further. Certain types of consumer participation in the production process are becoming increasingly common, thus blurring the distinction between consumption and production. We wish to critically explore this tendency in three ways. First, we will briefly describe the social and cultural context in which this type of consumption becomes seen as important and valuable. Second, we will look at prosumption in light of the more general ethical dilemmas of being a consumer. Third, our aim is to initiate a more general critical discussion, by providing several arguments for and against.
can clearly expect prosumption to be perceived as an improvement over typical consumption behavior. This can be seen more clearly by considering the differing connotations of the two concepts. While we would argue that prosumption implies an active, creating and self-realizing person, more traditional consumption is often viewed as a passive and even mechanic and zombie-like process. Additionally the focus on the process of creation, as opposed to the finished product, fits with common views of what is of value in creative pursuits.
SOCIAL CONTEXT Arguably, the do-it-yourself attitude, as well as the
special value accorded to individual creativity, has a central place in the contemporary zeitgeist. The punk movements of the 70s as well as the so-called hipster culture of the 2000s are among the likely catalysts. Important parts of this connection have been convincingly documented in books such as Punk: From Chaos to Couture and What Was the Hipster? The influence of these movements and forces is clearly seen in contemporary esthetical and artistic culture, as well as in the ever-present focus on innovation in the contemporary economy. We would argue that the focus on authenticity, seen in the return to crafts such as sewing, brewing one’s own coffee and foraging for ingredients for example, clearly indicates this heritage. Seemingly paradoxically, an emphasis on almost renaissance-like extensiveness is also becoming more common in tandem with increasing work-related specialization and a seemingly evermore pressing lack of time. The importance of realizing oneself across several creative domains seems to be ever-present as well as all-important. The result of all of this is that creativity and innovation are ascribed a special status in contemporary society across several sectors and fields ranging from Nordic cuisine to vintage shopping.
THE DESERVING CONSUMER A good starting point when considering what we refer to as the legitimizing function of prosumption is the ethically problematic nature of consumption in general. In the public debate, moral issues relating to sustainability, the conditions of production etc. are especially prominent. In other words, consumption seems to be considered both harmful and morally dubious. We would argue that since consumption is generally considered ethically problematic, this creates a need for justification. In short: You need an excuse to buy lots of things, therefore you should try to appear as the kind of person who deserves it and is worthy of his or her
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level of consumption. This struggle results in clear winners and losers, based on who is able to provide the most convincing reasons and tell the best stories. We argue that the same applies to the activity of prosumption, and that some issues are made even more striking when compared with standard consumption. When reading fashion blogs and magazines or in conver-
sations related to consumption, it quickly becomes clear that one’s stories about buying, and the reasons given for selecting certain pieces of clothing, are considered important determinants of one’s status as a consumer. Unique, personal stories seem to signal a more prestigious attitude towards consumption. In contrast, telling more bland or boring stories, or lacking a story altogether, carries far less weight. In this way, some people’s consumption patterns are made to seem more worthy compared to others. The classic consumer story goes something like this: You
search for a piece of clothing that you find esthetically pleasing, often something considered trendy, in a generic brand shop. This is “at best” a form of curation – by selecting and combining existing garments in a certain way (i.e. styling), based on different levels of knowledge and expertise, you are able to exercise your creativity without physically creating something new. Practices related to prosumption are emphasized in fashion blogs such as Hel Looks, with a clear emphasis on different types of modified vintage, DIY and often related to ethical issues and personal stories. In this way, participating in prosumption can provide a way of consuming that is considered more prestigious and exclusive, thus potentially neutralizing or removing the focus from important ethical questions. POINTS FOR FURTHER DISCUSSION The positive and negative aspects and consequences of prosumption should clearly be discussed in greater detail. In the remaining section we suggest some arguments and perspectives that could constitute a starting point for such a discussion. Beginning with the positive, prosumption obviously leads to more freedom of choice. More detailed and individual preferences can be realized without actually taking the step of becoming a designer oneself. This could also lead to more opportunities for personal and creative expression. On the other hand of course we need to think about what has been +
138 / CONSIDERING
dubbed the paradox of choice; more choices could be seen as a psychological burden making the individual less free, because the multitude of options can be exhausting. Regardless of such issues, prosumption could lead to
more conscious purchasing decisions. By creating a convincing story and relating a certain piece of clothing to your own identity and your own life, you integrate these decisions into your personal narrative and sense of self, which is arguably important for experiencing your life as a meaningful whole. By remaking an inherited dress, and putting one’s own touch on it for example, you create or strengthen links between yourself and your relatives while defining your personality. On a more ethical and societal level, there is also a connection to the trend for minimalism in all matters related to lifestyle. By making more of less, the need to make new purchases will be limited. In this way, prosumption could cultivate a healthy respect for objects – which obviously has a social and emotional importance in addition to the purely functional. On a more critical note, there is always the danger of some
sort of commodity fetishism. That is, the tendency to
worship objects, and emphasize relations to the things we consume instead of other people. While such a criticism applies in general to all forms of consumption, some parts could be especially relevant in relation to prosumption. In a nightmarish scene from the recent novel Krysset by Anders Malm, the main protagonist uses raw material taken from his own body to merge himself with Kayser’s iconic chair. Though extreme, the point is to illustrate a more basic point: When the identity of the consumer and the identity of the brand are merged, it’s easy to slide down the slippery slope from commodity fetishism into self-fetishism and even narcissism. Another way to put this is by paraphrasing a formulation by the design scholar Erlend Dokk Holm: Are we moving from God to Gucci to ourselves? Could this be considered a semi-religious worship of oneself through objects? Another critical angle takes off from a more societal
focus. What does the focus on consumer participation imply on a more societal level? One could argue that the divide between producer and consumer forms an important part of the general division of labor in society, which is based on some basic social facts: In order to maintain
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a complex modern society, people need to do different things in a highly specialized way. When you specialize professionally and work long hours, there is obviously less time for other pursuits and activities that you might like and, in some way, need. Time is scarce, and different tasks need to be prioritized. From this vantage point, prosumption and the “renaissance trend” in general can be seen as an attempt to reclaim control and freedom to express oneself in more ways in a society where one’s work becomes increasingly restricting. On the other hand, prosumption can be interpreted as a
sort of resistance against the consumer society. In this view, prosumption is a moderate critique of the way contemporary capitalism functions. It should at least be considered an attempt to break with excessive specialization. This challenge can be considered problematic in several ways. First: Time is scarce – when an individual spends more time on elaborate forms of consumption, there is of course less time for other more specialized activities. This of course, could also apply to activities with a clearer focus on solving ethical and societal problems – such as doing voluntary work. The focus on creation
could also create new personal standards and demands that could perhaps imply certain perfectionism as well. This is at least the case when prosumption is seen as a part of the wider trend toward DIY. Whilst preliminary, we do consider the points made
in this article important, and we hope that at least some of them may contribute to ongoing as well as new discussions concerning the interesting set of activities referred to by the term prosumption. ×
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Slow Clothing - According to Less Magazine
Less Magazine revolves around slow clothing. In order for you to have a clearer idea of what is featured in our magazine we work transparently with what we define as just that. The fashion industry itself is lacking real transparency and we can only be as transparent as the brands allow us to be, but we try to the best of our ability to justify what we show. At Less Magazine we define slow clothing as a specific approach to clothing consumption mainly from the point of view of consumers. Because of this, a brand can be acceptable in the slow clothing sense without awareness of it and without branding itself as such. A single garment can also be acceptable while the brand is not. At Less Magazine we expect a slow clothing garment to be of very high quality in both materials and handicraft. This assures that the garment will last a long time but also at the same time certifying a lot of use. For a brand to be accepted as a slow clothing brand it needs to ignore seasonal trends, be of very high quality and at least meet one of the following standards.
The brand should: ċċ Only make garments that live up to our definition of a slow clothing garment. ċċ Work on maintaining or developing new sustainable materials or techniques. ċċ Present a high level of transparency concerning the consumers and be socially aware. Furthermore, for a garment to be accepted as slow clothing it needs to fulfill at least one of the following standards. The garment should: ċċ Have special features that makes it long lasting, e.g. a timeless fit and color. ċċ Have special meaning that makes it more than just clothes to the owner. This could be in the form of sentimental value, or a special artistic or conceptual idea behind the design. ċċ Be made of reused material or other eco-friendly materials. ċċ Be made by using techniques that reflect environment issues. To the best of our ability we will mark every garment in one of these ways: slow clothing garment from a non-slow clothing brand or a slow clothing garment from a slow clothing brand. This slow clothing definition will be reviewed biannually.
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Illustrator
/ Cathrine Thomsen
142 /
Brandlist
Agent Provocateur
Beate Godager
www.agentprovocateur.com
www.beategodager.com Artistic Materials Craftsmanship Production Techniques
Timeless Techniques Alexandra Konwinski
www.alexandrakonwinski.fr
Craftsmanship Techniques Erika Positano
www.erikapositano.com Artistic Materials Craftsmanship
Bettina Bakdal
Artistic Materials Craftsmanship Techniques Andersen-Andersen
www.andersen-andersen.com Timeless Materials Craftsmanship Production Techniques
www.bettinabakdal.dk
www.falke.com Artistic Materials Craftsmanship Production Techniques Birkenstock
www.birkenstock.com Timeless Materials Production
Andrea Ya’Aqov
www.andreayaaqov.com
Armoire Officielle
www.armoireofficielle.com Timeless Materials Production Barbara I Gongini
www.barbaraigongini.dk
Timeless Filippa K
www.filippa-k.com Timeless Materials Production Social Frank Leder
www.frank-leder.com Bloch
www.blochworld.com Timeless Materials Craftsmanship Production Techniques
FALKE
Timeless Converse
www.converse.com
Timeless Artistic Materials Craftsmanship Production Techniques
Timeless Production
Freja Dalsjø
Dr. Martens
Artistic Materials Craftsmanship Production Techniques
www.drmartens.com Timeless Production Craftsmanship
www.freyadalsjo.com
Gall
Timeless Artistic Materials Craftsmanship Production
EDDA
www.gallclothing.com
www.edda-gimnes.com Artistic Materials
Timeless Materials Craftsmanship
PROSUMPTION / 143
Production Techniques
Techniques
Production Techniques
Jean // Phillip Hansen Garments
www.jeanphillip.dk
www.hansengarments.com Timeless Artistic Materials Craftsmanship Production Techniques Henrik Vibskov
www.henrikvibskov.com Timeless Artistic Craftsmanship
www.martingrantparis.com Artistic Materials Craftsmanship Techniques
Timeless Materials Craftmanship
Julie Amalie Svensson
Merz b. Schwanen
www.merz-schwanen.com Artistic Materials Craftsmanship Production Techniques
www.fristadskansas.dk
Timeless Artistic Materials Craftsmanship Production Techniques Ivan Grundahl
Timeless Materials Katrine Elander
Artistic Materials Craftsmanship Production Techniques Maja Brix
Isabel Benenato
www.majabrix.com Timeless Materials Craftsmanship Production Techniques
www.isabelbenenato.com Mark Kenly Domino Tan
Timeless Artistic Materials Craftsmanship Production
Minoar
www.minoar.com
www.ivangrundahl.dk Timeless Artistic Materials Craftsmanship Techniques
Timeless Materials Craftsmanship Production Techniques
KANSAS
Ilaria Nistri
www.ilarianistri.com
Martin Grant
www.markkenlydominotan.com Artistic Materials Craftsmanship
Artistic Materials Craftsmanship Production Techniques Naemi Gustavsson
www.naemigustavsson.com Artistic Materials Craftsmanship Production Techniques Neutral
www.neutral.com Timeless Materials Production Social
144 /
Brandlist
NO-ON
Timeless Artistic Materials Craftsmanship Production Techniques
Craftsmanship Production Techniques
Repetto
Materials Craftsmanship Techniques
Timeless Materials Craftsmanship Production
Timeless Artistic Materials Craftsmanship Production Techniques Social
Norse Projects
STORY mfg
Verena Schepperheyn
www.norseprojects.com
www.storymfg.com
www.verenaschepperheyn.com
Timeless
Timeless Artistic Materials Craftsmanship Production Techniques
Artistic Materials Craftsmanship Techniques
Artistic Materials Craftsmanship Production Techniques Nora Rieser
www.repetto.com
www.norarieser.com
Novesta
www.novesta.sk Timeless Materials Craftsmanship Production Orslow
www.orslow.jp Timeless Materials Craftsmanship Production Petrucha
www.petrucha.org Timeless Materials Craftsmanship Production Techniques Reinhard Plank
www.reinhardplank.it
Trine Lindegaard
www.trinelindegaard.com
Wolford
www.wolford.com Stutterheim
www.stutterheim.com
Timeless
Timeless Materials Craftsmanship Production Techniques
Yiqing Yin
Thelma Bjรถrk Steinman
Artistic Materials Craftsmanship Production Techniques Tobias Birk Nielsen
www.tobiasbirknielsen.com Artistic Materials
www.yiqingyin.com Artistic Materials Craftsmanship Techniques Yuki Ito
Artistic Materials Craftsmanship Production Techniques
PROSUMPTION / 145
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Kristine Harper / Sofie Edvard / pp. 78-87 Ehrenfeld & Hoffman: Flourishing. Stanford University Press, p. 29, (2013). Kara Weaves www.karaweaves.com
Busch, Otto von: “Engaged Design and the Practice of Fashion Hacking: The Examples of Giana Gonzalez and Dale Sko.” In: Fashion Practice 1, no. 2 (2009).
Kerala State Institute of Design www.ksid.ac.in Emotionally Indispensable
Gonzalez, Giana: VakkoVamps: hacking methods from the Hackers and Haute Couture Heretics exhibition, Garanti Gallery, Istanbul. Selfpassage.org. Accessed June 18, 2016. http://www.selfpassage.org/VakkoVamps/VV-methodsBooklet-w.pdf. Heidegger, Martin: Being and Time. Malden, MA: Blackwell, (2008). Ritzer, George and Nathan Jurgenson: “Production, Consumption, Prosumption: The nature of capitalism in the age of the digital ‘prosumer’.” In: Journal of Consumer Culture 10, no. 1 (2010). The Power of Participation - An Experience-Economic Perspec-
Myrto Papailiou / pp. 108-111 Jordan W. Patrick: Designing Pleasurable Products. London: Taylor & Francis, (2002). Norman A. Donald: Emotional Design: Why We Love (or Hate) Everyday Things. New York: Basic Books, (2004).
Prosumption - A Critical View
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