A fashion label driven by a love of human stories
Teatum jones Interview Kevin Voller
F
or FW17 Teatum Jones have looked at the story of their
Teatum Jones have explored their key signature shapes
relationship with the human body. Looking at the work
such as their statement oversized coats and column
of Hans Bellmer, they stepped inside his ‘doll project’, which
dresses, taking the seams apart and reconstructing them
he created to oppose the fascism of the Nazi Party. Bellmer
using contrasting sheer layers, eyeleted seams and
defiantly stood against the ideals of the new German state
strapped waistlines with extra long tapes. The results
by composing mutated doll forms and unconventional
are bell sleeves that mask the wearers’ hands, oversized
poses that were a direct rejection of the cult of the
collars that exaggerate the neckline and optional
seemingly perfect body, then prominent in Germany.
hemlines that almost want to escape from within a garment. Many of the garments appear to simultaneously
Teatum Jones’ objective is to explore and breakdown the
have two layers of skin.
idea of “us and them, them and us”... They have looked at
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the body objectively and deconstructed it without prejudice.
They have explored the idea of optional tension,
They have championed the idea that something you
restriction and length, using gros-grain straps and
traditionally and socially accept as ‘whole’ and seemingly
industrial sized eyelets to allow the wearer to discover
‘perfect’ can be deconstructed in unconventional ways and
different volumes, tensions and lengths to work on their
considered just as beautiful.
individual body shape. (Continued. on page 44)
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