TEA PAPER n 0 2 - Fashion & Art magazine -
- Page 2 -
TEA PAPER n 0 2 - Fashion & Art magazine -
- Page 3 -
TEA PAPER n 0 2 - Fashion & Art magazine -
COLOPHON CREATIVE DIRECTOR / FOUNDER JONAS A . HALFTER Vicehost ADAM HAXHOLDT Editor LOUISE RY T TER DEPUT Y EDITOR ALEX JACKSON DESIGN JONAS A . HALFTER & Martin Ransby COVER PHOTOGRAPHED BY PIERO MARTINELLO IN ITALY
THE SE CONTENTS
ABSURD HEROES NEW KINGS A LIFE'S WORK HUMAN ANATOMY THE DANISH TRAILER TRASH AVANT-GARDE BACK
AT TILIO PAVIN IS ON TEA PAPER's SECOND COVER PLEASE Feel free to TAKE CONTACT hello @teapaper .dk ADVERTISING Jonas@teapaper . dk website www.teapaper .dk LEGAL a ll rig h ts reserved. no th ing in whole or par t m ay b e r e p r o d u ced w it h o u t t h e w rit ten permission o f HALFTER / TEA CLUB Co pyr ig ht remains wit h its o r ig in al o w n er .
- Page 4 -
TEA PAPER n 0 2 - Fashion & Art magazine -
CONTRIBUTERS
W ant to know more about these people ? click on their names to get right to them . .
ECOND PAGES
006 024 058 066 076 084 092 102
-
017 035 065 071 077 091 1 0 1 137
- Page 5 -
AITOR THOUP ALFREDO SAL AZAR ASHER LEVINE BRENDAN OLLEY CASLEY- HAYFORD CHRISTOPHER SHANNON COURTNEY MC WILLIAMS DELOREAN DIMITRIS PETROU ELENA DAMIANI FERRY VAN DER NAT HANS BÆRHOLM IAN HIGGINSON JAMES LONG JOOST VANDEBRUG KATHRYN FERGUSON KERHAO YIN KONRAD PAROL LILLY HEINE MADS EMIL HILMER NINA BORN PIERO MARTINELLO RAD HOURANI SANDRA BACKLUND STEPHEN MORRISS THEIS OERNTOFT THEODOR SYNNESVEDT THILDE DEHL SEN VICTOR NUNO
TEA PAPER n0 2 - Fashion & Art magazine -
ABSURD HEROES. PHOTOGRAPHY Joost Vandebrug – Manjaottenpm FASHION DIRECTOR/ STYLING Ferry Van Der Nat HAIR AND MAKE-UP Sandra Govers – Angeliquehoorn for Ellis Faas MODEL Jaco – Republic STYLING ASSISTANT Eli Rietveld THANX TO: Studio 13 Amsterdam
- Page 6 -
Japanese pleated straw cape Geo Timmerman
Legging Sanne Karstenberg
- Fashion & Art magazine -
TEA PAPER n 0 2
- Page 7 -
Tie shirt dress Marjan Pejoski
Gathered shorts Charlotte Greeven
- Fashion & Art magazine -
TEA PAPER n 0 2
- Page 8 -
Black tie evening jacket Cleas Iversen
Lace stocking Kokon To Zai
- Fashion & Art magazine -
TEA PAPER n 0 2
- Page 9 -
TEA PAPER n 0 2 - Fashion & Art magazine -
Silver bow tie Marga Weimans Metallic leather jacket Bas Kosters Tie-dye pant Marga Weimans
Huge black and white hoodie Daniel Palillo Shorts Mandy Minkman
- Page 10 -
Foam jacket and pant suit: Zem
Silicone jewelry: Noon passama for EK Thongprasert
- Fashion & Art magazine -
TEA PAPER n 0 2
- Page 11 -
TEA PAPER n 0 2 - Fashion & Art magazine -
Origami pleated shirt Geo Timmerman Huge vilted pant Roparosa Waistband Markoviec Wooden shoes Charlotte Greeven
- Page 12 -
TEA PAPER n 0 2
Suede chained poncho Sanne Karstenberg
- Fashion & Art magazine -
- Page 13 -
TEA PAPER n 0 2 - Fashion & Art magazine -
Silk shirt: Charlotte Greeven Silk pleated pant: Musa Shah Patchwork brocade coat: Bas Kosters Vitled wool epailet bolero: Bas Kosters
- Page 14 -
Copper pompon hat Lotte Mostert
Gathered pleated jacket Nicolaas Hein
Silicone bracelets Noon passama for EK Thongprasert
Black pant Kokon To Zai
- Fashion & Art magazine -
TEA PAPER n 0 2
- Page 15 -
Orange beard Noortje Zijlstra
Tie-dye salopette Bas Kosters
Checked pant Lotte Mostert
Legging: Markoviec
- Fashion & Art magazine -
TEA PAPER n 0 2
- Page 16 -
TEA PAPER n 0 2 - Fashion & Art magazine -
Silk wrap cardigan Roya Hesham
Silk organza shirt Musa Shah Hand knitted collar Lotte Mostert Silk pleated short Charlotte Greeven Black crotchless pant Roya Hesham
- Page 17 -
TEA PAPER n 0 2 - Fashion & Art magazine -
cou rtn ey
m c wi lli am s
- Page 18 -
TEA PAPER n 0 2 - Fashion & Art magazine -
- Page 19 -
TEA PAPER n 0 2 - Fashion & Art magazine -
- Page 20 -
TEA PAPER n 0 2 - Fashion & Art magazine -
- Page 21 -
TEA PAPER n 0 2 - Fashion & Art magazine -
- Page 22 -
TEA PAPER n 0 2 - Fashion & Art magazine -
- Page 23 -
TEA PAPER n 0 2 - Fashion & Art magazine -
NEW! Photography:
Stylist:
Stylist Assistant:
Model:
Ian Higginson
Stephen Morriss
Colin Beattie
Lukas Sindicic at D1 Models
KINGS For a long time - too long - Menswear has played second fiddle to Womenswear. Changes are most certainly afoot, and a select group of designers have been forcing the evolution of the genre at a moment when difficult times have taken the high gloss off Fashion. It has allowed them to seize an unprecedented opportunity to experiment and explore traditional tailoring, sportswear and radical ideas with multi-disciplinary creativity. Tea Paper met London-based designer, Aitor Throup, Christopher Shannon, Caseley-Hayford and James Long, who in the last few years have been vitalizing the industry of and on the catwalk. Move over ladies, men’s fashion have new leaders, new Kings. Long live Menswear. Written by Alex Jackson & Louise Rytter
- Page 24 -
TEA PAPER n 0 2 - Fashion & Art magazine -
- Page 25 -
TEA PAPER n 0 2 - Fashion & Art magazine -
James Long Casely-Hay f ord Christopher Sha n n on Aitor Throup James long’s grad collection was so bloody good that it got nicked right before it was due to be unveiled. The whole lot. But what didn’t kill him made him stronger. Working as a buyer in New York after he graduated from the Royal College of Art in MA menswear and accessories, proved to be the beginning of the James Long brand. He has since emerged as one of the most exciting designers of the London scene, always pushing boundaries and buttons to critical and commercial acclaim.
How would you describe the feel of the James Long brand and who, if you could pick anyone, would you say best represents the ethos? Robert Mapplethorpe and Patti Smith. As lovers. Wow, that is sexy. Tell us a little more about the new and suggestively titled A/W 10 collection, Boiler Room Boys. It’s all about working in the boiler room, being hot, working hard and being strong men – real men. I looked at traditional types of work wear, cord, canvas, boiler suits and big work coats. The red prints in the collection symbolises a magnified heat representation and the boiler room. And the print itself, where did the inspiration for that materialise? I visited up-and-coming artist Ethan Cook’s in his New York studio. He was working on a painting which I immediately was drawn to. I thought it would work well with the collection. We discussed a collaboration which then turned into a print. He has given me the original artwork that I have in my bedroom. Speaking of those deep, erogenous reds and the sensuous blues used elsewhere, why pick such opposing, dominating colours – along with the collection’s theme, do they perhaps hint at an aggressive, sexually-charged undertone? A pain/pleasure fantasy projection, even? I think its open to interpretation though it was more of an opposite of the S/S 10 collection. I think sexual attraction is effective in fashion but also subjective. The James Long sexual charge is different to someone else’s. You don’t really tend to psychoanalyse most of your choices but I do think sexual charge within fashion can be appealing. Catwalk collections need a certain amount of aggression to hit the message home. People interpret a collection in lots of different ways and I find that really interesting. I hadn’t thought about it as a pain/pleasure fantasy projection. Are there any favourite items in particular? There are so many elements of the collection I think worked well. But the most fulfilling aspect of a collection is putting the clothes on people. The garments become alive and the vision is realised.
Alex Jackson talks inspiration, sexual fantasies and just what did happen about that theft...
- Page 26 -
TEA PAPER n 0 2 - Fashion & Art magazine -
Do you ever feel that fashion design is held to ransom, in terms of creativity, by the hulking presence of ‘Season’ in the fashion world? Can that parameter-dictating concept perhaps force a designers ideas rather than allowing them to come together more naturally? Sometimes I think you need deadlines to make things happen. I work well creating within a set period. I would love to just design freely and whenever for whatever. But the nature of Season came a long time before me. If a designer doesn’t want to conform to that they can try it their own way – and lots do, successfully. I think it’s a preference. I don’t feel forced into designing for seasons, it’s a challenge I enjoy. A look over your previous collections, Modern Medieval Soldiers, Totalitarian Heroes, Arabian Stallions, suggests you’re a designer who loves a concept to get your teeth into. But can it ever be too easy for designers to hide behind the notion of a concept? I don’t know what you’d have to hide behind. It is a way of working for me, a way of conveying an idea. It’s an explanation of what you are doing. Giving the collection a name and building up a story is really how I explain the people I work with in the studio where I’m coming from. If we’re all in the same place, the creative outcome will be stronger. How would you get into the ‘concept zone’, what’s your process? We have a huge wall in the studio where all inspiration is collected over the research period – photos, pictures, colours and sometimes music. If I see something that excites me I’ll research it and see what we find. It just happens quite naturally. It is a constant search, it’s what I do. I’m always on the look for a new spark. It seems that today’s fashion designers are aware of the many kinds of potential outlet for work, like social networking sites, that people like yourself, or Christopher Shannon or Aitor Throup seem almost subconsciously aware of the necessity and ubiquity of self-marketing and self-advertising. Giving this new generation
of talent a seemingly healthy attitude towards commerciality? There’s no shame in wanting your clothes to sell – that was markedly different to periods in the 90s and late 80s. What do you think? People who don’t have a healthy attitude to commerciality will find it hard to survive. , There are lots of different ways to be commercial and creative, just find your own way. I don’t really care whether its cool or not, I want my collections to sell. As a youngster growing up in Northamptonshire, did you always yearn to get away and setup as a designer, or were your youthful fantasies and daydreams very different to the reality you find yourself in today? My sister and I used to get the train to Camden to look at all the brilliant clothes. We wanted to be part of it. Now she is my business and creative partner. I think its what you make it really. Getting back to the AW10 collection, there’s so much this time that isn’t simply leather, mohair, cord or denim etc. Are you actively trying to edge away from what was quickly considered your signature look and explore new ideas/avenues/themes? I think there is an element of change from each collection to keep it interesting. I have used mohair in every collection I have done, cord last winter too and always leather. But I try to use the fabrics in different ways each time. I think signatures can get stale very quickly in fashion, so yes I suppose I do try to mix it up a bit. How important is it for a young, emerging designer to a) have ‘signature’ styles and b) not become typecast or bound by them, how hard is it to strike that balance? Striking the balance is the part I enjoy. Taking elements I consider integral to James Long and then adding new inspiration. And what about beyond AW10? What of the coming spring/summer – any future collaborations or exciting sponsors on the horizon?
- Page 27 -
I have just been part of the London show rooms in Paris for SS11. I will present a stand-alone collection at London fashion week in September. And finally, just what was the outcome of the investigation into the bizarre theft of your MAN collection way back in 2008? I don’t think I’ve ever heard of such a thing happening to a young emerging designer before. My garments were never found. Topman and Lulu Kennedy at Fashion East very kindly gave me my MAN award again to remake a few of the pieces. We’ve got a big heavy duty lock-up now
•
Fringed knitted jumper and leather trousers James Long
Boots Dr Martens
- Fashion & Art magazine -
TEA PAPER n 0 2
- Page 28 -
Leather, fur and denim paneled hooded jacket James Long
- Fashion & Art magazine -
TEA PAPER n 0 2
- Page 29 -
TEA PAPER n 0 2
Fringed knitted jumper by: James Long
- Fashion & Art magazine -
Fringed knitted jumper and leather trousers James Long
- Page 30 -
TEA PAPER n 0 2 - Fashion & Art magazine -
Patent cap stylist’s own
Leggings Uniqlo
Boots Dr Martens
Fingerless gloves Marc by Marc Jacobs
Long mohair cardigan James Long
Leather, fur and denim paneled hooded jacket with print inside hood James Long
- Page 31 -
Long mohair cardigan James Long
Leggings (just seen) Uniqlo
- Fashion & Art magazine -
TEA PAPER n 0 2
- Page 32 -
Long mohair cardigan James Long
Leggings Uniqlo
Boots Dr Martens
Belt stylist’s own
- Fashion & Art magazine -
TEA PAPER n 0 2
- Page 33 -
TEA PAPER n 0 2 - Fashion & Art magazine -
- Page 34 -
Fringed knitted jumper and leather trousers James Long
- Fashion & Art magazine -
TEA PAPER n 0 2
- Page 35 -
TEA PAPER n 0 2 - Fashion & Art magazine -
James Long Casely-Hay f ord Christopher Sha n n on Aitor Throup Product design, new equations, societal evolution and sartorial solution - Casely-Hayford, the new luxury menswear brand from fashion powerhouse OBE Joe Casely-Hayford and his designer/model son Charlie, ain’t your average label. Trained in tailoring, Joe Casely-Hayford has an impressive career in fashion and has since the 1980s worked as a stylist, creative director, journalist and was named British Designer of the Year in 1989. Charlie has recently been the face of Converse and together they combine modernity and classicism to deliver the old one-two to the unsuspecting realm of menswear.
What is the narrative behind the AW10 collection and what were the inspirations behind it? CCH: This season’s collection is titled A Darker Shade of Black. It came about through a discussion between the two of us about how people react to the recession on an aesthetic level. In bleak times society seems to gravitate towards dark colours and homogeneous clothing. We wanted to create a collection reflecting our predisposition to revert these formulaic dress codes as a defence mechanism. We turned to garments that held a strongly perceived notions of masculinity and strength such as military paratroopers, boxers, bikers, traditional English labourers and even formal evening wear. Our aim was to communicate and reassert a strong sense of self and pride. Any particular favourite pieces that you feel are the purest essence of the synergy between sportswear and tailoring? JCH: For me there are many favourites. They often tend to be pieces transcending fashion. I do like the Navarino jacket together with the Schoerner Drop collar shirt. Our Look Book image captures the essence of these pieces; they reflect our ethos of English Sartorialism and British Anarchy. The Donkey jacket is a great symbol of British Working class pride. It was first worn by Brick Layers and Hod Carriers (men who carry bricks on their shoulders), then adopted by Skinheads and later Punks. Our Jacket is in two pieces: the outer piece represents the British Working Class. The inner part, the quilted Husky, was worn by ‘Sloane Rangers’ and other members of the upper middle classes. I love the way these two disparate visions of Britain are brought together in one item. The shirt beneath covers the same area with a formal cleric collar and a collarless shirt fused. In terms of the sports influence on our brand, the ribbed cuffed Teddy jacket has become a popular favourite. Teddy bridges the gap between formal tailoring and sportswear. It similarly Surtees our jogging pant influenced trousers, bringing together elements of formal and sportswear. We make them from exclusive stretch versions of British worsted cloths. You have said that you always see collections as continuations/evolutions of the previous one,
Alex Jackson chatted duality, anarchy and discordant synergy with the duo that are exploring the darker side of black this Autumn/Winter 2010.
- Page 36 -
TEA PAPER n 0 2 - Fashion & Art magazine -
and the genesis of the future one. So, how does AW10 continue the prior collection and what, do you think, will be carrying-over/influencing the next? JCH: There is always an underlying foundation that runs throughout each collection and shapes the brand’s DNA. Each season we work within the parameters of ‘English sartorialism’ and ‘British anarchy’. The emphasis on the two terms is not always equal. The balances shifts from season to season and for this autumn we have placed greater focus on the anarchic aspects. We always work from a premise of innovation through tradition, which we choose to enhance or subvert in equal measure. AW10 particularly makes reference to the previous season’s Afro-Punk movement, but views it from a slightly darker perspective. The idea of the transcultural nomad, a constant traveller who comes into contact with many different cultures on his journey and utilizes his surroundings to shape his identity. This fact has always influenced us and will certainly be present in the coming collections. Back to AW10, is the collection more about the strength of people’s convictions during tough times (recession), or a lack of strength – a reflection of malaise and foreboding? CCH: This season certainly connects both ideas. We were aware at the time of designing the collection that a “broken society,” as ours had been deemed. The current political situation doesn’t hold any practical solutions to the problems that many people face. We felt that in many cases this was the cause of a loss of identity for those without prospect. A Darker Shade of Black was about utilizing the physicality of body armour as a form of protection and in that sense a way of empowering the male form. The collection was a suggestion towards how one could reassert a strength and belief that had always been there, but that may have become dormant in recent times. Fashion is a very youth-orientated industry. As two designers in different stages of their careers, what do you see as the strengths and dangers of youth as fashion indicator and enabler? JCH: Youth, for us, is a loaded term with strong con-
straints and associations. It is a definition we try to avoid when designing as age is just a number and shouldn’t determine how one dresses. Unfortunately society promotes youth and beauty as a necessity that can never truly be attained. All this achieves is a treadmill fuelled by fast fashion. Oscar Wilde is quoted as saying ‘fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to alter it every six months’. We design in a manner that we hope negates built in obsolescence, but simply reflects an ever-changing society. We are not trying to reinvent the wheel every six months. We approach our collections more like product design - new equations arise as society evolves, and each season we attempt to seek out new solutions. Do you see your works as reflections of society/culture or more as Petri-dishes that bear the results of society/culture – do you reflect or interrogate? JCH: Our design is a two tier process – in order to interrogate we must first reflect. The analogy of a Petri- dish is very relevant to our brand as we often bring disparate elements together to create something new. We are very much interested in the idea of a ‘discordant synergy’ and the friction that it brings to our brand image. Duality doesn’t always have to be harmonious. The same way as extremes of society we choose to dissect and communicate don’t necessarily sit in agreement side by side. For us this serves to heighten and intensify the meaning in our work. The different perspectives come from the communication between father and son. Just what is it about duality that is so important to the Casely-Hayford’s? There are two of you putting into practise an ethos that reconciles the two notions of “British Anarchy” and “English Sartorialism” and your Grand/Great-grandfather’s (the Ghana-born J.E.Casely-Hayford was a writer and political acti vist) book, Ethiopia Unbound, even had duality at its heart with the debates between African and English friends. Did that book almost set the template for Casely-Hayford to follow? Dialogue as means to innovate? JCH: Well I think your question pretty much hits the spot for me. Duality has been significant in the way I
- Page 37 -
view the world. It comes from the simultaneous experience of being an insider and an outsider. ‘Ethiopia Unbound’ talked about a double consciousness and I suppose that’s how I lead my life. This idea can be transposed into a solipsistic context which we can all relate to from time to time. CCH: The book bears great relevance to the brand’s message. It is the concept of what we call ‘a double consciousness’ that invokes such a hold on our connection to duality. We both strongly relate to the idea of feeling inside and outside of our environment simultaneously. It’s the notion of not quite feeling at home in your country of origin, and yet not feeling fully content in your host country. From this thinking arose the term double consciousness that we translated through our collection into a form of duality - not being subsumed by one bubble, but instead existing in that undefined space between two. It’s a sort of existentialism, which provides a varied and asymmetrical outlook. Who or what, in modern youth culture, best conveys the Casely-Hayford ethos? JCH: Our brand isn’t solely about youth or modernity, so to restrict our development by functioning within this narrow context would inhibit our progress. We principally use British culture as a foundation for the brand’s DNA, marrying disparate elements in order to create a discordant synergy. With this in mind we are also influenced by the new idea of the transcultural nomad. We draw from a variety of elements and wouldn’t want to limit our possibilities by functioning on a single level. When was the last time you were so blown away by a new technique/idea/application that you had to drop everything to begin working on it for yourself ? About two seasons ago we became interested in the idea of ‘Performance Tailoring’. A term we coined to express the fusion between sportswear and fine tailoring. We began working with Japanese artisans to cultivate a suit block, which was water resistant, lightweight, durable and had enough stretch to adapt to the movements of the body. We continue to work with this concept in mind today and each season, in an attempt to provide a more practical alternative to the traditional definition of the 21st century suit
•
Striped shirt, long knitted cardigan, wool joggers and woven suede shoes Casely-Hayford
- Fashion & Art magazine -
TEA PAPER n 0 2
- Page 38 -
TEA PAPER n 0 2 - Fashion & Art magazine -
Striped shirt with back-fastening Casely-Hayford
Striped shirt with back-fastening Casely-Hayford
- Page 39 -
Wool coat with zip-off bottom, wool military trousers and fairisle knitted sleeve Casely-Hayford
- Fashion & Art magazine -
TEA PAPER n 0 2
- Page 40 -
Fairisle knitted sleeves and jersey joggers Casely-Hayford
- Fashion & Art magazine -
TEA PAPER n 0 2
- Page 41 -
TEA PAPER n 0 2 - Fashion & Art magazine -
Printed scarf, printed sweatshirt, wool coat with zip-off bottom, wool military trousers and leather boots Casely-Hayford
- Page 42 -
Wool coat with zip-off bottom, wool military trousers and fairisle knitted sleeve and leather boots Casely-Hayford
- Fashion & Art magazine -
TEA PAPER n 0 2
- Page 43 -
TEA PAPER n 0 2 - Fashion & Art magazine -
James Long Casely-Hay f ord Christopher Sha n n on Aitor Throup Christopher Shannon’s star is burning white hot as a result of his perpetual reinterpretations of UK sportswear. After his MA in menswear from Central Saint Martin’s, Liverpoolborn Christopher Shannon was announced part of the famed NEWGEN fashion class. Men’s luxury has reached a new dimension with his trademark use of traditional and hitech materials with playful prints.
Christopher, I’d like to open our conversation with a quote from fashion writer Colin McDowell who recently blogged that High Street fashion is really only about standardization, offering nothing but “a façade of variety and individual choice.” Indeed, he calls it “bland”. Instead, he sites couture as the “source of true fashion originality”. As someone who is so linked to, energized by and enthused about ‘street’ fashion and ideas, what is your take on McDowell’s opinion?
Alex Jackson talked to him about the Liverpool attitude, work as masturbation and the latest A/W collection that distils debonair Alpinism through the mean urban filter of Dalston.
I think there is a massive difference between what high street shops sell and what street fashion is. I think the key is subverting it and making something your own rather than adapting a uniform. Many amazing designers including Galliano, who Colin endlessly drools over, is massively influenced by street culture, as is Marc Jacobs. Going to a high street shop would never inspire me, so I suppose I agree with that. Also much couture is vomit worthy. Those overdressed west London ladies can be as tedious as the droves of people in bad copies on Oxford Street. Originality can come from anywhere. You grew up in Liverpool. How would you describe the attitude of youth up there and how has it influenced your work as a designer? Yes I did and, the attitude of youth is terrifying. Well, mine was but I was always drawn to the badly behaved kids. I suppose in Liverpool there is a culture of being quite bolshie but also really enthusiastic. The city has such a particular character and history. It has influenced my character, which I suppose in turn influences my design. Can you remember who your biggest idols were as a kid and why? Loads I suppose. I remember the first person I thought was ‘cool’ in a conventional way was Neneh Cherry. I was also blown away by Björk in the Sugacubes, but not really knowing why. I have an older brother who would introduce me to things at a really young age. I was quite alone in that I didn’t have any friends my own age who where into those things. My mum would play Grace Jones, Prince and Bob Marley a lot – usually really loud as we got in from school. We had lodgers from time to time and they were actors, designers and drag queens.
- Page 44 -
TEA PAPER n 0 2 - Fashion & Art magazine -
They were much to the bemusement of the neighbours and I would be really taken with them. Still now I can’t buy into the celebrity thing. I worked in pop styling a few years and that took the gloss of things. Everyone was so rough! For you, who what is the most inspiring, exciting, firebrands in youth culture right now? I think inspiring things come when people are hankering after a different sensation. If I was 15 now, I wouldn’t have an idea of what I’d be drawn to. Everything is so accessible it must be really hard to rebel. I read a quote the other day ‘Goth is a circle that isn’t going anywhere,’ and that’s how I feel about loads of things that are attached to youth culture. I suppose it means people who make it through will be really amazing. It’s really easy to be mindless now but there are less and less excuses. There are loads of things I like, but none that seemed really connected to youth culture specifically. When did you know that you wanted to be a fashion designer? I didn’t know, it has a process of elimination. I was drawn to graphics and fine art, but questioned my skills, ego and the fact of being a poor artist. As it turned out, fashion is that too, so I was a little naïve. I knew I liked drawing, imagery and I suppose clothes too. A lot of designers I know are obsessive. It’s some kind of character flaw with the result of ending up in design. The other thing I wanted to be was a video director, and I still long for that a bit. I suppose it comes from the same sort of place and need. You can take the man out of Liverpool but you can’t take Liverpool out of the man - or maybe you can?! There are no bona fide shellsuits in the AW10 collection, but in all seriousness, your signature look does seem to invoke something of a ‘Northern Style’. In fact, you have referred to “refined scallyism” in the past when talking about your work. Could you explain more about this feeling that is obviously imbued in your work? Ossie Clark is from down the road and I don’t remember him doing shellsuits. I don’t really understand how I would be doing anything else. The refined scallyism was
a comment I made once and it ended up all over the place. I’m going to have a Northern style because I’m from the North. I’m not aware of a southern style. On my MA at Central Saint Martins I really rooted out what I was about and where all these ideas came from in the first place. I had an unusual upbringing. I was exposed to lots of different people, which was against a backdrop of a very Liverpudlian way of growing up. So many things came from Liverpool in fashion, like Flemings jeans. They were one of the first fashion jeans to be worn outside the states. The creation of the Casuals culture is also rooted in Liverpool and had global impact. On the flipside you’ve got Pete Burns, Kenny Everett and Frankie Goes to Hollywood. All extreme, but couldn’t really come from anywhere else than Liverpool. It’s a place that is inherently tongue in cheek. That comes through in my work, as do the original reference points. So then, onto your AW10 collection: what were the specific inspirations/themes behind and does it have a title? We called it Alpino Dalstano, which just amused me one day and seemed to cement the ideas for the collection. My studio is this odd, almost colonial feeling, like a barn. We were there all winter in the freakish snow and it felt very rural walking around the corner into Dalston. The mood is totally different and a bit rank. So we made these ski inspired pieces and put them together with what we saw in Dalston. Of course, with Alpino Dalstano there is the expected urban feel to your garments but how challenging/exciting/new for you was it to try and reconcile urbanity with nature – the Alpine – in this collection? I’m not I really sure I thought of nature. I mean winter is cold but beyond that I don’t know. If the opposite of urban is rural, then everyone is one or the other. Mine is probably a bit of both. The collections are always as exciting to work on as they are frustrating. I don’t like to jump themes every season. I don’t understand how people do. It’s about a continuing piece of work. I don’t get one show out and then think, “Oooh lets do Russian-fantasy-dwarf-wedding next season”. We go back to the pieces and rethink them, hoping to improve them. Changing direction every season seems to stink of inse-
- Page 45 -
curity and no real essence to the work. Were there any particular experimentation employed and executed in the AW10 collection? Any element(s) of the collection that stick out as personal favourites (ours is probably the hooded anorak shirt, loved that)? The anorak shirt is a favourite. It’s one of those pieces that I felt a bit unsure of. I find elongation in menswear so feminizing and I can’t stand a long jumper. They look so ‘Fashion College’ and I can’t imagine anyone I know looking good in one. The lengthening of the shirt and hood made it more of a hybrid. It’s a simple and elegant piece on the hanger too. I also love the grey padded knit jumper. Again, it’s really simple but nicely done, and there’s just enough padding to alter the silhouette. The heavy layering that featured in the AW09 series is back again. Is this a favoured technique to really max out your ideas in a single outfit and give us the full Christopher Shannon experience? It’s half-half. We always sample as much as possible so we have loads of options when editing. I think it really shows, when designers just throw everything they made down the runway. We play until we get it right. I like to build it up for winter then strip it back for summer. And then there are also a lot of multiple textures within single pieces too (shirts with velour type bottom halves etc), what was the drive behind this? I love working with staples like shirts and simple jersey pieces. Sometimes you just want to keep a nice cut so working with textures can be a simple way to move forward. Some people finish studying fashion and cannot wait to get stuck into high concept and luxury designing. Yet you are clearly more interested in elements of realism and practicality – and I mean that word in a positive sense. What is it about more ‘street-youth’ defined design that speaks so strongly to you? That it’s relevant. Louise Wilson (MA Fashion Course Director at Central Saint Martin’s College of Art & De-
TEA PAPER n 0 2 - Fashion & Art magazine -
sign) would on the MA constantly refer to some people’s work as total masturbation. She meant that it has no relevance outside their own minds and that they are pleasuring themselves without seeing anything bigger. Many designers think they know what luxury is, but still make it so cliché and tacky. Expensive fabric doesn’t make it luxury. It’s about your approach and offering something a bit more exclusive. My pieces may be youth led and practical, but they are still stocked in amazing stores across the world. I think that speaks volumes. Indeed, that anorak-shirt coupled with the paisley print makes for an almost fey indie-boy look – surely your inner scaly wanted to punch his lights out for looking so fancy? Only harem pants and tragic pointy shoes could ignite such anger in me - not a shirt and jeans. I don’t really care what people wear. It only annoys me when its mindless, fake fabrication of an identity rooted in nothing. I’m all for people looking fancy. Speaking of the paisley, it doesn’t strike me as a typically wintry print but in your hands it almost takes on an element of winter camouflage. Why did you want to feature paisley so heavily? Paisley is a classic graphic and I’m drawn to those elements. I’d tried it so many ways and couldn’t get it right, but finally it clicked. And why not for winter? Whose rules are those? We included a snowflake, which again was something that looked a bit tacky initially but combined with the paisley looked really strong. It seemed stupid not to include more of the print when it looked so good. In the past you have defended your decision to step into quite commercial collaborations, Reebok for instance. While there’s no collaboration on this collection it seems that your take on ‘being commercial’ is collaborating with brand to sell your clothes. Actually giving the clothes a sense of reality, perhaps missing from other designers, making your clothes appear more accessible, more desirable even? Is that accurate?
Completely. The thing that annoys me about London is people go ‘oh I don’t care about sales, I’m being creative!’ – again total masturbation. Look at Prada and Balenciaga, they are completely creative, amazing and yet totally desirable. The same could be said about Helmut Lang and Margiela. Maybe not Margiela at the moment, but a while back. They are all designers with big ideas but it’s also so wantable. If no one wants it, just stay home and make it for yourself or do costume. I never actually collaborated with Reebok, but they were my sponsor. We couldn’t achieve what I wanted to, so I moved on. I also worked with Eastpack whom I loved working with. I don’t try to be commercial; this is the designer I am. I’m not harbouring some rank desire to blatantly plagiarize Leigh Bowery or Westwood or whatever. I just do what I want to do, there’s no secret agenda. I’m not going to turn around next season and start doing conceptual frilly knickers. Do you see yourself as a designer who’s clothes are specifically for a youth-orientated audience, or can you imagine yourself, in time, creating looks for the older gent? I don’t give it any thought really. 50 year-olds hardly dress in slacks and blazers now, do they? I’m sure there want be a need for age specification as people continue to age disgracefully and dress like their children. Look at Madonna, surely that’s a sign of the horror to come. I do loads of shirts and simple knits that anyone can buy into. The anorak shirt is a good example, and it looks really good on women surprisingly. You’ve already worked with some big names (Colette, Judy Blame etc) but who is left that you would consider as the ultimate, the dream collaboration and why? Lord only knows. In terms of fashion, I just want to work with people and achieve the best work possible. I don’t like feeling tied down to working with certain things. There is a photographer called Tom Wood who I would love to do something with. I’m currently working on doing something with the artist Sophie Lisa Beresford whose work is amazing. I’d like to do a premium sportswear line and also some great footwear. I’ll do anything if I think its good, just seems like there aren’t that many great things about
•
- Page 46 -
Paneled denim jacket, knitted gloves (worn as epaulettes), furry sweatshirt with mesh panels and paisley-print trousers Christopher Shannon
Boots Dr Martens
- Fashion & Art magazine -
TEA PAPER n 0 2
- Page 47 -
TEA PAPER n 0 2
Shirt with cut-out sleeves Christopher Shannon
- Fashion & Art magazine -
Shirt with cut-out sleeves and furry joggers Christopher Shannon
Boots Dr Martens
- Page 48 -
TEA PAPER n 0 2
Paisley-print leggings (worn as scarf), knitted jumper and lightweight coat Christopher Shannon
- Fashion & Art magazine -
Paisley-print leggings (worn as scarf), knitted jumper, lightweight coat and paisley-print jeans Christopher Shannon
Boots Dr Martens
- Page 49 -
TEA PAPER n 0 2 - Fashion & Art magazine -
- Page 50 -
Furry sweatshirt with mesh panels and paisley-print trousers Christopher Shannon
- Fashion & Art magazine -
TEA PAPER n 0 2
- Page 51 -
TEA PAPER n 0 2 - Fashion & Art magazine -
James long Casely-Hay f ord Christopher Sha n n on Aitor Throup Aitor Throup (b. 1980) is obsessed; obsessed with justification, solution, anatomy, ergonomics, football, the postindustrial market town of Burnley and an intense aversion to style-prescription. These are not common in the fashion industry, but fuel his conceptual object-based work that confronts the creative border between fashion, art and reality. Aitor Throup is changing the face of modern menswear and sportswear. Aitor Throup was born in Argentina and grew up in Spain before settling in England. Since 2006 he has worked for Stone Island, Umbro and designed the new English football kits.
I want to start by asking you about the importance of anatomy to you as a fashion designer? The human anatomy is directly related to the body, and I feel it justifies my work. I’m interested in how the body moves and ultimately in converting what is effectively a two dimensional piece of fabric. Through various methods I transform the fabric into 3D pieces that directly interacts with the human body. Although I’m obsessed with anatomy itself, it’s more the idea of exploring how the human body works and how a piece of fabric can interact directly with the human body. I’m personally very interested in anatomical illustrations, particularly from the Renaissance period. I guess my interest comes from my childhood. My mother trained to be a doctor, so I’ve always been surrounded by medical books. I’m grateful to my Mother for exposing me to all this, which sort of opened my mind. I guess your interest in anatomy helps explain the influences behind the LEGS collection from 2009? Kind of. As the title suggests, I think about the body rather than the garment when I design. LEGS wasn’t a collection of trousers but a collection of legs. It was about a dynamic flow of a pair of legs rather than what kind of trousers would look cool. Aside from that, I also wanted to prove my stance as a designer. It was a retrospective of the trousers I have designed in the past. It was about seeing each trouser in a new way and appreciating the rich concept and narrative behind. It was a justification of each pair’s components and showing an ability to design objects and garments without relying on an outfit, which I think is a really powerful statement. Do you worry about how the audience understands your pieces? LEGS, for instance, looks more like an installation – do you find yourself trying to think around the traditional catwalk presentation? I’m interested in fashion on a personal level. I follow what designers are doing, but I often feel alien in the industry. I can’t live by the parameters that exist within the majority of the fashion industry. I don’t want to prescribe a sense of style. My work is object-based and individual-garment-based. It’s all about the person who wears my garments and how they make them personal
Aitor Throup told Alex Jackson about the failings of the fashion industry, Football Casuals, and the moment inspiration struck on a flight home from a crap summer-job in Majorca.
- Page 52 -
TEA PAPER n 0 2 - Fashion & Art magazine -
in their own style. My work is never about breaking away from tradition or the norm. Every single aspect of my work is justified – I am obsessed with the idea of having to justify something. For someone who works in a creative industry, it might sound contradictory of me to say that all that raw creativity has to be justified. But that’s the art behind my work. It has a reason and everything is accounted for. Justification is how my brain works. When I generate ideas it’s sort of floats in a sphere of white light without corners or edges, just infinite whiteness. The viewpoint is like a camera attached to the inside of this white sphere, which moves the object in any direction, 360 degrees. In the perfect centre of this sphere is the garment, or object, just hovering there. The view, the camera, is constantly moving and I’m exploring the object from all conceivable angles to find out everything I possibly can about that object. That in itself creates an aesthetic – something interesting and new. It’s something created in the middle of this digitally white space, free of reality, gravity and anything else that denotes reality. It appears as a concept that is not bound by the rules we have to live by every day. The white sphere is also apparent on my website where the white background lets my sketches float and hover for the mind to interpret. Do you think that young designers today are more naturally predisposed to combining creative disciplines (use of film etc), after all, our culture is more multi-platform (Facebook, myspace, blogs, tweets) than ever. Does this approach make for better design? All comes down to two things. Firstly: what is right for my work? Secondly: what is Fashion? On one hand Fashion is the garment. You could therefore argue that all shows should be about the garments, and that should govern the hierarchy. But Fashion is also about the experience, the styles, the trends, the look – all things that I’m not particularly interested in but I think Fashion is a combination of all those things. Fashion has lots of terms attached to it, terms like ‘theatre’. Other terms, which are very important to me, are ‘design’ and ‘art’. Regardless of all the things mentioned above, I think that all I need to know are those two. In terms of fashion design is problem-solving and art is problem-making, really. People often ask whether I consider myself an artist or
a designer. Considering I’ve shown the majority of my work, I’ve never sold anything other than a product line of three pairs of trousers. I often mention that I once heard someone say, ‘artists create problems and designers solve them.’ Artists suggest issues and make you ponder when you might not have otherwise. I think that is successful art. Another sign of being successful is by solving a problem. The problem doesn’t necessarily have to be function-based, but it may just be a creatively led problem. As an artist, I create stories and narratives that have a very valid emotional reason, which is why my work is often metaphorical. But does that make what I do fashion? Probably, because what is fashion – it’s whatever you want it to be. I’ve seen a lot of interesting designers having troughs and peaks because of the pressure from the fashion industry – to have to show things, concepts and themes every six months seems a ludicrous dictation. On top of that, the designers have to present the collections on a catwalk which becomes a creative limitation in itself. The sense of immediacy, our temporary nature, is something that really bothers me. I am much more interested in the idea of subverting the psychology within, and making the work itself static. Making the audience active around it. Doing this creates a much more positive balance of interaction between the audience, garment and designer. The object is there, suspended and presented in a pose or situation that allows the viewer to enter into the concept or narrative behind it. It creates a very interesting aesthetic and some people will consume the work completely from an aesthetic level. But if you did want to delve deeper, then my work is more of an art exhibition. It allows you to take as long as you want to explore the garments. I’m much more interested in that, and I think that is surely much more compelling for an audience. I often compare the fashion industry to the music industry, as we are all artists. Imagine musicians presenting a new album every six months and releasing it the same day as the rest. Not only that, but strip the validity of the output by limiting it to a six month shelflife. Imagine if you couldn’t buy all The Beatles’ albums anymore, just because they were ‘dated’, or whatever? For me, it all comes down to longevity and timelessness – and I’m still interested in all those ideas I generated years ago. Interesting art is timeless and should always be available.
- Page 53 -
I’m intrigued to hear more about your story. You are from Argentina and arrived in Burnley via Spain? What’s the story there, and what did Burnley imbue in you in terms of leading you to the position you are in today? Actually, I can say very confident that if I hadn’t, rather weirdly, ended up in Burnley I would not be doing what I am doing now. It’s 100 per cent because of Burnley. Argentina was in economic downfall in the 1980s, and by 1987 we had immigrated to Madrid. I was seven years old. It was tough for my mother who was a single parent with two kids, my older sister and I. My mother had to let go of her medical career to get us out of Argentina. Anyway, eventually she met a guy, an Englishman, who just happened to be from Burnley. They married in Madrid but decided to move to Burnley. That happened in ’92, so I was nearly 12 by then and I saw it all as an adventure. It was actually a pretty tough time for me. I was the odd one out and I couldn’t speak English when I started school. The mates who taught me English back then are still my close mates today. In terms of directly connecting Burnley to my work, - it was really all about football being brought up in two very football-centric cultures in Argentina and Spain. We actually lived down the road from the Bernabéu stadium in Madrid and I supported Real Madrid. However it was more about playing football than following a team, very different to the English culture. All of a sudden I landed in Burnley, of all places. A football-driven town where Burnley Football Club is the most exciting thing there. Eventually, I found myself going to every home game with the next-door neighbours. It was an immediate submersion into a new world, which was accessible, new and exciting. At the age of 15 years I had adapted the ’English’, right down to how the football culture was into the clothes that we wore. I still find the style from the early-to-mid-90s inspiring and it was a real turning point in the Football Casuals style, particularly in the North of England. It was actually, sadly, the end of the Football Casual trend that had been evolving. I really admired and still do, brands like C.P. Company and Stone Island. They were selling avant-garde stuff back then as the goggle jackets. Violent blokes, hard types, from the football fraternity wore these avant-garde pieces. The juxtaposition of negative and positive energies really fascinated me, it still does.
TEA PAPER n 0 2
Paneled trousers Aitor Throup
Boots Dr Martens
- Fashion & Art magazine -
A little group of us began getting more and more interested in the actual garments themselves. We saved up to make sure we could have a new winter coat every year. It was all very exciting. But I have never aspired to be a designer, it just wasn’t an option. After my A-Levels, I was stuck and just didn’t have a clue what I wanted to do. I did the typical British thing and went abroad to work, ending up as a waiter in Majorca. I was nearly 19 years old and in a crappy Spanish restaurant where we didn’t have much to do. I began to draw – comic book characters, which had been my first real passion. It was one of those restaurants where you got those throw-away paper placemats, so I had loads of paper to draw on. I couldn’t wait to get back to Burnley and pull on my CP Company and Stone Island jackets. I’d stripped myself of my identity, while I’d been in Majorca. I’d been wearing shorts and a T-Shirt everyday and I felt like I’d lost my identity. It’s interesting that fashion can embed such a notion. The football season would be kicking of and I couldn’t wait to get back to my old routines and look. I have always been drawn to comic book characters. Actually the principle of designing comic book characters is closely connected to my design philosophy. Batman represents both what he’s able to do and what he represents, philosophically, through his costume. Consequently, my comic book characters became dressed in the clothes and identity I was looking forward to myself – the jackets with big hoods and big pockets. ‘Wouldn’t it be cool, if I took one of these drawings to the local seamstress back home to make me this amazing jacket. The only one in the world?’ To have a one off was the ultimate thing in the Casuals culture. I carried on thinking about that and on the plane home from Majorca it just all kind of clicked. It was like ‘Oh, maybe trying to design garments is what I should do?’ So from there I went to Manchester to do my BA in fashion but even then it was a gamble. I didn’t have a clue about the fashion industry. I was interested in a few brands and I could draw better than anyone else but that was it. Still, here I am. Just going back to the influence and themes of football, where you collaborated with Umbro making the new England kits (as worn at the recent World Cup in South Africa). For someone who loves football, who has been inspired by
football culture so much, - to be able to design your own shirt for real must have been something of a childhood dream? Yeah, it was. It was an important moment for me. It was such an honour and responsibility. Literally every single ounce of my energy went into making sure that I did the best job I possibly could. It was important not to get carried away and simply make a good-looking football top. Looking back now, I’m really happy with them. The work on the white home kit was such an amazing learning curve. I did something completely new and was able to implement that on the second kit, the red away one which I took more of a lead on. On a personal note, I am much happier with the red away shirt. All down to the construction, patterns, elastication, range of motion and articulation. It’s one of the most interesting things I’ve ever done. That was my goal. Like any project I do, - to be able to make something I am happy to have as part of my legacy in a conceptual context. Every project has to have validity and conceptual integrity. It was a huge achievement to apply the same level of conceptual integrity on the football kits as I put into my own work. All through this interview you’ve been talking about your desire to justify everything you do, what would you say to people who sneer at the idea of a fashion designer making a footy shirt? We never came up against that kind of opinion, and I still haven’t. There may well be those who do feel like that. One of the primarily aspects of my work is the human anatomy and how garments interact ergonomically with the body. It not only seemed like a really exciting proposition in terms of the fashion element, but also a very relevant one. I don’t know if there’s another designer or artist working in the fashion industry with the credentials needed to justify designing a football kit? Aside from aesthetics, it just made sense. I’m interested in football, the human body and in Umbro as a brand. I used to wear their kits playing football for school, and they have made some of the most beautiful and timeless football shirts, like the England 1966 kit. And the players, how did they respond? I guess it’s the ultimate justification if they were intrigued and appreciative of the technology you were trying to instil in the garment – after all,
- Page 54 -
it’s for helping them first and foremost? Ha ha, well, it was supposed to. But no, the reactions of footballers are like everyone else. Some are more interested than others. Rio Ferdinand was certainly one of the most receptive, but a lot of them were very intrigued because they had been used to certain processes when being presented with new football kits. Usually kits had been all about being ‘5mg lighter’ than the last one. Such things have even been externalized to the fans in the past and, I mean, who cares? Even the players don’t care if the fabric is lighter. I wanted to dispense the ‘go faster’ rhetoric and place more emphasis on England kits from the past. The 60s and 70s had managed to combine the height of style and technology. Football shirts are incredible pieces of iconography; they are like cultural sponges, imbued with the absorbed the elements and character of their wearers, evolving over the years. They manage to represent times, people, places and a sense of history more than maybe any other single type of garment. How do you feel about football shirts – they’re more than what they appear to be, right? Yes, definitely. I think that they can symbolize so many things besides the achievements of a specific team from a specific time. I wouldn’t like to think that these shirts that I helped to create would be remembered by the state of our country. Or our games at the World Cup, which we don’t need to go into. I just hope they will be remembered for standing out. It might sound weird and self-righteous, but I really think they look different from any other football shirt out there at the moment. I think that that in itself is something that England can be proud of. Even if we’d been knocked out at the group stages there would have been a certain sartorial win. What was really interesting was that many of the players were reacting to the shirts as a piece of, well, fashion. Almost as something that could enhance their style, which was clearly something they’d never come across before. They immediately looked themselves in the mirror after putting on the kit and said, ‘wow, it’s really cool.’ It was a very powerful response. We’re at a stage now where we can utilize an ability of making players feel stylish – more stylish than their opposition. If we can supply their performance with style, - then that’s incredible. Hopefully the shirts will be remembered for being of a time when we instigated a change
•
TEA PAPER n 0 2
Paneled trousers Aitor Throup
Boots Dr Martens
- Fashion & Art magazine -
- Page 55 -
TEA PAPER n 0 2 - Fashion & Art magazine -
gil bert
g o rd on
- Page 56 -
TEA PAPER n 0 2 - Fashion & Art magazine -
- Page 57 -
TEA PAPER n 0 2 - Fashion & Art magazine -
A LIFE'S WORK Photographed by Piero Martinello
Attilio Pavin — Artist
This series showcases traditional craftsmen from North Eastern Italy, a region that is among the wealthiest and most industrialised regions in Italy today. Life-worn faces, including those of a painter, a steel worker and a fisherman, reflect individual stories, as well as the plight of the traditional workman in an era of industrial automation.
- Page 58 -
TEA PAPER n 0 2
Mario Converio — Iron sculptor
- Fashion & Art magazine -
- Page 59 -
Pierfranco De Rossi — Steel and plastic materials producer
- Fashion & Art magazine -
TEA PAPER n 0 2
- Page 60 -
TEA PAPER n 0 2
Alfredo Troisi — Painter and designer
- Fashion & Art magazine -
- Page 61 -
TEA PAPER n 0 2
Gianni Bozzo — Innkeeper
- Fashion & Art magazine -
- Page 62 -
TEA PAPER n 0 2
Unknown — Fisherman from Chioggia
- Fashion & Art magazine -
- Page 63 -
TEA PAPER n 0 2
Unknown — Fisherman from Chioggia
- Fashion & Art magazine -
- Page 64 -
TEA PAPER n 0 2
Vittorio Bonomo — Cabinet-maker
- Fashion & Art magazine -
- Page 65 -
TEA PAPER n 0 2 - Fashion & Art magazine -
- Page 66 -
TEA PAPER n 0 2 - Fashion & Art magazine -
HUMAN A N AT O M Y VS.FAS H I O N Written by Louise Rytter
- Page 67 -
TEA PAPER n 0 2 - Fashion & Art magazine -
Dissecting the fashion tableau today is an alluring and exploratory experience. Fashion designers have always been interested in revealing the body, but there has never been such an immense display of bones and veins on the catwalk, expressed through radical materials and shapes. Designers such as Alexander McQueen, Sandra Backlund, Lilly Heine and Vivienne Westwood are spellbound by the mystery, beauty and bare scientific facts about the human anatomy. Their works stimulates intellectual curiosity and questions ideals of beauty, examining how they are dictated by celebrity culture and capitalism. Fashion and human anatomy exposes how everyday life is dictated by the interior and exterior of the human body. It’s a vital and unfurling trend, which deals with society and goes beyond preconceptions. Human anatomy expresses both the actual truth and a human desire to improve the body’s physical conditions. Fashion on the other hand reinvents its version of truth every six months. It unfurls a flow of multilayered trends of individuality in craftsmanship, expression and artistic licence. It’s a collection of visual ideas that strives to improve individuals identity and relation to their social environment. The educated consumer hungers after change and demands distinctive and intelligent designs, which flourish as conceptual design thinking. Our body is the only canvas we are truly able to dominate and manipulate. Human anatomy in fashion can be seen as a DNA for radical visions of contemporary and future fashion. The fashionable body Despite technological, methodological and experimental advances in science and medicine, the basic understanding of anatomy dates back to ancient Greece. The demystification of the human anatomy was regarded as a practice of philosophy in order to find the secrets of life. The Greeks were highly engaged in unravelling the human body in order to find its ideal proportions, which they believed only gods had. The ideal of beauty has been discussed for centuries, and it’s continual questioning remains a rallying point in art and fashion. The ‘fashionable’ body has in the last century been approached from different angles and transformed remarkably. The exhibition “Are Clothes Modern?”, at New York Museum of Modern Art in 1944, was curated by the influential architect,
designer and writer Bernard Rudofsky. The exhibition questioned beauty ideals and consumerism of fashion design. It examined the increase of change in styles regardless of health and common sense. Bernard Rudofsky’s book, “The unfashionable body”, stated that the ideal was naturalness in its purest form and praised the ideals of the ancient Greece and Renaissance, where the body was a matter of unique proportion. The human anatomy has equally changed proportion in fashion with the visual and scientific development of anatomical art and science. Fashion and art have through imaginative ideas encapsulated unreachable ideals regarding the human anatomy and silhouette of the body. Certain fashion trends have indeed changed the structure of the body. Some in unhealthy forms exemplified by the hourglass shaped corset and the development of the mannequin. The Shocking The Italian designer Elsa Schiaparelli (1890-1973) challenged the boundaries of fashion through contemporary Surrealist art and in dialogue with Salvador Dali. Their Skeleton dress in 1936 marked a definitive change in fashion design. This conceptual and provocative dress was a radical statement, made in relation to past perceptions of fashion and traditional ideas. Surrealism began to discuss and interact with fashion as a communicative art form. It introduced new visions through dreams, everyday objects, sexual desires, nudity and ‘laissez-faire’ experimentation. The surrealists were interested in the human anatomy on such a scale that body parts and the cadaver were incorporated on mannequins, furniture, clothes, paintings, illustrations, collages, photographs and creative methods as the dedication of the exquisite corpse. The surreal ideas nurtured imaginative designs and were celebrated by spectacular garments in French Haute Couture. Yves Saint Laurent, Christian Dior, Christian Lacroix and Cristobal Balenciaga where highly influenced by Elsa Schiaparelli’s ‘shocking’ and radical approach to fashion. The extravagant Haute Couture garments were a synergy of visionary ideas, elegant materials and shapes refined to the human body. Human anatomy in fashion from 1970s - 2010 The skull was used as a provocative figure in the 70s
- Page 68 -
punk style introduced by Malcolm McLaren and Dame Vivienne Westwood. The rough and dark punk style opposed the glamorous Haute Couture. Punk was an anti-fashion-lifestyle embodied by chains, bondage, spikes and leather, which shouted unconventional sex. From the 1970 and 1980s the Antwerp six, Martin Margiela, Issey Miyake, Rei Kawakubo and Yoji Yamamoto introduced a pioneering avant-garde vision of fashion. The line between art and fashion had blurred and was communicated through a variety of new communicative mediums. Walter Van Beirendonck from the Antwerp Six experimented with highly sexual concepts and created direct responses to our beauty ideals. He designed a quilted jacket of a muscular torso, his own chest hair printed on t-shirts and penises on hats and trousers. Maison Martin Margiela reshaped and deconstructed the human body as an intellectual statement. The mannequin, human skin and hair were transformed into full body jumpsuits and human hair coats. Issey Miyake, Commes des Garsons and Yoji Yamamoto experimented with fabric as the structure and movement of the muscles. Issey Miyake’s Baguette from the APOC line, ‘a piece of cloth’, and the “Mutant Pleats over Tattoo body” collection A/W 1989 suggested a notion of secondary skin, veins and blood. Thierry Mugler designed armours inspired by the skeleton and Oliver Thyskens printed the human heart and circulation system on a jumpsuit. Alexander McQueen was throughout his career infatuated by the human bone structure and even made the skull his trademark. His two last collections proved how human and animal anatomy can be interpreted into complex and intriguing prints. A new generation of young designers are today pushing fashion and human anatomy in a direction where social responsibility, technology and a craft for artistic imagination is vividly used. New technology has made unthinkable fashions possible. But why are designers and emerging talents consistently interested in the human anatomy? What does their interest indicate about fashion and society? And how will future fashion be shaped with the fast growth of science and technology? Tea Paper asked the Swedish fashion designer Sandra Backlund (1975) about her use and fascination with the human anatomy in fashion
•
TEA PAPER n 0 2 - Fashion & Art magazine -
Bibliography of Sandra Backlund Gray, H. (1980), Grey’s Anatomy, 36th ed, Edinburgh, Churchill Livingstone Martin, R. (1996), Fashion & Surrealism, New York, Rizzoli International Publications Rifkin, B. (2006), Human Anatomy: From the Renaissance to the Digital Age, New York, Harry N. Abrams Lee, S. & Preez, W. (2007), Fashioning the Future: Tomorrow’s Wardrobe, London, Thames & Hudson Wilcox, C. (2003), Radical Fashion, London, V & A Publications
The Swedish fashion designer Sandra Backlund (1975) has, since graduating from Beckman’s School of Design in 2004, established her own label and showed twelve exceptional collections. The human anatomy is a returning visual inspiration as well as the starting point to her narrative concepts. Sandra Backlund creates her designs with respect to the traditional handicraft methods, collages and a laissez-faire approach where she constructs the fabric while working. Sandra Backlund started to work with the long tradition of Italian knitwear and apparel production in 2008. The goal was to find a way to make machine-made pieces stand side by side with her significant handmade pieces, within the same collection. Her personal and conceptual design approach; meticulous craftsmanship and refined aesthetics embrace a modern Haute Couture. Each of her collections has been a symbiosis of architecture and imaginative sculptures drawn from the human body. What do you associate with these words? The human anatomy = Amazing shapes and functions. Skin and bones = Surface and structure Unravel = An eternal mission Imagination = Dreams Inspiration = Creative rush What interests you about fashion and what motivates you as a fashion designer? Fashion is one of the most democratic art forms, and something we all are related to whether we like or not. You don’t have to be actively involved within arts or be a designer to use fashion as a creative statement. In the end, it’s not even a matter of money. I cannot stand the whole conversation on what is in and isn’t. Who decided that colours and shapes no longer have their own independent meaning and are possible to use without a trend experts approval. People in general should be more self-governed when it comes to fashion. If you like something you will know it, without anyone telling you to. I have always felt a strong connection to arts and crafts, and a need to express myself in a creative way. But my artistic side is also very influenced by a strong theoretical and mathematical vein. I have had a lot of hard times trying to make these two opposites within myself cooperate, and I think I often took the easy way out in this matter and choose one of them while denying the other. I finally found a way to combine both my free and my computing side through my fashion designs.
- Page 69 -
What do your designs wish to express? I am really introverted and lock myself in my studio when working. I guess what I am expressing is everything in my life both private, as a designer and as a founder of my own company. When others write poems, I do fashion. Can your designs be seen as an expression of art? Even though I think that you should never waste time trying to categorize what you do, I have a degree in fashion design and therefore I will always think of what I do as fashion. I believe fashion is an art form rather than an industry. What are your 3 overall inspirations and how are they visible in your work? My 3 overall inspirations are traditional handicraft techniques, collage and the human body. I am inspired by traditional handicraft techniques, because it a way to build your own fabric while working, and a way to use both mathematic and improvisation. It is the real thing, and everything that the fashion industry of today is not. It is consuming in matter of time and money, and a real trial to ones mental and physical strength. I never sketch for a garment, but instead invent the pieces while improving and actually creating them. I develop some handmade basic bricks that I multiply and attach to each other in different ways. I hereby discover new shapes and silhouettes that I would never come to think about in my head. The human body is a huge inspiration. I like to consciously dress and undress parts of the body that I am fascinated by. I’m inspired by the ways you can highlight, distort and transform the natural silhouette of the body with clothes and accessories. Why are you interested in the human anatomy? I think everything about the human body is incredibly fascinating. Especially the body’s symmetry with a few asymmetric exceptions, and the way it is beautiful but also quite repulsive. I honestly don’t know how to explain it, and I guess that is why it never fails to spellbind me.
TEA PAPER n 0 2 - Fashion & Art magazine -
»The body and my garments belong together in a way. I build the clothes directly on top of a body, a dress form or myself. My ideas often breed from the body, mentally and physically«
What are your favourite parts inside and outside of the human body and why? It is very difficult to choose. If I have to, it would be the inside ribs because they are our inner shields. Outside I would choose the shoulders because they can tell so many different stories depending on them being bare, slightly highlighted or totally distorted. You incorporate the human anatomy both aesthetically and technically in your designs? Can you clarify this in relation to your design approach and working process? The body and my garments belong together in a way. I build the clothes directly on top of a body, a dress form or myself. My ideas often breed from the body, mentally and physically. What makes knitwear an interesting material and what dose it express as a medium? Actually I do not feel like I choose knitwear, it just happened naturally that way. I have always been experimenting with different materials and three-dimensional shapes, which made the foundation to my collage knitting. Your work is conceptual and has a strong narrative. What was the inspiration and concept
behind your knitted collections “Last Breath Bruises” A/W 08-09 and “Pool position” S/S 09? In a way these collections are two chapters in a story. For my A/W 08-09 collection, Last Breath Bruises, I started of knowing that the collection had to be about bruises but I did not know why. Then someone close to me passed away in the beginning of the design process. In the very same second she took her last breath I fell down a steeply stairway in my studio. It was a very strange experience, but we always have had a special connection, so I guess it was not that strange after all. Beaten black and blue from the fall and heartbroken from loosing her, makes the collection very personal and melancholic. For my S/S 09 collection, Pool Position, the story takes another turn and gets a bit more complicated. This part, or second chapter, is about a Swedish girl in full mourning and a dark mind that spends a week in November in Miami. Like a mental and aesthetic culture shock. My ”relationship” to the Pool Position collection is extremely complicated. It is a complete mixture of things that I usually love and things that I usually hate. Some of the colours are my favourites and some of them my least favourite. Some of the shapes are exactly my taste and some of them are just horrible in my opinion, also regarding the silhouettes. I can’t tell you why this happened, but I guess the story behind the collection explains it better then I could ever do.
- Page 70 -
What made you shift from creating pure handcrafted garments to collaborating with Italian companies on machine-made pieces? Many things. In a way I got to a point where I found myself banging my head against the wall, unable to move further. I had been working for such a long time focusing mostly on the handicraft process, but after every collection I could not really figure out what was the real purpose of the clothes I did, besides of course the creative process. Over the years I took some private orders and this was very important, but often I had to turn down customers only because of time. The buyers of some really good stores had been asking me for many years about the possibility to offer my collections to their customers, but this was never possible when I was doing everything myself by hand. I will never give up doing my handmade ”fashion sculptures”, but I must say that it is great to know that people around the world is actually wearing my clothes now. How has your design approach and business skills developed since your first collection “Body skin and hair” from S/S 05? Hopefully I have learned a lot along the way and continue to get better in my field. I get happy every time someone tells me that they recognize my hand and my heart in the things that I do.
TEA PAPER n 0 2 - Fashion & Art magazine -
What collection and garment has made the biggest impact on you evolving as a designer? It is impossible to choose, for me every collection is both like a sequel and a new beginning. Is there an object, building or a person who changed your perception of fashion and how is this manifested in your design? During my time in fashion school I started to notice a strong interest within myself for collages. I started to spend more and more of my time working on inspirational collages for the presentations and less on drawing the collections. This made me realise that I had to find a personal way to translate my two dimensional picture collages and my fashion designs. I think that changed how I approach fashion the most.
new visions and stories told in the language of our time. What we need to realize is that all of us with the mission to create new things have to concentrate on what we are really good at, and leave to others to do what they do best. What is the inspiration for your next collection and what can we expect visually? I never speak about collections while I am working on them. I don’t even know myself what to expect before it’s completed
•
Besides fashion, what are you passionate about? My loved ones, and vintage shopping. What are you mostly worried about for the future of culture and society? It is a big responsible to be working as a designer at this time and very difficult to state the reasons why you should have the right to produce new things into a world in affluence. I like to believe that we can not live entirely on recycled things, but also need to be treated with
- Page 71 -
TEA PAPER n 0 2 - Fashion & Art magazine -
Stylist Malene Hvidt
Makeup Louise Polano Unique Look
Hair Simon Shaaban
trousers Vintage, Mardahl + Henrik Vibskov
shoes Stine Goya
bracelet Vintage, Monies
t-shirt AO
shoes People
trousers David Anderson
THE DANISH SAUVES
PhotoGRAPHERS Mads Emil Hilmer Hans H. Bærholm
Serina bodystocking Vilsbøl de Arce Christian jacket Jean Phillip
- Page 72 -
Assistant Nanna
Models Christian - 2PM Serina - Unique
TEA PAPER n 0 2 - Fashion & Art magazine -
- Page 73 -
TEA PAPER n 0 2 - Fashion & Art magazine -
trousers Weekday
Vest Jean Phillip
tank top David Andersen
shoes People - Page 74 -
Serina cape Kobra
shoes Camilla Skovgaard
CHRISTIAN coveralls Jean Phillip
- Fashion & Art magazine -
TEA PAPER n 0 2
- Page 75 -
TEA PAPER n 0 2 - Fashion & Art magazine -
dress & Jacket Spon Diogo
hat Cecilie Bahnsen - Page 76 -
TEA PAPER n 0 2 - Fashion & Art magazine -
- Page 77 -
- Page 78 -
trousers Louise Amstrup
Serina jacket Wackerhaus
necklace & BRACELET Dagmar Kestner
trousers & TANK TOP David Andersen
Christian cape Kobra
- Fashion & Art magazine -
TEA PAPER n 0 2
dress Cecilie Bahnsen
TEA PAPER n 0 2 - Fashion & Art magazine -
- Page 79 -
TEA PAPER n 0 2 - Fashion & Art magazine -
- Page 80 -
TEA PAPER n 0 2 - Fashion & Art magazine -
- Page 81 -
TEA PAPER n 0 2 - Fashion & Art magazine -
victor
nuno
- Page 82 -
TEA PAPER n 0 2 - Fashion & Art magazine -
- Page 83 -
TEA PAPER n 0 2 - Fashion & Art magazine -
trailer trash
- Page 84 -
TEA PAPER n 0 2 - Fashion & Art magazine -
- Page 85 -
TEA PAPER n 0 2 - Fashion & Art magazine -
- Page 86 -
TEA PAPER n 0 2 - Fashion & Art magazine -
- Page 87 -
TEA PAPER n 0 2 - Fashion & Art magazine -
- Page 88 -
TEA PAPER n 0 2 - Fashion & Art magazine -
- Page 89 -
TEA PAPER n 0 2 - Fashion & Art magazine -
- Page 90 -
TEA PAPER n 0 2 - Fashion & Art magazine -
P h o t o g r a p h ER Theodor Synnesvedt
Styling Adrian Sølberg
Model S y lv e s t e r UNIQUE
- Page 91 -
Clothing v i n ta g e o r Simon RasmusseN
TEA PAPER n 0 2 - Fashion & Art magazine -
RAD
HOURANI DIMITRIS
PETROU ASHER
LEVINE KONRAD
PAROL Text by Gillian Pryor
- Page 92 -
TEA PAPER n 0 2 - Fashion & Art magazine -
Hailing from all over the world, four young avant-garde designers are proving that the up and coming creative class is a force to be reckoned with. With far reaching talents, these experimentalists are exploring a new take on fashion.
- Page 93 -
TEA PAPER n 0 2 - Fashion & Art magazine -
RAD HOURANI DIMITRIS PETROU ASHER LEVINE KONRAD PAROL
You grew up in Montreal, and have lived all over the world as a stylist. How has your background and travels shaped your views and tastes on fashion and art? Circumstances have brought me to move around from an early point in my life, and I've felt compelled to continue to do so; for these experiences have made me consider things in a wider perspective with no restrictions. I want to convey this notion into my line and design: clothes that can be worn anywhere, anytime. That's why I don't see why we need to divide things by gender, seasons, rules, religion, race, nationality, age etc. I think that as a society, we’ve been extremely programmed. The way I do things without gender or season and it applies to everything in life. It’s about defying those limitations that are so often self-imposed. Your pieces are not made for a man or for a woman, so when you design what do you envision? How do you create such effortless pieces for both men and women? All my designs are made to be Unisex, therefore I don't have a women’s or men's piece in mind. I'm inspired by the idea of creating something that can't be defined by a limited category. Things, that has no reference to the past. The Rad Hourani person is someone who does not follow a trend; people who do not define themselves as men or women and who go beyond the classical demographical criteria. And who also looks comfortable when they move, think, talk and dress.
- Page 94 -
TEA PAPER n 0 2 - Fashion & Art magazine -
Rad Hourani is decidedly the most known of the next 4 designers we will be sitting down with, but there is more to this designer than meets the eye. From a Jordanian and Syrian background, Canadian upbringing, and now based between New York and Paris, Rad Hourani has lots to offer. Starting out as a stylist, he now creates his eponymous collection, as well as a spinoff: RAD by Rad Hourani. With a strong aes- thetic, and a deep rooting in the androgynous, this designer can add perfumer, director as well as shoe designer to his expanding CV. In four short years, Rad has built a cult like following, who are always hungry for the sexless, seasonless linear and pieces.
Your pieces seem very rooted in architecture and form. Can you elaborate on this? I love crisp and clean lines. I’m interested in the dialogue between form and function and I want to establish something perennial. I'm very interested in architecture, It allows me to focus on the strength of a sharp black line, and it's what you find in everything I do. When I design, I don't think of fashion and I don't design a garment in a sketch, I just build graphic architectural lines that become a garment. You can basically take any of my sketches and create a building or a room from it. I'll definitely be working on designing my house or a space later in life when the time is right. You are launching a shoe line this year for Canadian retailer ALDO. How did the collaboration become a reality and what challenges have you meet during the creative process? Everything I do I do it for myself first, I always make sure that everything represents my vision and the world that I live in. The 3 styles of shoes fit completely with that and I wear them all the time; the strap sandals, the boots/sneakers, the transformable sandal/boots. All 3 styles are limited edition with only 200 pairs sold on our shop online at radhourani.com You have worked with some of the most amazing talents in fashion and art. Which collaboration has given you the most satisfaction creatively and personally? I really started from nothing, and to be really honest,
my first collection was really made for myself. I never knew it would go this far. In regards to what has me excited or satisfied, it’s really the people who were there from the beginning who really understood what I was doing, the ones who were there with me at the start and believed in it. Those, for me, are the most happy and satisfying moments and collaborations. And of course the people who wear my clothes as well and who understand it. Can you explain your love for the monochromatic? I am attached to the notion of purity and by choosing black simple, stark lines: I strive to blur gender boundaries; apparent simplicity, but refinement in details. Black is confidence, modernity, clarity and the ultimate absence of gender. Everyone can wear black. It’s a color that shows the person more than the clothes. I sometimes wear white, grey, dark blue or red. It depends of the mood I'm in, it’s not something that I plan in advance, it's like what you see on my catwalks, it's a reflection of a myself. You work on a multi-creative platform involving fashion, film, styling and illustration. Where do you come up with this limitless creativity, and what inspires you? Everything that I do, is out of what I want to be wearing and this is how I stay focused and maintain a clear vision. I’m happy with working in a way that I have myself as my own muse, it seems to be the truest vision
- Page 95 -
and the greatest way to see your needs. I cannot divide "life" from "work": My work is my life and vice versa. I have a complete vision of my world and I pay attention to all the details of everything I do, and I would like to take that vision even further in abstraction and refinement, all the way into the field of art. You have accomplished a lot in a short amount of time. Where do you see yourself and your brand in 5 years? I’m thankful for everything I have today and I hope to live the present as much as possible and to keep on doing what I enjoy doing the most: designing, editing, shooting, filming, writing and of course enjoying the company of my friends and family. My next project is the film that I'm working on and some new exhibitions, step by step
•
TEA PAPER n 0 2 - Fashion & Art magazine -
RAD HOURANI DIMITRIS PETROU ASHER LEVINE KONRAD PAROL
- Page 96 -
TEA PAPER n 0 2 - Fashion & Art magazine -
Dimitris Petrou is yet another young avant-garde designer making strides in the international fashion scene. Hailing from Greece, this young talent shows us experimental designs for both men and women. With a keen eye for the human form, a love for tailoring, and an unique use of texture, Dimitris shows us that art and fashion can coexist.
Your work has a heavy reliance on the conceptual and artistic. From showing in a modern art gallery, to your almost performance art method of showing. Can you tell us a bit more about this approach? I wanted to present my collection in a different way, thinking outside the box, making it different from the usual catwalk. An art space like a gallery seemed the most appropriate place for the presentation. Being a firm believer that fashion and art nowadays is highly connected. I wanted to combine my collection in a "house of the arts" with video art projections and silent movement choreography. Seeing an outfit is not about a piece of clothing, it is a concept, an idea, a whole research and development. This is what I tried to show: the complexity and the creative part of fashion. Why did you choose to create your line in all grey, exclusively? Was it a more optimistic take on the basic black, or was there more to it? Not being a big fan of strong colors, I tried to find a tone that is not heavy for the eyes and is far from the basic black. Grey wasn't one of my favorite colors but really did create a tasteful combination with only three of its tones. It is a color I never used before in my collections. The inspiration of the color came to me at first from a specific scene from Edith Piaf's movie biography "La vie en rose" where the band is all dressed in grey suits with white shirts. All your pieces are beautifully created, with a heavy reliance on tailoring and architecture. Even the name of your line itself hints at the
need for tailoring. Can you explain why you think tailoring is such an integral aspect to your pieces? Every piece of my latest collection is a result of tailoring and hand made details. That is why my collection is named after it. Lately with the crisis of the market because of its mass development, the crowd is closer to ready to wear lines; casual pieces you can wear every day. I wanted to remind everyone of the past, when people used to go to tailors and seamstresses to order an outfit made on their measurements. Having access to countless fast fashion brands, the consumers forgot the idea of a piece made to measure. A unique item of clothing designed especially for them. I think owning a piece like that, is the highest form of luxury. In your look book and in interviews, you give a male and female version of a similar outfit. Were you creating these pieces together with this idea in mind, or was it more of a natural progression? It is kind of a natural progression. When I have a concept in mind it naturally gets translated in a piece for both sexes. I want in my collections, the elements i use evolve form outfit to outfit and from a male to a female version. You use interesting techniques in the creation of your pieces. From basket weaving to lattice work and patchwork, can you explain these methods and how they create such an interesting texture to your pieces.
- Page 97 -
When I design a new line I always try to find new techniques. Some of them are classic methods with new adjustments and some are created over the process of experimenting with new fabrics. I am blessed by working with a great staff, constantly trying to be innovative and the process of developing new techniques is surely the most creative part. TP: Although your work is considered avantgarde, your overall aesthetic is quite minimal. Instead, your pieces have eye catching and unexpected details. Can you elaborate on this? DP: I want the clothes on the first look to be light for the eye and minimal. With a closer look though you can spot these unexpected details. It is an effect I wish and intend to present. TP: You’ve said that you want to speak through your work. What will you speak about for your new collection? DP: I am a man a few words. I indeed prefer to speak through my work. I am working on a new project right now. It will be another artistic approach like my previous presentation but a lot different in many ways. I can’t reveal any details right now,.The result remains to be seen
•
TEA PAPER n 0 2 - Fashion & Art magazine -
RAD HOURANI DIMITRIS PETROU ASHER LEVINE KONRAD PAROL
- Page 98 -
TEA PAPER n 0 2 - Fashion & Art magazine -
Asher Levine, a 22 year old native Floridian, is one of the most intriguing and inspiring young avant-garde designers on the scene. At an early age, his mother noticed a creative passion in him, and helped foster it. Today his conceptual and forward thinking designs have been seen on the likes of Lady Gaga and the Black Eyed Peas. He launched his eponymous line in Fall/Winter 2010, and in October 2010 showed his Spring/Summer 2011 show at New York Fashion Week.
When did you first realize that you had a passion for design and creation? Asher Levine: When I was very young, I always sketched in the dirt or on anything I could get my hands on. In Florida, if you dig down a few feet, you hit clay, so I would go to my backyard and dig up clay, then use that clay to sculpt. I remember the pungent clay odor like it was yesterday. Creating new forms with the most basic of elements has always fascinated me. You are so young and have accomplished so much already! How does that feel? I began my first fashion journal when I was 11 years old - I knew for a long time I wanted to create clothing, so really it seems like it has been a long time! The accomplishment to me is not about what I have already done, but what I need to create for tomorrow. Take me through the design process. It seems to me that you have a very organic and natural way of going through the steps. Can you elaborate? I have always felt like Dr. Frankenstein, mixing unrelated elements into a new form of life. For instance, I stumbled upon this new shrimp species that was recently discovered. At the same time, I was working with a musician inspired by Tom of Finland. When I sketched that day, I fused classic leather jackets with a new textural form that we haven’t seen before, yielding a new, fun, sexy style.
Looking through your designs, it is easy to see the natural progression from your Fall 2010 collection to your most recent Spring 2011 collection. I also read about your deep fascination with the biological, scientific, and organic. Would you say that your collections are natural evolutions, as in life; or do you think your collections are more separate, and distinct? Each collection embodies a new way of making the male form sexy. Some styles are a progression from previous designs and others manifest whole new silhouettes. I also read that as a child you were interested in sculpture and the creative process. You have described your method of working as ‘sculpting’; sculpting a shoulder, or a hip. How do you think this sculptural artistic method aids in the creation of your line? Sculpture is everything - what differs sculpture is the medium you use. I chose fashion because there is something in the human psyche that responds so drastically to the manipulation of the human form. It is that response that I am obsessed with. A lot of your work is about silhouettes and proportions. I heard you mention the notion of the “New Masculine”. What does this mean and how do you think this will translate to the average man?
- Page 99 -
A women tweeted me a few days ago, thanking me for getting her fiancé into fashion. It is sparking this interest in men, who otherwise would have cared less about style, that drives me to get up every day. I think every person, regardless of gender, should have access to new and fresh styles and not be tied down to silhouettes that haven’t changed in generations. A lot of your work is deeply rooted in the conceptual, the artistic and the visceral. Whether it is the videos you put out that go seamlessly with your collections; or the ways in which you present your clothes. What are you trying to convey through all of this? Does it go beyond ‘just fashion’? Conquer your fears, evolve into your new being. We are so excited to see what will be next from you. Do you have any ideas as to where you see yourself in the next 5 years? Thank you! I honestly have no idea - I really want to take the brand into many areas within the fashion and art industry, all for the purpose of understanding ourselves
•
TEA PAPER n 0 2 - Fashion & Art magazine -
RAD HOURANI DIMITRIS PETROU ASHER LEVINE KONRAD PAROL
This season, you incorporated many interesting materials in your collection, from basic cottons and jersey, to neoprene and even plexi glass. Explain the design process and your interest in these unique materials? This happens automatically in my head. It's hard to explain. I have an unhealthy attraction to things in 3D: when the t-shirt is not flat, but three-dimensional; when something comes out of it. I'm looking for materials that are still undiscovered, underrated, and not exploited by the market. Your work feels very grounded in visual arts. Can you explain your interest in the visual arts and how it influences your designs? I was raised in respect and adoration for art. I have always been fascinated with motion and vision. I loved to spy, to observe, as I once thought I would become a photographer. With time it became a fascination with performance and visual arts. I'm fascinated by the technique of image and what it can do, though completely on that I do not know. What, or where is your escape from work? I am addicted to cinema, I love to escape into the world of fiction, and for 2 hours go to war in the Far East or soak up the love of a romance fairytale. Trivial but it began with as a kid, so it is still inside. At the other extreme are my friends, who are not perfect (thankfully) but are true. I love to spend time with them, and to be pulled into them like a magnet to the fridge.
- Page 100 -
TEA PAPER n 0 2 - Fashion & Art magazine -
The young Polish designer has proved himself to be one to watch. With a decided utilitarian aesthetic, Konrad explores the ideas of post apocalyptic dressing. Moving away from his previous explorations of silhouette, this season is cleaner, and with a stronger reliance on texture and form.
What made you change from designing womenswear to now designing menswear? What interests you in these two fields?
You seem to draw inspiration from many different sources. Can you tell us what inspires you most?
It was not a pleasant situation. Several years ago I began working with the so-called fashion agent in London, who really wanted me there to promote. Totally charmed me with her vision, and I was very naive then, as I am still. I signed a contract, handed her two collections, and the matter was very serious. The woman turned out to be something she was not, and I was a typical victim. The agent disappeared and I lost all my achievements. Although at the time it seemed to me that this was the end of my world, after a year of break I went back to design. The passion was too strong. Now I can be grateful for the experience, because it was then that I dared to begin designing for men, something of which I had always been afraid of. Menswear gave me the freedom, which I wanted and needed. I felt for the first time that I was in the right place. I discovered myself. It taught me humility and patience.
I don’t have to look far to find my inspiration: I started to listen to my own needs, focus on who I am, what I dream of and how I would like to be understood. I always want be characterized by individualism. I draw inspiration from modern art and architecture but am mainly inspired by movement and shape. I`m always looking for what I need at the moment, what`s my biggest desire. More precisely, I am the focal point of everything that surrounds me
Can you describe the typical man you design for? KP: First of all, I hope that he is not typical. I hope that he is a freak and a child inside, and who doesn’t take the outside world too seriously. I imagine that he is working in the liberal who is not forced to wear a uniform everyday. He is brave in his views and exposes them on many levels. He likes to play with fashion, and doesn’t take it seriously. He is uncompromising, nonchalant, and he lives the fullest. I hope he loves and is loved, and that it drowns out the emptiness in life.
I have read that you described this last collection as a post apocalyptic vision of the world, where your man is the last tribe on earth and must survive and restore civilization. This seems both frightening, yet optimistic. Can you elaborate? The common denominator between the two last collections REBELS and EMBER is a novel by HG Wells “The Time Machine“. With that as an inspiration, it all seems clear. The world is destroyed by its inhabitants, and reborn anew. Last season, the REBELS portrayed a master race, this time in EMBER, I portrayed the race of slaves, who live underground. These are strong and proud people. This collection is more severe and harsh than the last because I wanted to emphasize the masculinity and brutality. How do you blend your creative and commercial sides? - Page 101 -
Creatively I'm doing pretty good, but it lacks some commercial momentum. Where do you see yourself in 5 years, and where do you want your brand to take you? At this point, I regret that I do not have a crystal ball or a friend of the fairies. I would like to see my brand in a more global context. I would love to show regularly in London, Paris, or even New York fashion weeks
•
TEA PAPER n 0 2 - Fashion & Art magazine -
el en a
Towards The West
d am i ani
- Page 102 -
TEA PAPER n 0 2
The Fallen Tav. VIII
- Fashion & Art magazine -
- Page 103 -
TEA PAPER n 0 2
The Hexahedron Sentinel
- Fashion & Art magazine -
- Page 104 -
TEA PAPER n 0 2 - Fashion & Art magazine -
- Page 105 -
TEA PAPER n 0 2
The Architects Collaborative
- Fashion & Art magazine -
- Page 106 -
TEA PAPER n 0 2
The Sky is Falling
- Fashion & Art magazine -
- Page 107 -
TEA PAPER n 0 2
Through Glass
- Fashion & Art magazine -
- Page 108 -
TEA PAPER n 0 2 - Fashion & Art magazine -
- Page 109 -
TEA PAPER n 0 2 - Fashion & Art magazine -
l il ly
hei ne Photos by Ian Higginson
" I don’t understand why people are so drawn to celebrity culture. Everything is so oversaturated at the moment. We are influenced by so many images and impulses every day and it’s hard not to end up with a very short attention span. Louise Wilson (MA Fashion Course Director at Central Saint Martins College of Art & Design) said to me recently, that the death of celebrity culture is very near. Let’s hope so"
- Page 110 -
TEA PAPER n 0 2 - Fashion & Art magazine -
"Fashion is an art form. When I design I do not design clothes for women to wear, but rather a piece of sculp- ture or art. I appreciate the craft, time and passion that go into a garment. This is what I have always admired Alexander McQueen for. "
- Page 111 -
TEA PAPER n 0 2 - Fashion & Art magazine -
BRENDAN
O LLEY
- Page 112 -
TEA PAPER n 0 2 - Fashion & Art magazine -
THE WORLDS MOST NORTHERN TOWN Photographs from the Artic
- Page 113 -
TEA PAPER n 0 2 - Fashion & Art magazine -
- Page 114 -
TEA PAPER n 0 2 - Fashion & Art magazine -
- Page 115 -
TEA PAPER n 0 2 - Fashion & Art magazine -
- Page 116 -
TEA PAPER n 0 2 - Fashion & Art magazine -
- Page 117 -
TEA PAPER n 0 2 - Fashion & Art magazine -
Paris is an iconic city famous for its beautiful architecture. Strolling through its streets, modern flâneurs encounter a mix of hidden courtyards, abandoned gardens, and… construction sites. How are today’s designers reacting to these mutations?
Construction sites spring up all over Paris during the summer. Signs posted on fences and walls surrounding these hubs of urban activity inform local residents of each building’s status. These official permits act as contemporary markers bearing witness to an ongoing demolition and construction process: Permis de démolir, Permis de construire… Like-minded fashion lovers take refuge in cobble-stoned courtyards. Discovered by chance while walking together in the capital’s shaded side streets, these havens of tranquility appeal to them much more than the major landmarks generally associated with postcard Paris.
With their disused outside lavatories, peeling paint and untended plants, such courtyards are the last vestiges of a bygone vision of their city, depicted in black and white pictures taken by the leading representatives of the Humanist Photography movement, after the Second World War (Cartier-Bresson, Robert Doisneau, Willy Ronis, Edouard Boubat, Brassaï…). Today’s creative sparks meet in private salons to discuss their style philosophy, No need for a password. At a glimpse, they can tell that they are in synch. The clothes they choose to wear reflect their desire to protect their inner sense of poetry, while constructing fresh fashion concepts.
- Page 118 -
A new generation of French and International designers is relying on technological advances to create revolutionary clothing. Soft yet resistant, their feather-light creations are both cutting-edge and romantic, like their wearers.
TEA PAPER n 0 2 - Fashion & Art magazine -
Photography Alfredo Salazar Clothes Gaspard Yurkievich Summer 2011 Hats and shoes Reinhard Plank Model RĂŠmi Schapman Makeup Mikael Raymond-Flammer Text Georgina Oliver
- Page 119 -
TEA PAPER n 0 2 - Fashion & Art magazine -
- Page 120 -
TEA PAPER n 0 2 - Fashion & Art magazine -
- Page 121 -
TEA PAPER n 0 2 - Fashion & Art magazine -
k er hao
yin
- Page 122 -
TEA PAPER n 0 2 - Fashion & Art magazine -
- Page 123 -
TEA PAPER n 0 2 - Fashion & Art magazine -
- Page 124 -
TEA PAPER n 0 2 - Fashion & Art magazine -
- Page 125 -
TEA PAPER n 0 2 - Fashion & Art magazine -
n in a
b o rn
- Page 126 -
TEA PAPER n 0 2 - Fashion & Art magazine -
- Page 127 -
TEA PAPER n 0 2 - Fashion & Art magazine -
It is an icon in postmodern culture – The Delorean DMC-12 – the car that transports Michael J. Fox back and forth through time in the hit movie Back to The Future. But in the near future, if someone mentions the name Delorean, chances are they will be referring to a whole different vehicle, namely, a band from Catalonia, Spain.
ba ck to t he fut ure Wr i tten by H e n ri k H ami l t o n & Jo n as D e l f s
“Delorean is just a name. We’re not even fans of the movie”, says singer Ekhi Lopetegui, although, there seem to be some indisputable parallels between the band and the film: The musical references, the exudation of youth, the retrospective feel, and the futuristic themes. While France has produced plenty of capable and trend setting dance music during the last couple of decades Spain’s presence on the international scene has been much less obvious. Delorean, though, seem to have it all. Hailing from Barcelona, they make sunny, alternative house music and with last year’s ‘Ayrton Senna’ EP and this year’s ‘Subiza’ LP they’ve risen to international acclaim. Not many Spanish alternative acts have received international acclaim like you have why do you think that is? “I don’t know. It seems like there’s a growing interest for Barcelona and everything surrounding the city. I think that the interest in the city is justified. I know there are good musicians here. There’s also a little bit of a stereotype surrounding the city: Barcelona, palm trees, parties, etc. But I guess that’s part of what’s in the imagination of people all over the world - that’s how they picture the city and that’s fine too.” And something is happening in Barcalona at the moment. The city has flourished in the global consciousness due to mainstream media attention such as in the film ‘Vicky, Christina, Barcalona’, but also cultural
events have helped catch the attention of creative minds from across the world - Sonar Festival for instance. “I think it’s been an important festival. It was more avant-garde and experimental back in the day and that gave experimental and electronic music a great exposure. Now they’ve opened up to rather more popular music and artists and that’s fine as well. I think what’s great about it is that the audience is so heterogeneous, so diverse. It’s not an indie rock fest, neither a dance fest. People are not as self conscious because of that.” What’s happening musically in Barcelona at the moment? Do you see yourself as a part of a new scene there? “In Spanish the word “scene” is always a little delicate, it sounds to us like if there was some sort of united community working on something together, like in the punk days. There’s definitely a great community of musicians working and making good music but it’s kind of fragmentary. We have good friends making good music and setting up parties: DJ K**O, John Talabot, Sidechains, Extraperlo, Plat du jour. There’s also El Guincho, Joe Crepúsculo, Hidrogenese and Pional.” Lopetegui and the remaining three members of the band Thomas Palomo (guitar), Unai Lazcano (keys) and Igor Escudeo (drums) have gained attention in international media that predominantly promote American indie music. Though, there seems to be something distinctly European about Delorean’s music.
- Page 128 -
”We listened to a lot of European dance music around 2004 and 2005, mainly from labels like Kompakt, Bpitch Control and Border Community. I almost thought there was no dance music in the US around that time. I guess we missed a lot of things that were American and therefore didn’t shape our sound.” You’ve gained a lot of attention internationally since ‘Ayrton Senna’. Can you tell us how it all happened? ”We got a bunch of good reviews at different sites with our remixes so by the time we released the EP people were already expecting something from us. We got very good reviews with the EP being Best New Music’ed on Pitchfork, resulting in a domino effect. When all this happened we already had the ‘Subiza’ album written and almost recorded which made things so much easier.” In your perspective, what is it about ‘Ayrton Senna’ and ‘Subiza’ that have gained them this attention and acclaim? ”I don’t know, to be honest. I guess it just happens that people like it. And from our point of view we kind of worked harder than ever on our songs and I think we put out the best songs we’ve made so far. You can never control what is going to happen though. The reasons why this attention is received are so complex. We’re working with True Panther Sounds which is an imprint of Matador and that makes it easier to reach more people with our music.”
TEA PAPER n 0 2 - Fashion & Art magazine -
Delorean’s extrovert and elevating take on house music have set them apart from commercial dance acts as well as introvert ambassadors of indie. However, in the fusion of elements from both worlds something unique comes to life. The feel-good expression is complemented by a subtle yet engaging awareness of the last 50 years of popular music.
yet of international quality, Delorean will be touring intensively this summer and fall. And they are definitely doing theirs to put Spain on the musical world map. Judging by the impact of their recent releases Delorean might just leave behind a legacy worth traveling through time for
•
There’s this positive vibe on the new record that also seems to have been around since ‘Ayrton Senna’. Where does this vibe come from? ”Out of boredom. I just feel we wanted to make music that would move people – [music] that would hit people and would express some sort of will to live.” Besides the sunny house references there also seem to be influences from more atmospheric electronic music. ”Our palette of influences is very wide. I think ‘Subiza’ is a good album to trace lots of genres and forms of popular music. There’s house, there’s pop, there’s electronic music, there’s the whole history of dance music too! I feel as if the album was some sort of summary of a lot of the music we’ve listened to in the past years. It’s also influenced by strictly musical features, such as vocal sampling, pianos, reverbs, sub basses, etc - things which don’t necessarily belong to a single genre.” Perfectly suited for rising temperatures, accessible
- Page 129 -
TEA PAPER n 0 2 - Fashion & Art magazine -
k athr yn
ferg uso n It’s perhaps no surprise that self-taught filmmaker Kathryn Ferguson wants to develop the genre of fashion film. Her passionate interest in music, fashion and art is the drive behind her beautiful and poetic film narrations. Implementing music as an essential tool, she creates a mood of a dreamy forgotten time. Belfast born and a charming rather accent, she has worked in various areas of the fashion industry. She now studies experimental film on the Communication Art & Design MA at Royal College of Art. Collaborations include DazedDigital, Lady Gaga, Bird’s Eyeview, designer Erika Trotzig and Richard Nicoll. Alex Jackson, was in good company to discuss the importance of digital and social media to the modern day designer. What role does digital and social media play in designers’ ethic these days – or what role should it play? Digital and social media plays varied roles in the different levels of the fashion industry from young fashion graduates to established fashion houses. For a young designer it’s the most powerful tool they have to promote their work. The great thing about digital or social media is that it’s predominantly free to use. Previously, designers were heavily reliant on the catwalk to display their work. They then needed the buyers and stylists to like their work enough to bring their collection in magazines etc. Young designers can now bypass this process by promoting themselves independently, showcasing and selling their work online through online shops, digital fashion magazines and fashion film. It seems to have taken the larger fashion houses longer to realise what a powerful tool the internet can be to promote their brand. I suppose the main role of digital media in fashion is its ability to spread the vision of a designer’s work and ideas to a much wider audience than before. What does it enable you to achieve as a filmmaker? It’s provided me with an invaluable tool to get my work out. I began using YouTube five years ago when filmmaking was a hobby. I made short experimental films and put them on YouTube and Myspace. It was a way of getting my work out there without any pressure. When the hobby became the focus of my work fulltime I decided to set up a blog and then eventually a website. Throughout the evolution of my career my usage of
digital/social media has changed. Over the past year I have put all my focus into my website and blog. I prefer these showcasing tools as I have creative control over the functionality and the look of these sites. The fact that I have been able to showcase my work via the Internet, film festivals and online magazines has been a huge plus for me for showcasing my work. Please tell us all about your video work for Richard Nicoll. What was the premise/theme of the piece and what were the influences behind it? The Richard Nicoll commission came through Jaime Perlman, the Art Director of British Vogue. Last summer she was setting up a new online fashion / art platform called ‘Testmag.co.uk’ and asked if I would make a film for it. She suggested collaboration between Richard and I, using his upcoming collection. After a preliminary meeting, Richard decided the film should not only be shown on ‘Testmag.co.uk’ but also open his upcoming S/S10 catwalk show. Richard wanted a mood based film that would work as an introduction to his catwalk collection. The one minute video played on a huge screen before the show started. It gave the audience a taste of what was to come without revealing the garments. The video’s ‘life’ was then continued online on Testmag. I always find your films very textural, is this a conscious effort on your part when you make a film? Actually, it’s not an overly conscious decision. My main concern normally is creating a mood. Obviously when shooting fashion films you have to focus on the garments and their detailing. I enjoy watching how fabric moves in the camera and how it can take on a life of its own. I suppose it really depends on what I am shooting. I’m really interested in graphic lines and dimensions, as much as I am with texture. In the worlds of fashion and filmmaking, who do you think is really blazing the trail in terms of using and understanding digital and social media? Well Nick Knight’s SHOWstudio will always be one of my favourites. He pioneered the whole genre and continues to do so. Online magazines like Testmag and DazedDig-
- Page 130 -
ital are also doing very well in showcasing young talents experimenting with fashion and moving image. In terms of individuals, I am a huge fan of Carri Mundane of Cassette Playa. She has been pushing the boundaries for years with her fashion films and the use of futuristic technologies and internet usage. Has the financial crisis meant young designers have to look to other, new, elements to lend their shows a different tone? The financial crisis has crippled a lot of young and established designers. However the emergence of fashion film has been a powerful tool during this crisis. A catwalk would normally cost the designer in the region of £20,000, whereas a fashion film/ presentation can be made for a little as £1,000. The difficult times has forced designers to think creatively and outside the box. The high gloss appears to have gone out of fashion and instead people are much more interested in experimentation and new ideas. Does the inclusion of fashion film help to connect what is otherwise an individual, disconnected, event to a much wider potential number of people ? The internet rather than fashion film takes the exclusivity out of fashion. Previously, only a handful of industry individuals would get the chance to attend a designer’s catwalk presentation, whereas now, every catwalk show is filmed and broadcasted worldwide normally on the same day. The internet spreads the new collection as wildfire across blogs, websites and social networking sites. Fashion film is a hugely important addition to this and a new way of looking at fashion. But it isn’t a replacement for the catwalk. Does this then convert a fashion show from being merely a fashion show and into an art piece and why should that be a good thing? I don’t think fashion film can be classified purely as an art piece or video art. The two genres are completely separate. Whether a conceptual or a big-brand commercial fashion film, these are videos predominantly used to showcase a designer’s collection or ideas. The main function is to sell a product. However, fashion films can be, artistically made, but the two genres shouldn’t be confused
•
TEA PAPER n 0 2 - Fashion & Art magazine -
‘Chalice / Blade’ February 2008 A fashion film featuring desisgner David David’s S/S 08 collection ,February 2008. Screened at the Institute of Contemporary Art.
‘Billow’ March 2009 A fashion film showingcasing designer Erika Trotzig’s A/W 09 collection. Video shown at her show and at the Institute of Contemporary Art.
‘Crytstalline’ September 2009. This was a video commissioned by Testmag.co.uk made to encapsulate designer Richard Nicoll’s S/S10 collection. The video was shown at start of Richard Nicolls catwalk show in September at London Fashion Week.
‘Lady Gaga / Dazed Digital’, October 2009 An video commissioned by Dazed Digital that began a collaboration between myself and Gaga. She wrote a score of music especially for the video.
‘Villagers - Ship of Promises’, June 2010. This was a video commissioned by Domino Records. All the clothing in the video was from Milena Silvano’s S/S 10 collection.
‘Katie Eary A/W’ 2010 This is a fashion film commissioned by Testmag.co.uk to showcase menswear designer’s A/W collection. The film was screened at an exhibition of TEST imagery and video during Lndon Fashion Week in Febuary 2010. It was also screened as part of the British Fashion Council’s Digital Schedule at Somerset House in conjunction with live screenings by Dazed Digital.
- Page 131 -
TEA PAPER n 0 2 - Fashion & Art magazine -
theis
o ernto ft Translation by Kyle Semmel
- Page 132 -
TEA PAPER n 0 2 - Fashion & Art magazine -
1 Move over, idols you’re standing where I should stand the Danish flag snaps in the wind like a page in a book fascinating reading, but let’s go on off to the heavens in NASA’s Ark I lay my hands down I’m bored in the clothing of my skin, you know me if you bore me then do something, give me a blowout sale or castrate me, my sex is a distraction see the bird’s punctuation, it floats so beautifully through the moment if you come with me, we’ll join our hands together and have a party on the way it’s simple seduction if I ever die, don’t resurrect me even though the flood will awaken my curiosity what’s happened is thought, not seen, regards Bernhard and on a late night it’ll be my regards. I’m lost in every thought if I give myself over to it, regards regards. In reality I don’t differentiate so much between greetings, everybody gives such urgent greetings that I long ago have lost sight of the conception of myself. That day, by the way, we left the hospital in the right moment. It was too early, it was too late. It was perfect. It was a long day, I remember at some point it became a year but then disappeared again or became the future, just like everything else I experienced my sentences are diseased yeah, they’re diseased I’m a tennis court without lines, it’s true enough I listen to my voice when I speak to the light that breaks through the crowns of treetops, windows, skin the world emerges out through my five senses thin threads of lime-green light wiggle into my eye sockets a knocking on wood, the flesh pulls breath through a crack the music of distances has flown together everything has grown together into a lush tree, vanished cities glimmer in its branches it has been a long sentence. I complete one each time I blink. Two sentences and a transition between them a transition but what is that? It’s a bridge you build to get from one point to the next, from past to future, from Sweden to Denmark. I see more structural similarities between time and space than I see
differences, in this I may resemble a human. The vaulted clouds in the evening sky across the bridge’s pylons, they seem diluted with papaya juice, but if you looked back, you would find that goldenness fade gradually into a darker blue, and further back, just over the opposite horizon the winking stars. But you don’t see it it’s the bag you always come from it’s totally burnt and gold. It could easily be night. I could easily be on my way home. But it’s the bridge, then, back on track you don’t turn from the main road and continue out across the countryside, those types of digressions just don’t happen, you were on your way someplace with the countryside around you with a goal, to the clouds over the bridge
- Page 133 -
1+1 The road to my limits, I’m telling you it’s long I move until I’m in another place, over the course of me and the night something has changed so much that I have to say: it’s changed! but will you answer something for me? something I’ve been wondering a bit will you answer something for me? no, I own you all yeah, I own you all. In all other circumstances I participated in the procession of leaders of state on the way to two graves. Under everyone’s feet towers of glowing fish circulated, and on the night sky vanished cities gleamed in the branches of the tree. I owned hands everywhere, but out of them slipped movie theatres I simply couldn’t hold onto them! when I studied other people’s reflections they seemed disfigured as if they always were exposed to a slight delay. The specific details of the faces dissolved, but maybe in this there was also a liberation from the fear of the coming instant, the almost accidental one of light’s intensities, the day, stretches its bow under the sky making room for time, tiny explosions of space each morning the sun rises like film credits yeah, each morning the sun rises like film credits a glance into the edge of the jungle, thin threads of lime-green light off and on I am referred to as though I occupied a darkness, a past as though I were behind a pair of eyes but in reality I am on every side of the waterfall. The mist surrounding the water’s vertical flight down into itself evaporates in the damp
TEA PAPER n 0 2 - Fashion & Art magazine -
for the sake of decisiveness, I think we should make a decision! the moment contains all paths the music of the distances has flown together. Everything has grown together into a lush tree and vanished cities glimmer in its branches. The sun, yeah I’m referring to the disco ball of the day stains space with its stains which forms a deep melancholy in my mind other days I go to a party in the desert and light the blue projectors the city I’ve traveled to, it seems so foreign on my skin Istanbul, it’s called but it also goes under the names Vienna, Jakarta, Lima, and Denmark beloved is the city with many names! a short visit to a season would be good let’s choose autumn the wind tears across Europe, trees are blown black by a completely wild storm! And the boys pretend to accept realities, in any case they’ve dressed up and in a way imitate the season’s movements, the way they tear down the steps of the subway with an army of yellow leaves following them. They believe they’re playing with nature, but in reality it’s the opposite. The next train to Pankow departs in barely
day, and the trees rise to and from the sky farthest above, or just some place. Just a morning. Birds alight from a tree and fly away like a movement. In one collective movement, what do you think about that? The movement is the ideal punctuation the distance between you and me mutual, we are making our way home from the party. Night it is, regards regards but seriously, how was it? how was it? I’d just laid down a moment in the grass between two of the boulevard’s trees the sun fell upon my skin in the places where the crowns of trees didn’t make flickering shadows, and in between a light breeze absorbed the landscape all the way down the road, which sloped slightly against one of my many vanishing points. I’d left one desert and would rise in another one. I knew the road I came from wouldn’t vanish even though it might appear so from out here, where it disappeared beyond a hill and moved itself, and later me, down to the water. If everything went according to a plan. Maybe there was a lagoon down there, maybe a muddy beach. Regardless, I took my shoes off when I arrived, and sat down at the water’s edge, which rolled back and forth like a war between undifferentiated wills. The air had a higher temperature than me, the warmth, it was so massive. I felt subject to the laws of an unknown world. I had to become one with the cool water, I sought a sudden change yeah, I sought a sudden change and it would have to happen in one collective movement, I wouldn’t be satisfied with simply going out in the water, and let the past evaporate along the way, just like that. I’d rather make a leap from the little bridge over by the rushes or maybe out from the last bridge, do you remember it? maybe I should jump from the last bridge yeah, maybe I should jump from the last bridge two pylons and the span between them. My eyes cut a film if they blink, the truth is true enough I listen to my voice when I speak
two minutes! They buy tickets! Shout loudly what they want through the ticket taker’s small window and finally, in the very next instant they make their entrance in the subway. In the space where everything begins. This is the first scene in one edit of the world. The boys are lucky to be in the world, they howl like wolves at each stop! No one really knows why! Frankfurter Allé and Karl Marx Allé, it’s the same street! But one name to one street, that’s not enough, you know? Know that. Streets are long, passages slide into each other without visible distinctions, and at some point it becomes too much for the eye, the surroundings seem so different that they must be given a new name. But the words are categorical and display the differences in such an intimidating light. I see the literary language like a domain where the breaking down of description’s hardness can be realized. I don’t know, an idiosyncratic vortex swirls at the bottom of every word, regards regards under the streets, towers of glowing fish circulate I want to see it with my other eyes I want to take a walk on the world’s map of the world yeah, I want to take a walk on the world’s map of the world does anyone want to come along? you can safely trust everything you experience
1+1+1 Welcome to my humble door frame spread my language be my peer we can walk in or we can walk out
- Page 134 -
TEA PAPER n 0 2 - Fashion & Art magazine -
regardless of what it is it’s a generous world I go and buy a quart of “milk” open up the windows inch by inch I open up the morning air my arm movements are changeable architecture look at them, they are changeable architecture my needs for more, they are simply just too more way, way too more 1+1+1+1 Every New Year I send the Danish troops a hostile greeting I raise my champagne glass and howl like a flock of wolves! my name has no point zero, it can’t be cleaned the flesh draws breath through a crack thin threads of lime-green light a soft knock on wood, I am a scene you can step into and speak almost freely if so I place a line wherever it will be overgrown through a small hole in the map of the heavens a tsunami rushes toward my dams I see what’s coming through the eye’s tunnel I promise to look at it me you can choose to trust, regards thankfully it’s just an accidental day! I quote Marguerite Duras in a kitchen and you begin to cry I don’t quote her in a ceremonial way, it wasn’t at all my intention that you should cry or anything, you’ve simply bought a bottle of olive oil, even though I see the old bottle on the shelf over the stove isn’t empty yet, and I quote when there’s only a bottle of oil, then it doesn’t work at all, and then you turn towards me with tears of recognition in your eyes! We understand each other so well! You’ve read the book too, and maybe you have bought a little more oil than you actually need. It’s probably not true I have never stood in a kitchen and quoted Duras, but it’s not so important, what’s important is that it could have happened. I don’t know
the difference between an experienced and an unexperienced thing, to me they are fictionalized domains equally valuable, potentials in an expanded unfolding: I hurried down the street, had nothing I needed to get to just had to continue, continue but what exactly was it about nations that made them so easy to understand? I wasn’t sure I drank water and looked at the window. Each time a little of the building slid into my voice, I considered how happy I was on a scale of 1-2, I kept on considering it, until at some point I noticed the threads that passed in and out of my eye sockets and suddenly I was with someone, yeah, I was with someone but what could I do about it? I went on as though everything had happened yeah, I continued as though everything had happened I came out of the blue and then I went into it again, regards regards under the streets, towers of glow-in-the-dark fish circulated the way it usually was yeah, the way it usually was, let me be let me be see with my eyes, see me trip in the heart of the metropolis as a rule it is a small provincial discotheque and let me be experienced like space. The bus window shakes my head out of place. I just have to find out what I want: that’s what I want next station: next station this method of transportation certainly has no stops! outside golden domes whizz by from now and until I will celebrate the field of possibilities each gamble opens death knocks on the side of the thought where I am not yeah, where I am not we are the stars of space and we’re tripping too late, because we’re tripping ‘till late over a heaven under a sandy desert
- Page 135 -
•