Earlier in the year I was engaged in a conversation with a work colleague, telling her I was not into creating fashion, I was into making clothes. I wouldn't even know what is actually in fashion.
Rei Kawakubo once said a similar thing
Mitsuko Watanabe interviewed Rei Kawakubo during May 2021, about the time of the Dissonance collection. Quite interesting to read some of her comments re the clothes within the collection. (Remember, this was Covid-19 Pandemic lockdown time)
There were also many designers who chose to create videos in order
to express their world.
Yes, and
that’s one way to do it too. But that’s a completely different form of creation
to making clothes. There are multi-skilled people who can use sound or draw as
a means of expression, not just through making clothes, but I only have
clothes, so that’s what I do. I therefore can’t, or won’t, create videos to
showcase my clothes.
It
is hard to capture details through digital media, and I feel like I’m only using
a limited part of my senses to perceive them.
I am very
concerned that the shows, watched by only 50 to 60 people in real life, are
turned into videos and delivered to the world—but there’s not much I can do
about that.
You
can’t even have exhibitions in Paris.
There’s
no opportunity for people outside of Japan to look at this season’s clothes.
I
take it this is the first time you’ve encountered a situation like this, since
you began creating clothes.
That’s
right. That’s why I only show the clothes. I have not been creating in a way
where you move people with your videos. I assume the other designers who also
use videos to express appeal more to journalists. Comme des Garçons works well
for those who can see our clothes in the flesh, but won’t have much impact on
people outside of Japan, I just have to accept that.
Even
in that situation, you have to keep your business going.
That’s an
impossible task.
Impossible?
Even if
we make clothes, there’s nobody to buy them. They can’t go out to shop, and
they don’t have anywhere to wear them. We say, “We’ll carry on making” and
“Once we stop, that’s it,” but since there are no opportunities for customers
to wear our clothes, everything is looking hopeless at the moment.
But
you have no way forward other than to carry on making?
That’s
right, but we don’t know if it really is a way forward. We must prepare
ourselves so we can act right away when normality resumes, by continuing to
work at the same pace. That’s partly why we kept to the same schedule. But it
is depressing. I’m not sure if we can work with vigour. We’ll have to push
ourselves.”
Thom Browne's Fall 2022 collection definitely delivered a thing for teddy bears. Browne presented the collection as a Ted Talk led by Rocky Harwell dressed as a Thom Browne teddy bear. And all the little teddies were dressed in Thom Browne suits. Very cute!
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First off, my Mum was the instigator. She was a great sewer and helped deliver my ideas and desires, which was so supportive of her. I love the dresses she made for my sister and me. Both the same fabric, same colour, but we have different shaped collars, nice touch regard sister individuality .
Now, I'm doing more of it
myself. My Mum gave me her old Singer sewing machine. I've discovered
cool patterns and fabric shops. I came across interesting designers through the
pattern companies. Kenzo, Betsey Johnson & Willi Smith to name a few.
Oxford bags, I loved them, made them out of calico for God's sake!
Can you see the beginnings of my love of the Japanese designers?
By then, I'd traded in the Singer for a Bernina!
Now, I am right into the
Japanese designers...Issey Miyake was first. I loved his work, his folds,
his assymmetry, his pleats, his creating space within the garment. He was
a very skilled designer. I loved Vogue Patterns for taking him on as one of
their designer patterns. I think I purchased just about every one of
them, until he let go of the reins. And those patterns I didn't manage to buy I
tried to make myself...nothing's changed!
And now, all sorts of
interesting designers and artists are exciting me. I love sculptural
shapes, particularly those designed by CdG....it really started with her
wonderful skirt collection of S/S 2003, but I was excited by her work before
that. I have such admiration for the pattern makers who work for CdG.
They are very skilled, as they interpret her highly conceptual ideas,
which enables the, sometimes obscure, concept to be delivered as a garment.
Martin Margiela, Maria Blaisse, Cosmic Wonder, Caroline Broadhead are
also stimulating..... and I'm still into Bernina sewing machines.
I am a great believer and proponent of 'making' being beneficial for the mind, body and soul. This article expresses the same sentiment https://theconversation.com/how-craft-is-good-for-our-health-98755
On my website I write "All the resources I work with, needle, sewing machine, cloth, thread, paper, pencil, set-square, plus what I do with them, I call 'my craft'. Working with my craft is the main way I express myself in life. I draw and write with needle, thread and fabric. It takes time, precision and endurance. I am a 21st Century Needlewoman!"
In a previous blog, https://solovetosewliketheboys.blogspot.com/2019/08/?m=0 I wrote about my 'soft crown of thorns' piece,
A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing work
“Watch out for false prophets; they come to you looking like
sheep on the outside, but they are really like wild wolves on the inside. You
will know them by the way they act. Thorn bushes do not bear grapes, and briars
do not bear figs. A healthy tree bears good fruit, while a poor tree bears bad
fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a poor tree cannot bear good
fruit. Any tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown in the
fire. So, then, you will know the false prophets by the way they act.” Matthew
7:15 -20 (Good News For Modern Man, School Edition)
My work reflects Marist College and how it has enabled my
passion to thrive.
I love fabric. I love
working with fabric. I can’t resist making “things” out of fabric. I express
myself through fabric.
One of my core values is “Live life to express, not to
impress.”
I work to be true to myself and to others, which many a Marist woman also emulates. (I didn't get the first prize.)
I sure try to instill this philosophy at school, maybe not exactly in those words, but I try to encourage 'making' and what a creative sense of wellbeing and achievement it can give you.
I like what is being offered in the site 'Beginner Friendly Clothes to Sew'. A lovely brown gingham tiered skirt, https://www.roseryapparel.com/videos/beginner-friendly-clothes Janelle is the maker behind Rosery Apparel. A delightful gingham skirt, and great instructions, which will be just ideal for my Yr. 9 class. Offers really good cross-curricular Maths, as you have to work out twice your waist, 3 x your waist and 4 x your waist! But before that you have to know where your waist is, which should not be taken for granted!
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Here are the girls, involved in the project, planning, designing, drawing, making decisions, so good....
SLTSLTBsigning off.
P.S. I have been updating one of my website pages, the one that connects to my blog. I have posted on it images of some of my 'sltsltb makes'.
https://sites.google.com/site/wwwsewroundcom/home/my-blog?authuser=0