Irenebrination: Notes on Architecture, Art, Fashion, Fashion Law, Science & Technology

From Aerospaces to Aquatic Races: Gruppo Tessile Industriale S/S 13 Vs Armani Privé S/S 12

In a previous post I mentioned one of the S/S 13 yarns by the Gruppo Tessile Industriale; yet there was another one by the same company that I also saw during Pitti Filati and that took my fancy.

The yarn in question is inspired by aerospace stations and futuristic constructions such as the 1968 UFO-shaped elliptic reinforced plastic "Futuro House" by Finnish architect Matti Suuronen, ideal to be erected in the mountains or by the sea. The yarns in the Gruppo Industriale Tessile "Aerospace" selection are characterised by a series of green, silvery, blue and earthy shades. 

Interestingly enough, some of the shades included in this palette, in particular those pale green tones with metallic reflections, were anticipated in Armani Privé’s Spring/Summer 2012 collection.

The collection seemed to be a variation on green, since it included different shades of this colour, from arboreal green to apple, lime, chartreuse and swamp, from pale to deep underwater with glimpses of venomous nuances.

Snakes were the main inspiration behind the collection: symbolised by the mesh fabric employed for fitted jackets and shirts that imitated reptilean scales and textures, they came back in the draped and asymmetrical waving effects creating movements on the silk organza skirts.

The latter were matched with peplum jackests with a nipped waist and pagoda shoulders, and all the looks were completed by Philip Treacy's headdresses coiling on the models’ heads (probably the only risible note in an otherwise rather serious collection…).

In some cases sequins and surface elaborations formed carapace-like structures around the body; overlapping strata of fabric, a trick used also in the evening gowns, simulated a snake shedding its skin, while crocodile jackets introduced one of the current fashion fads.

More snakes also appeared on the bag clasps and in the necklaces and bracelets that coiled around the models’ bodies. 

Superficially looking at them, those digital prints of pythons and serpents called to mind scary Jameson's mambas coiling together in Guido Mocafico's "Serpens" series.

Yet the collection didn't just reference snakes, but seemed to be a study on strange mutating figures like the amphibious, green-eyed Sitauca in Albert Sánchez Piñol’s unsettling novel Cold Skin (in which case Armani has anticipated Xavier Gens’s film taken from the same novel that is currently being shot…)

Armani’s narrative behind this collection didn't indeed focus on snakes as biblical symbols of temptation, but on the theme of a mutating hybridic metamorphosis: shiny reptilean textures gave way to shiny liquid fabrics (already seen in previous Armani Privé collections inspired by the future and in particular in the S/S 2011 collection) that turned towards the end of the catwalk show into crystal-beaded gowns.

Besides, the green palette didn't strictly belong to the aquatic world of a dreamy mermaid or a delicate nymph, but to the mysterious algaed depths inhabited by amphibious creatures with creamy grey skin tinged with patches of green, the appetite of a monster and the sensual body of a fatal woman (think about Albert Sánchez Piñol’s Aneris and you get the idea…).   

So if you fancy such shades, this season (and the next one if you consider the "Aerospace" yarn by Gruppo Tessile Industriale...) is definitely for you. But, if you think this greenish descent into hybridic bestiality is a bit too much, try to get inspired by the red-orange/fuchsia-violet shades of this promotional video for Suuronen's "Futuro House". 

  

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Fangs for Fashion: Iris van Herpen x United Nude

I'm republishing today a brief piece I did for Zoot Magazine about the new shoes created by Dutch designer Iris van Herpen in collaboration with United Nude.

At the presentation of Iris van Herpen's Spring/Summer 2012 collection during the latest Paris' Haute Couture Week, models strode down the runway in very peculiar footwear. The stilettos in question featured indeed not one but ten fang-shaped heels that perfectly matched the main inspiration for the collection, microscopic organisms.

The shoes - very aptly named “The Fang” - are the result of the fifth collaboration between the Dutch designer and United Nude. “It's always a thrill to work with Iris van Herpen,” states United Nude Creative Director Rem D Koolhaas. “She always comes up with something extraordinary and it's always a challenge developing and making her shoes. Yet we are a good match for collaborating with her as we are experts in difficult shoe constructions and, in her case, we can develop a product from a single sketch.”

The footwear - featuring a fiberglass and carbon fiber wedge made using a blow molding process - proved immediately successful with the media and the fashion fans. “Strong and simple, they grabbed attention like a claw, I heard that, after the show in Paris, people were talking about the shoes specifically,” Koolhaas continues.

Van Herpen's S/S 12 collection - entitled "Micro" and made in collaboration with designer Stephen Jones, artist Bart Hess, architect Isaïe Bloch and graphic designer Tara Doughans - is based on a combination of crafts and artisanship with technology.

To achieve sculptural effects with a strong visual impact and explore rich tectural aspects while focusing on powerful patterns, the designer mixed materials as varied as leather, synthetic boat rigging, plexiglass and stretchers and ribs from children's umbrellas with 3D printing.

“Iris uses innovative techniques such as 3D printing in her clothes and we use it for our own designs and for her shoes, though, in this case, we used it in a more subtle way, printing part of the heels which we then reinforced with carbon fiber,” Koolhaas explains. “I think techniques like these will play an increasingly important role in the world of fashion as they can break boundaries. They can be compared to the use of computers in the music industry and are all part of a digital revolution, in this case a 3D digital design revolution.”

At the moment it's not certain yet if the shoes will be released in a limited edition as it happened with previous Iris van Herpen x United Nude designs, so fashion enthusiasts and fans of the Dutch designer will have to stay tuned.

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Architecturally Fashionable Embryogenesis: AA School Paris’ "Post-McQueen Embryos"

The word “embryo” indicates a multicellular organism that literally “swells” or “grows”. Inspired by molecular embryology and developmental genetics, this March the AA Visiting School in Paris will be breeding its own architecturally fashionable organisms.

After the success of the “F(AA)shion” and “Building Fashion” workshops, the AA School in Paris is back with a new intensive programme of lectures aimed at combining different disciplines together and at creating new hybridic ones that mix fashion, architecture and design.

Curated by Jorge Ayala, Director of the AA Visiting School in Paris and founder of the [Ay]A Studio, the new programme is entitled “Post-McQueen Embryos” (19th-30th March 2012) and will move from Alexander McQueen, prompting the students to explore a variety of themes including mass production driven by advanced capitalism and clothes adaptability in temperature variations and in technologically challenging urban environments.

Can you introduce us this season's main theme for the course?
Jorge Ayala: Following our previous critical agendas, this season’s programme seeks to continue taking fashion design out of its commercial destination. The starting point for our second academic year is “Post-Alexander McQueen” fashion, but our target remains the same, keeping on mixing architectural processes and fashion. "Post-McQueen Embryos" will operate as a unique atelier where we will be developing prêt-à-porter and accessories. 


What fascinates you about McQueen?
Jorge Ayala: Different aspects and also his position regarding fashion. On a design level, what really fascinated me about this designer was his skill at creating completely unexpected garments by using traditional materials such as cashmere or leather.

Which are the main differences between last season and this season's course?
Jorge Ayala: A full collection and a catwalk show. The Spring/ Summer season at the AA School Paris celebrates a year of research around the "Fashion+Architecture" theme. Thus, the archives of works we have generated over one year will allow us to develop a unique fashion show. In the past two seasons, we learnt a set of techniques, from clothing design via advanced computational design to physical testing and innovative logics of assembling and rapid-prototyping. This season we are going to refine such design strategies and launch an AA Paris show and catwalk.

What kind of backgrounds should the students enrolling in the course have?
Jorge Ayala: We are trying to strengthen the connections between fashion and architecture, so students with these backgrounds or with degrees in these fields. This season will be marked by the making of advanced design and by the themes of fabrication and construction in fashion and one of our guest tutors will be architect Isaïe Bloch, current collaborator of Dutch designer Iris van Herpen. Besides, AA Emtech Graduate Riyad Joucka has been invited to join for a second time the fashion laboratory alongside EZCT Collaborator Thibault Schwartz, expert on the development of robot-assisted tools of construction.

What was the best thing about last season's course?
Jorge Ayala: The students’ production was totally stunning. Over the past 12 months, this Parisian workshop has developed a lot, reuniting an open-minded, imaginative and avant-garde group of people committed to fashion while at the same time injecting new strength in the AA School thanks to its international alumni. 

"Post-McQueen Embryos", 19-30 March 2012, AA School Paris – Les Arts Décoratifs, 111 rue de Rivoli, Paris, France. The workshop is open to current architecture and design students, PhD candidates and young professionals. All applicants should submit a CV and portfolio to Jorge Ayala at [email protected] Deadlines for application: 5th March 2012.

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Coalition of Neutrals: Filati Biagioli Modesto S/S 13

Among the historical companies that presented their new collections during Pitti Filati there was also Filati Biagioli Modesto.

Founded in 1919, the company is specialised in high quality carded natural yarns. All its yarns are entirely made in Italy with luxurious fibres such as cashmere, silk, camel, angora, alpaca, linen, lambswool and extra-fine merino, materials carefully selected in the country of origin.

Its passion for craftsmanship, strengthened over four generations, is also evident in its archives that also include an exciting dyeing department with thousands of colour recipes.

Emotion, lightness and transparency are the key words for Filati Biagioli Modesto's S/S 13 collection that is mainly based on harmonious neutrals, an inspiration symbolised by the childish vintage carousel horses scattered around the company's stand during the Pitti Filati fair.

The majority of the yarns are indeed plain and presented in their natural colours so they are ideal for relaxed, delicate and ultra-soft wearable knits with some avant-garde details such as fluid asymmetric shapes, draped effects and cut out motifs that draw attention to the body beneath.

In a nutshell, these matt yarns are perfect for modern designs with no frills or fancies, but focusing on body movement.

The gauzy structures and consistency of these yarns can help creating superfine transparent effects for ethereal filigree-like designs.

The main palette for the S/S 2013 season also features diluted skin tones, sand and gull greys that drift off into airy or hazy greys, while precious yarns include pure cashmere – both finely spun or thick – and blends such as cashmere silk, cashmere wool and special melanges with vintage, washed or ombré effects.

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Arty Yarns: Filpucci S/S 13

There is a strong link between yarn manufacturer Filpucci (based in Capalle, near Florence) and art: in 1983 Andy Warhol created the spool of multicoloured string that became the company's symbol, while in 1985 Arnaldo Pomodoro made for the company his sculpture "Telaio dell'Invenzione", a study on the structure of a loom. 

Founded in 1967 in Prato and currently operative also in Zhangjiagang, China, Filpucci is considered as a leader in the manufacture of creative and fantsay yarns for quality knitwear.

Throughout its forty years of activity the company looked at experimentation and innovation, promoting its products through iconic advertising campaigns shot by photographers such as Oliviero Toscani, Bob Krieger, Gian Paolo Barbieri and Bill King.

The company's current production includes various collections of yarns. The “Filpucci” line is the result of creative design and innovative production processes and features sophisticated blends of fibers mixed with new generation materials such as extra-fine and organic wools, mohair kid, alpaca, cashmere, recycled cashmere, cotton, linen, hemp and viscose yarns.

First launched in 1988, the “Soffili” line - mainly including delicate and light yarns manufactured following an advanced spinning process that leaves the natural softness of the fiber unaltered during the twisting process - evolved during the last twenty years generating the hyper-soft “Soffili Next” yarns together with a secondary line called  “Blowool” dedicated to eco-friendly yarns produced using new manufacturing processes.

The “Woollen Selection” is instead the Filpucci interpretation of the traditional carded look, and features textured yarns, while the “Tricot Studio” - the line that renewed and redefined handknitting in the '80s - continues to offer creative yarns with innovative structures and colours that can be altered at home with vegetal dyes.

The latest line created by the company is called “Filpucci ZJG” and is made in China following the latest fashion trends. This younger line has so far allowed the company to consolidate its position in the global market.

The company also owns an archive and collection of stitches and techniques that represent the starting points for each new collection.

The summer collection accounts for 40% of Filpucci's turnover and for the S/S 13 season, the key word is lightness.

The palette is richly saturated and steeped in dyes taken from the earth, so spicy orange, cinnamon, ochre and brown, applied to soft and smooth yarns and bi-coloured twists, ideal for primal - yet very modern and contemporary - graphic patterns full of multi-cultural references. Sample knitwear designs created with these yarns were matched in the installation in the company's stand during Pitti Filati with origami-like paper skirts.

“All the big names in French and Italian fashion visited our stand, with a slight drop in US visitors, notoriously more interested in winter proposals, “ Federico Gualtieri, Filpucci Executive Vice President claimed in an official statement released to the Pitti Filati press office. “The attendance was continuous and lively and seemed to define the fair itself as a microcosm of creative minds with a clear desire to respond to the current situation without too much negativity. You could really feel the optimism in the knitwear sector where the feedback was very generous”.

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Remixing Yarns and Colours: Millefili S/S 13

In yesterday's post I mentioned the wide range of colours offered by Filmar, so let's look today at a different interpretation of colours and materials for the Spring/Summer 2013 season.

One of the most colourful stands at Pitti Filati is usually Millefili's. For the S/S 13 season Millefili moved from a theme that may sound pretty simple - “Mixology” - but explored it in the stand through yarns, ideas and suggestions that stimulated all the senses, symbolising in this way the cross-pollinated multi-mix of inspirations behind the new collection.

Visitors were indeed invited to help themselves to pick'n' mix candies or savoury biscuits, select their favourite home fragrance among 15 perfume-drenched cotton wool balls very practically nestled in a series of plastic funnels and then take it away in a glass bottle, or taste fine samples of molecular gastronomy.

Yet this was essentially only a fun introduction to the real thing, a series of vynil record-shaped listening posts on which different knitted samples were displayed according to various trends.

Founded in 1981 in Carpi, Millefili is one of the largest weaving companies in Italy. Millefili offers three lines, all selected by a team of internal stylists, "High Profile" (ultrafine woollen and worsted yarns for top quality knitwear), “Selection” (ultrafine woollen yarns for all season knitwear) and “Bluring” (fine quality fancy yarns for researched knitwear collections).

One of the most interesting trends/themes for the S/S 13 season is "Urban Mixology" and to introduce it the company showcased samples characterised by splashes of patterns in novelty yarns and intarsia motifs that went from the graphic to the arty.

Designers who are into surface elaborations on various materials and appliqued motifs will instead find the "Materials & Mirage" theme more interesting thanks to its mix of colours and fibers.

The "Trama & Tricot" (Weave & Tricot") trend includes instead a selection of thinner yarns ideal for light summer garments.

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Cotton Networks, Virtual Knitting and Yarn Customisation (Filmar + Filarc + Filaticolor)

For 50 years, Italian company Filmar has been manufacturing and marketing fine 100% Egyptian cotton yarn. At the latest Pitti Filati the company launched a new collaboration, a networking partnership with Filarc and Filaticolor to promote creativity and high quality.

Filarc is a relatively new company offering two lines, “Superior” (Haute Couture yarns) and “Basic” (young yarns to create trendy and functional garments); Filaticolor focuses instead on designing cotton-based yarns blended with an extraordinary mix of materials including silk, bamboo, coolmax, viscose and microviscose, micromodal, corn fiber, wood fiber, cashmere, wool, rabbit fur, angora, alpaca, seacell, steel and silver.

Bringing together different types of expertise, the network aims at consolidating the companies' position on an international level while guaranteeing to clients an extraordinary wide choice of cotton-based yarns.

Yet there are more exciting news for all the fans of technologically advanced discoveries linked with the fashion industry: Filmar's Cotton Store yarns were digitalised in their structures, colours and tones by Shima Seiki and can now be virtually knitted thanks to an innovative system devised by this Japanese company famous for its computerised knitting machines.

The SDS-ONE system allows indeed to make a prototype using elaborate compositions, patterns and stitches, offering a level of accuracy never achieved before in virtual knitting and saving in this way time, money and yarn.

Rather than loading a yarn on a machine and weave various samples resetting the machine every time, Shima Seiki's new system allows samples to be displayed on a computer in a short time. Designers will be able to test the final effects and patterns using all the yarns and colours available.

All the yarns ready to be used in the SDS-ONE system (also the ones from the "Zero" line – that is zero pilling cotton yarns in 68 colours) are available on a USB key (request it here). Shima Seiki opted for the Cotton Store line for its constantly updated colour palette and quality.

A file note for knitwear designers looking for cotton yarns: Filmar also allows you to create and customise your own yarn, spinning a blend from a selection of 264 Cotton Store colours, in 3, 4, 7, 9 and 12 threads.

This means you will be able to create a unique yarn in infinite multi-tonal nuances, mix and spin it with polyester, polyamide, steel and silver threads and have it delivered in 12 days (this service is also available for small sample quantities). Now, that's what I call customisation!

For further information on Shima Seiki's SDS-ONE system and Filmar, please check out also the following video.

 

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Knitting Puzzles (Gruppo Tessile Industriale S/S 13 Yarns)

After a break of a few days, let's go back to have a look at new yarns for the Spring/Summer 2013 season. I spotted this black and white 100% schappe silk yarn in the Gruppo Tessile Industriale stand at Pitti Filati.

The actual name of the yarn - Sudoku - attracted my attention in the first place. Apart from being very apt to describe this yarn evoking the famous black and white puzzle printed on a square grid of nine large squares each subdivided into nine smaller squares, the name seemed infinitely less boring and bland than any other name that may have described this rather traditional combination of basic nuances.

Let's also have a look at the meaning of the words "schappe silk" for those readers who don't know much about yarns: as you know silk is produced by worms that secrete the thread from glands below their mouths. Once the worm completes the cocoon, it becomes a pupa and then a moth. The cocoons can be harvested when the pupas are still inside to produce nett silk; the silk produced from cocoons collected after the moths have hatched, is instead called "schappe silk".

Since this yarn is more voluminous it's usually employed to create garments with a thicker appearance. Could the Sudoku/crossword puzzle theme be an inspiration for any of you my readers? (please note: crossword puzzles already appeared in fashion, so if you're opting for this inspiration for your collection, remember to re-elaborate it!)  

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A Brief History of the (Dominatrix) Plastic Collar (and Some Cheaper and More Practical Alternatives...)

Fans of Marc Jacobs' (Night Porter-pilfered) Autumn/Winter 2011-12 collection for Louis Vuitton have been enthusing about the designer's (Nazi) dominatrix style for months. A lot of dementia also spread among the fashion media with quite a few journalists apparently seeing the light and reaching nirvana whenever they saw a latex/plastic S&M Peter Pan collar on a runway/in the shops.

Yet collars made using plastic-based materials aren't a new thing in fashion. One example is the rigid plastic/celluloid dickey (or tux front), a false and detachable shirt-front that became fashionable in the second part of the 19th century.

Plastic collars were also employed by the clergy and the service professions and often integrated in theatrical costumes to save money.

In the '60s it was the norm for Italian pupils to go to school wearing a pinafore and, around their necks the physically-impairing torture instrument featured in this post (with a blue ribbon for boys and a pink ribbon for girls), a rigid yet sleek rounded plastic collar that, from a distance, looked exactly like fabric.

The collar was obviously welcomed by many mothers since it did not wilt or wrinkle nor needed any ironing, besides it was also waterproof and stain-resistant. In a nutshell, it simulated a fabric collar and was definitely more functional than a proper one (though when it came to comfort it left something to be desired...).

There are actually quite a few companies that still produce these collars and even cuffs - mainly used by the clergy, military officers, nurses and again by costume designers for theatrical/film purposes - yet they are made using innovative and therefore softer plastic-based materials. One of the main materials employed for such collars is called Parafineflex and guarantees always perfect collars.

An alternative to modern plastic collars is paper or cardboard. The paper collar industry started in the States during the Civil War when the South's control of cotton cut off the supply of cloth collars.

Production of paper collars and cardboard dickeys peaked between the end of the 1800s and the beginning of the 1900s.

There is only one company in the United States - Amazon Drygoods - that still manufactures paper collars (it has been producing them since 1866). 

The collars are made using Linene, that is linen laminated paper and start at $3.00. 

So if you really want to go down the dominatrix way (but, bloody Hell, leave those Nazi references behind!), parafineflex or paper collars may represent a cheaper and more clever (especially from a historical/costume design point of view...) choice.    

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Cracking the Dress Code: Samuel Gassmann

As a break from my Pitti Filati reports, I'm republishing today a feature I recently did for Zoot Magazine about Samuel Gassmann's handmade cufflinks, unique pieces informed by critical research and journalistic practice.   

A journalist's job is mainly letting others tell their stories. Yet sitting down to hear a journalist's own story can be equally fascinating and educational and Samuel Gassmann has a charming story to tell.

An art curator and freelance journalist, Gassmann found himself deeply drawn by a research for a documentary about the origin of the button. Further researches led him to concentrate on  the history of the dress code and on how clothes were linked to day, evening or sport events and to a life of pomp and circumstance at the royal courts. Soon his journalistic research turned into the inspiration for a unique collection of “haute couture” cufflinks.

Handmade in Gassmann's Paris-based studio, the cufflinks - in mother-of-pearl, coral, glass, incorporating ancient coins or decorated with acro numbering tacks, engravings of the sun and the moon or with letters designed by Alex Wiederin, Creative Director of Vogue Hommes International - tell a story of craftsmanship, style and quality.

When did you decide to become an accessory designer? 
Samuel Gassmann: After studying Art History at La Sorbonne, I began working as a curator for numerous contemporary art exhibitions and as a freelance journalist for Arte's Metropolis magazine. In 2007, I began researching on the theme “The Origin of the Button” - the smallest thing for a man's clothes - for a documentary project. These researches led me to find small mother-of-pearl cabochons which looked as if they were made for cufflinks. I found enough to make 223 pairs of cufflinks. During this period of time I also developed an interest in the pre-French Revolution laws that told people how to dress up during different times of the day and occasions, from the morning to the evening, during sport events or for formal occasions such as visits to the court. I started my line soon after this research with an article on Elle magazine, becoming an artisan and designer by accident. 

Your collection started with the button-shaped cufflinks, can you tell us more about them?
Samuel Gassmann: I moved from the traditional definition of “button” for a man's shirt - 11 millimeters and four holes - and I called it the “Archetype”. For the day version I opted for mother-of-pearl because, until the '60s, all buttons were made using this material. For the evening I used grey mother-of-pearl, while for the sport events I employed porcelain since I wanted a material that could be painted in the colours of your team or on which you could draw the number of the shirt of your favourite player, but that would still allow you to remove colours and numbers in case you change your mind!

What about the colour-coded cufflinks instead?
Samuel Gassmann: There are two ideas behind them: the first one is associated to art and the second one is linked to the concept of temporality. I started the “Colour(s)” cufflinks as a representation of two opposite colours, blue and red. Then I tried to imagine a way to have a well-balanced system of colours using Mondrian's orthogonal structure of representation. At first, I created two blues and two reds to have a square representation of the colours. At the moment there are four shades in the “Colour(s)” collection - blue, red, yellow and green. The second idea is that the colour has a temporary existence: think about Greek statues and how they lost their colours throughout the centuries or about how hair lose colours turning grey and then white. To produce these pieces, we used natural pigments that are sensitive to light to dye the shells made by François Mercier. In a few years’time, all colours will disappear completely but the structure will still remain. That's why I called the line “Colour(s)”, putting the “s” in brackets to underline the fact that all the colours will eventually fade away.

 

How long does it take to make a pair of cufflinks? 
Samuel Gassmann: It depends on the material I'm using. I make the cufflinks by myself in my Paris-based studio and it usually takes a few days to make some of the cufflinks for the “pomp and circumstances” line, while for others it may take less than a day.

Does your previous job as a journalist still inspire you?
Samuel Gassmann: Yes, it does. I actually do not see any real difference between my job as an artisan today and my previous job as a journalist. My way of working did not change at all: before I create, I still sit down and carry out my researches, finding the meaning for a collection in the same way I would have started working on the background information for a documentary. 

Would you like to expand and create also other lines of accessories?
Samuel Gassmann: I already came up with a day shirt for Japanese label Arts & Science. I like to describe this shirt as a cookery recipe, a perfect blend of measures and materials. Arts & Science interpreted my concept and had the shirt made by hand by one artisan. It will probably be available from the end of March and will be distributed only by Arts & Science in Japan. Now I'm already thinking about shirts ideal for day, evening and sport events or for all your “pomp and circumstance” occasions.

Images:
House Cabochon (white brass, bronze link): 130 Euros
Day Archetype (mother-of-pearl, silver link): 110 Euros
Day Alphabet (mother-of-pearl, silver link): 110 Euros 
Colour(s) (tinted shell, silver link): 110 euros
Evening Cabochon (grey mother-of-pearl, bronze link): 90 Euros

All images courtesy of Samuel Gassmann

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