Yuri Pardi's "Monument" collection, showcased at the graduate shows during summer, was definitely among the most original ones. A take on geometry and anatomy, the collection featured men and women's wear garments that looked as if they had been sculpted from grey concrete blocks. The pieces were instead made with grey wool and Pardi played with patterns, creating protrusions and rigid volumes supported by foam sheets that dramatically altered the shapes and silhouettes of the designs. This process allowed Brazilian-born Pardi to reduce the body to geometrical shapes in an exercise that called to mind the art of the Proto-Cubists or the Italian futurists, and that indirectly referenced the monumental modernism of Oscar Niemeyer or the concrete brutalism of Italian-born Brazilian architect Lina Bo Bardi.
Geometry, usually considered as a field of absolute clarity and the locus of rationality, turned therefore for Pardi into a way to create an irregular rationality that added surprise and emotion to a design. Ziggurat-like squarish blocks traced the back of a dress characterised by two minimalist seams running from the front to the back, a trick obtained by cleverly altering the pattern cutting; rectangle-shaped elements around the shoulders and the hips but invisible from the front disrupted instead the straight silhouette of a long gown. Menswear was altered via the same rectangular protrusions but featured highlights in darker shades of grey.
Pardi chose this nuance inspired by German artist Gerhard Richter's statement about grey being a neutral and inconspicuous shade, proving that this colour can instead force our eyes - stressed by the constant visual overload we are subjected to on a daily basis - to refocus on details, on the power of light and shadows and on a minimalist aesthetic of reduction.
Can you introduce yourself to our readers?
Yuri Pardi: I was born in Brazil and studied both at the University of Brasilia (Graphic/Product Design) and at the University of East London (Fashion Design). I am currently based in London.
Do you consider yourself an artist or a fashion designer and which disciplines inform your work?
Yuri Pardi: I believe every designer has to be an artist, but not every artist is a designer. I consider myself a designer in the wider sense of the word. The project methods and thinking in design can indeed be applied to any area, from graphics to fashion. Fashion is just the way of designing I prefer. However, designing for me is more than just about my personal expressive needs, since I strive for something that could convey a message pertinent to the present scenario. This leads me to naturally draw from art, architecture, design, philosophy, sociology and express it through clothing.
Your graduate collection has got something architectural about it, can you tell us more about the background inspirations?
Yuri Pardi: My latest collection is entitled "Monument" and explores the relationship between people as individuals and aspects that are collective and common to all humans. I have translated this idea into garments that morph from traditional tailoring techniques into perfect geometric shapes. The former represent the body, the individual; the latter hint instead at the universal, the equal. You can find further information about my collection in this feature and interview.
Did you get inspired by any specific buildings for the shapes and silhouettes included in the collection?
Yuri Pardi: No, the inspiration for the shapes came exclusively from the human body. Every shape reflects a segment of the body projecting outwards and forming a polyhedron.
What fascinates you about architecture and who are your favourite architects?
Yuri Pardi: The notion of space and being able to expand or contract space, reveal or hide it, according to the proportion and lighting. The simple physical existence of three-dimensional objects is really fascinating. There is something really primal and beautiful about perceiving an object in space. My favourite architects are John Pawson, Tadao Ando and Oscar Niemeyer.
Grey is the prevailing shade in your collection and it almost evokes concrete, does this material inspire you?
Yuri Pardi: Grey is the only colour in this collection, in two shades. It was chosen for a number of reasons, resembling concrete is one of them. The main reason for the choice was to give absolute focus to the shape as opposed to surface graphics or embellishments. The choice is perfectly explained with this statement by Gerhard Richter: "Grey. It makes no statement whatever; it evokes neither feelings nor associations: it is really neither visible nor invisible. Its inconspicuousness gives it the capacity to mediate, to make visible, in a positively illusionistic way, like a photograph. It has the capacity that no other colour has, to make 'nothing' visible."
Your pieces must also be very interesting pattern cutting-wise, can you tell us more about developing the patterns, was it challenging?
Yuri Pardi: Yes, it was very challenging. The patterns turned out to be very mathematical due to the precision needed to keep the shapes in place whilst still allowing freedom of movement to the wearer. I developed a combination of traditional tailoring with flat polyhedra keeping darts and seams to a minimum. The big dress for example is made entirely with only two seams.
What kind of fabrics did you employ for this collection?
Yuri Pardi: All the collection is made of only one fabric - synthetic wool - plus the interlining in polyester fusing. The only slightly different material used was foam sheets for the internal structure.
What plans do you have for the future?
Yuri Pardi: I am currently working as a fashion assistant and planning on creative opportunities. I have no plans of taking part in any fashion events for the time being.
All images in this post by Eric Phillips courtesy of Yuri Pardi.
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