Jil Sander / Undercover by Jun Takahashi
Jun 15, 2009
OBSERVATION °1 (OLD ONE)
Richard Avedon / Andy Warhol / Jean-Michel Basquiat / Viktor&Rolf
"Jean-Michel Basquiat painted Andy's scars on this turtleneck, probably inspired by the famous Richard Avedon photograph that revealed them."
Jun 10, 2009
LIFE IS ELSE WHERE/WHERE ELSE
photos: Alisastyle: Suvi
model: Mau
Everything happens for a reason - I have proved that. When I was reading Milan Kundera's Life is elsewhere I realized that I want to make a photo shoot, that reflects the mood of the book.
I then asked my friend SUVI (Poutiainen) if she wants to make a styling. She ended up with some outsider and melancholy themes. We had the same mood. I asked SUVI afterwords some questions about her life.
me: 1. I know you are only 21-years old, but you've made many interesting things. Can you tell me something about your life?
Suvi: Well, I moved to London to study at London College of Fashion straight from high school. After the first year I wasn't sure whether or not I wanted to continue. So when Daniel (Palillo) asked me to work at Wunder I decided stay in Finland.
For the first year Daniel and I shared the buyers duties but when last fall Daniel decided to concentrate on his label I became in charge as the buyer. Then finally this March I bought half of the shop and now we share the ownership with Tomi Heikkilä.
All the while I've also done some stylist jobs as well.
me: 2. Who are your favourite photographers?
Suvi: I'm not very good at name dropping! Let me think... Maybe David Sims?
me: 3. And now back to our photo session. What was your idea for the styling?
Suvi: I can't really remember how we came up with the idea of using the story of Christiane F. as a starting point for the photoshoot... But anyways, the idea was to use the aesthetic of the movie Wir Kinder vom Bahnhof Zoo, which portrays the lives of these teen-age-junkie-prostitutes in late 70s Berlin, as an inspiration for the styling and the whole theme as well.
However, our setting was a lot less urban than that of the movie which is located mainly in the central railway station of Berlin. The photos are all moments captured from film -therefore they're not as staged as regular fashion images.
In fact, what makes the shoot interesting to me is the fact that I know that somewhere there is a film with the sequences make up the timeline between the images but they are just no where for me to be seen.
Jun 8, 2009
Q&A SASU KAUPPI
kuva Leena Aro
Sasu Kauppi - A BA fashion graduate at University of Art and Design Helsinki. Even his name tells us about his extraordinary and colorful character, not to mention his design. Experimental and scientistic approach makes a great result as you can see.
me: 1. Difficult as it is, how would you describe your collection?
Sasu: The collection is a montage of various cultural and historical elements concentrating on the cohesiveness of the mood. The main theme, layering, is presented as mixed prints of polka dots, checks, stripes and fabric layering, as well as pseudo-metaphysical and made up layers of multiple unequal concepts, which influence the visual elements. I ended up letting the esthetic values speak for the garments, but telling only what they are able to tell to the observer. By this I wanted to raise questions more than give answers and obviously keep something personal in the collection.
The overall concentration in designing this collection was to find a balance between seeing an outfit and a separate garment as an ensemble, and/or as a part of another ensemble. This states the continuity, that is important to me.
Yet another important goal concerning this collection was to bring unisex related street wear esthetics closer to tailored wear and enhance a product’s quality through the choice of materials and precise finishing.
me: 2. Would you rather call yourself a fashion designer or a clothing designer?
Sasu: I consider myself a fashion designer who values wearability.
me: 3. If not working in fashion industry where else to work?
Sasu: If i didn't design clothes, I would be spending more time with my other loves, music and food. A couple of years back i too wanted to study psychology.
me: 4. In my mind, the finnish media is not that supportive for young creative designers what it really could be. Do you think it should open its eyes wider?
Sasu: All we need, I think, is more understanding within the field of media, especially towards fashion and design as a whole. The problem is that a change of "attitude" won't happen in a day. Also the Finnish government, as utopistic as it sounds, should support and encourage struggling young designers way more. After all there always lies a business aspect in consumable products.
me: 5. What is the most horrible thing that someone could think about a fashion design student?
Sasu: To consider one doing this merely for glamour and the superficial lifestyle.
me: 6. Do you like fashion?
Sasu: I love the parts of it, that I can relate to. Most of the parts that I don't understand also fascinate me.
me: 7. What fashion means to you?
Sasu: At the moment it stands a pretty comprehensive part in my life. It defines my future and I need it to survive. Though I could live without it, i want to keep our relationship tight yet questioning.
Jun 7, 2009
NOW AVAILABLE
NÄYTÖS09 Puutsit handmade by Markku Rudanko/from Wunder (Laivurinrinne 1, Punavuori, Helsinki)
Jun 6, 2009
Q&A ELINA PELTONEN
kuva Leena AroElina Peltonen - A Master Degree student at University of Art and Design Helsinki, the winner of Diesel prize and just enormously attractive, creative and clever person. Her design is sensitive, thoughtful, unisex and full of modernity. I asked her few questions about her attitudes. I've always loved our conversations.
me: 1. Difficult as it is, how would you describe your collection?
Elina: The language of silence is one that knows how to listen when the other centres act, so that it can construct itself as a reaction to the others, and not only as the self-determined action of its own talking” -John Cage
Instead of shouting out a message my work tends to empower silence as its strength and possibility, an attitude which becomes an attempt towards something that could be called anarchistic sensitivity.
This (wo)menswear collection embraces a kind of masculinity, which gives men more the right as well as responsibility in the field of sensitivity. My inspiration comes from subtility, softness, clumsiness and the accidental. The aesthetic of silence is present in my work in the shapes, colours, materials and details that all communicate a sense of calmness and undefinability.
“Basically one wants to say something which cannot be said, so what one has to do is to make a poem where one can feel what is meant.” -Pina Bausch
me: 2. Would you rather call yourself a fashion designer or a clothing designer?
Elina: This is a tough one. I am always most intrigued how the material and form combine and function in a wearable/usable/washable piece. This does not mean I find the artistic qualities of clothing less important, on the contrary. I try to exceed the two fundaments of good design “beauty and function” and bring my philosophical problem solving visible. It is difficult to make content into fashion, but it’s possible.
me: 3. If not working in fashion industry where else to work?
Elina: I believe anything you set your mind to can be interesting.
me: 4. In my mind, the finnish media is not that supportive for young creative designers what it really could be. Do you think it should open its eyes wider?
Elina: I think its a bit of a general problem of finnish culture, a sort of over-modesty, which turns into quite negative and restricting attitudes. It’s a bit of a twisted case of inferiority complex. But ofcourse it’s also a two-way thing, a lot of young finnish designer’s don’t even want the attention of the domestic media.
me: 5. What is the most horrible thing that someone could think about a fashion design student?
Elina: I think a lot of the predjudice have to do with superficiality, egoism and ignorance. The fashion world is cruel though, I think there are alot of people like this turning important wheels. That however doesn’t mean it’s like this out of necessity, that it couldn’t change. If I didn’t believe the how you do it matters, I propably wouldn’t manage.
me: 6. Do you like fashion?
Elina: Of course, I love it. But I do hate it as well. I think it’s this very bipolar relationship that forces me to search, research and reresearch, not take anything for granted, to question everything constantly. It makes it really hard but also really really intresting.
me: 7. What fashion means to you?
Elina: It means passion. I would love to do it, fashion is so complex, so intrieging, so ambigious it will never leave me at peace and will always challenge me. But the passion works also the other way: I won’t do it no-matter-what. I would love to be part of it but with my own rules and regulations. All I do is try, really hard!
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