Original Statement (Amended)
Feburary 7th 2019
Anthropocene is the title of my first collection of clothes, named after the present geological age: it is defined by human control of the climate and the environment.
Systems of power have “designed” over thousands of years, everything that we know as normal. What we dress like, what we think, what we eat, what we do. Now this influence extends to our environment.
In broader terms Anthropocene is my attempt to provide a meaningful and non-digital place for my research on culture, the environment and how ideas are communicated. Each garment is one of one, starting with clothes purchased from various vintage/second hand stores. I select pieces based on the aging process of the particular garment. Each is broken in and faded by time, which produces softness, color and texture unavailable with newly produced clothes. The graphics are designed and screen printed by myself, inspired by pioneering Japanese streetwear brands and the punk/skate/rap culture that came before them. Because I don’t sew the clothes, if I don’t print on it, I didn’t really make it, I styled it.
Each design corresponds to an idea that needs to be communicated during this moment of information overload and potential cultural collapse. Taking the time to find the most direct way to communicate a variety of interweaved and purposely convoluted ideas has been a two year battle, leading to this first collection and eventual expansions to come later this year. As a philosophy, I decided that if massive corporations and people with large amounts of liquid capital are going to rip off the ideas of new designers, then the most impactful designs and ideas are the ones that benefit from being replicated.
My hope is that others will add to and continue this conversation. I imagine the end of fast fashion, and I imagine much more.
Systems of power have “designed” over thousands of years, everything that we know as normal. What we dress like, what we think, what we eat, what we do. Now this influence extends to our environment.
In broader terms Anthropocene is my attempt to provide a meaningful and non-digital place for my research on culture, the environment and how ideas are communicated. Each garment is one of one, starting with clothes purchased from various vintage/second hand stores. I select pieces based on the aging process of the particular garment. Each is broken in and faded by time, which produces softness, color and texture unavailable with newly produced clothes. The graphics are designed and screen printed by myself, inspired by pioneering Japanese streetwear brands and the punk/skate/rap culture that came before them. Because I don’t sew the clothes, if I don’t print on it, I didn’t really make it, I styled it.
Each design corresponds to an idea that needs to be communicated during this moment of information overload and potential cultural collapse. Taking the time to find the most direct way to communicate a variety of interweaved and purposely convoluted ideas has been a two year battle, leading to this first collection and eventual expansions to come later this year. As a philosophy, I decided that if massive corporations and people with large amounts of liquid capital are going to rip off the ideas of new designers, then the most impactful designs and ideas are the ones that benefit from being replicated.
My hope is that others will add to and continue this conversation. I imagine the end of fast fashion, and I imagine much more.