RAZOR RED MAGAZINE - MARCH 2002

MARCH 2002

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WHAT DOES FASHION MEAN TO YOU? 

FASHION IS THE SIMPLEST AND MOST IMMEDIATE FORM OF COMMUNICATION. IT CAN BE AN EXPRESSION OF JOY AND A WAY TO BRING SOMETHING TO THE PARTY OF LIFE. 

DESCRIBE THE GENERAL PROCESS YOU GO THROUGH TO DESIGN AND REALIZE A PIECE OF CLOTHING. 

I ANALYZE WHAT I DID THE SEASON BEFORE AND THINK OF THE LOGICAL NEXT STEP. I NEVER START FROM ZERO. EACH COLLECTION IS A REFLECTION AND EVOLUTION OF THE ONE BEFORE. I CREATE A STORY WITH FABRICS AND TEXTURES FIRST AND USUALLY HAVE A SILHOUETTE THAT I'M INTERESTED IN DEVELOPING. I REVIEW THE NOTES I'VE ACCUMULATED ON AIRPLANE FLIGHTS AND AT THE GYM. I THEN HAVE TOILES MADE FROM PREVIOUS SEASONS AND PROCEED TO MODIFY AND MANIPULATE THEM ON THE BODY. I HATE BEING LATE OR RUSHED SO I USUALLY HAVE THE NEXT SEASON MAPPED OUT BEFORE THE RUNWAY SHOW OF THE SEASON BEFORE IT. I'VE LEARNED FROM PAST MISTAKES. 

WHAT DO YOU BELIEVE MAKES A QUALITY ARTICLE OF CLOTHING? 

TEXTURE, SILHOUETTE, LOGIC. IN THAT ORDER, I THINK. 

TELL ME ABOUT THE SPRING COLLECTION. 

I WANTED TO EXPRESS AN AUSTERE OPULENCE. I WANTED THE WEARER TO FEEL THEIR BODY SWIMMING IN SWIRLS OF FABRIC EXTENDING IN A FOG AROUND THEM. I WANTED THE GRANDEUR OF VOLUME WITH THE RESTRAINT OF COTTON SILK POPLINS AND CANVASES. 

DO MUSIC AND FILM INSPIRES YOUR DESIGN? 

I'M REVISITING KEN RUSSELL'S 'TOMMY' RIGHT NOW : THE ACID QUEEN SEGMENT WITH TINA TURNER AND THE RAINING CHAMPAGNE SEGMENT WITH ANN-MARGRET. YOUTUBE IT. FILM AND MUSIC DOESN'T GET MUCH BETTER THAN THAT FOR ME. 

I HEARD YOU HAVE A DEEP INTEREST IN ARCHITECTURE AND INTERIOR DESIGN. WOULD YOU PROJECT THE IDEAS ON THE CONSTRUCTION OF YOUR DESIGN? 

I LOOK TO ARCHITECTURE AS REFERENCE AND INSPIRATION MORE THAN FASHION. THE LOGIC AND BRUTALISM OF LE CORBUSIER, CARLO SCARPA AND LUIGI MORETTI, PRIMARILY. THE CONSISTENCY AND PERMANENCE OF THEIR OUTPUT SOOTHES ME INTO KNOWING WHAT MY NEXT STEP IS. 

DOES THE FURNITURE YOU DESIGN COME FROM THE SAME AESTHETIC AS YOUR OWN BRAND? 

IT'S ALL THE SAME STORY. I SEE THE CLOTHES IN THEIR OWN ENVIRONMENT. 

WHAT IS A GOOD FORM FOR YOU, ON BOTH FURNITURE AND CLOTHES? 

A GRACEFUL, INTELLIGENT LINE FROM POINT A TO POINT B. 

IF YOU TELL US JUST ONE THING ABOUT YOURSELF, WHAT WOULD IT BE? 

I'M VERY GRATEFUL TO BE IN THE POSITION TO EXPRESS MYSELF CREATIVELY, AND I DON'T TAKE IT FOR GRANTED. 

ARE YOU BEING HARD ON YOURSELF? 

USUALLY. THAT'S THE TRADE-OFF YOU MAKE. 

IS FASHION AN ART FORM OR JUST A WAY TO EXPRESS ONESELF? 

WITH MS. KAWAKUBO, MAYBE ART. WITH ME, PROBABLY NOT. 

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT GARETH PUGH'S ACHIEVEMENT NOW? 

GARETH IS AN INEVITABLE FORCE. I JUST SEE HIS WORK GETTING MORE AND MORE REFINED. AND HE'S SUCH A LOVELY GUY. 

EDITORS SEEM INTENT ON WAVING THE GOTH BANNER OVER YOU. WHAT DO THINK ABOUT THAT? 

IT'S NOT A LABEL I WOULD HAVE COME UP WITH BUT IN A BUSY WORLD THAT NEEDS TO SUMMARIZE, I ACCEPT IT. COMPARED TO A LOT OF OTHER LABELS, I SUPPOSE IT APPLIES. BUT I WOULD HATE FOR IT TO DISCOURAGE ANYONE. I WANT MY CLOTHES TO BE FOR ANYONE. 

FOR US, RICK OWENS IS SEEMINGLY UNBREAKABLE. IS THAT THE REAL YOU? 

TO A CERTAIN EXTENT. I'VE GOTTEN MORE THAN MY SHARE IN LIFE SO IF IT ALL WENT AWAY, I STILL WOULD HAVE HAD A GREAT TIME. 

WHAT IS YOUR IDEA OF AN IMPORTANT ACHIEVEMENT? 

LEAVING LOVE IN YOUR WAKE. 

IN WRAPPING UP, WHAT CAN YOU SEE YOURSELF IN FIVE YEARS' TIME?