Fashion and Intellectual Property

 While Post-modernism has most certainly made its mark, the creative industries, particularly the fashion industry, are profoundly modernist. Constantly searching for the new, the individual and the unique, fashion designers often go to extremes only to have the fruits of their labour imitated by fast-fashion chains within moments. While some may say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, it an also be highly annoying. Imagine putting your heart, soul (and money, blood, sweat and tears) into a work, only to see it being copied and sold on the streetside below. Not nice. But as fashion designers, we'll all willingly and sometimes thoughtlessly or subconciously 'draw inspiration' from the works of other designers, often many at once, and piece these little bits of inspiration  - in the form of a sleeve, a collar, a cuff - together to create something with which we can express ourselves. We create and ride along with trends, waves of communal thought in which many designers share ideas.. "It's not copying, it's the zeitgeist" we say. 'Exaggerated collars are so very NOW!' We often come up with our own versions and see them copied, wish, we could do something about it, but fail to consider that a collar is purely something that goes around your neck  - and that there aren't that many ways to design one (Well you tell me, but I don't think there is) - so there isn't much space for variation anyway. This is why Intellectual Copyright is not prevalent in the fashion Industry, but it may be a good thing...




Here's what Johanna Blakely, Deputy Director of the Norman Lear Center,  had to say. 


Johanna Blakely; Lessons from Fashion's Free Culture. 

Michael Anastassiades

 It depends on my mood, but I always appreciate those things that express complex ideas through the simplest means .. like maths, direct language and analogies.. Not to say that I am good at any of those. I'd say that Michael Anastassiades' work is a prime example of this. Conceptually motivated but communicated through the purest of means, It's like comparing a haiku and a sonnet - a metaphor and a verbosequasitryhardwannabeintellectualrambling...  I find it really very emotive. 


The Social light and the anti-social light. 

The social light is based on a heart-warming idea, glowing  only when there is conversation in the surrounding environment. Conversely, the Anti-social light only glows in complete silence, noise causes the light to dim and eventually switch off.

The Message Cup - a portable, mobile voice recording and playback device, designed for message exchanges in the household. Individuals record and playback messages by turning the cup up and down.

Michael Anastassiades' foray's into jewellery - Bronze and Swarovski crystal rings ... 

 Geometric, multi-faceted and different from every angle.. Beautiful in so many ways. 
Look further at http://www.michaelanastassiades.com/

Sparkle and Glow

One more for today. Just incredible, like Christmas, the one and only Hussein Chalayan.
I aspire to one day be able do things like this.

Electrified

 Warm colours warm you. Cool colours cool. What if this was to be expressed in the cloth you wear, sleep under and wrap yourself in. A blanket takes on a homely and warm print when heated, a summer jacket cools itself against the skin and refreshes the eye with lively, icey prints. 








wow

Bringing life to design

 I previously documented my discovery of Hafsteinn Juliusson's 'slim chip' a simple, interesting and somewhat kitschy culinary idea which just made me inwardly giggle with childish glee and excitement.   The item I am about to document is perhaps more serious (?) but still simple, imaginative and conceptually beautiful. 

How much closer to nature could you get? Indeed, Juliusson has designed these pieces for the people of metropolitan cities as 'an experiment in drawing nature toward man, as nature being the presupposition of life'. The mossy jewellery brings to mind the innocent and natural play of a simple childhood,  playing in the dirt and on the grass making playthings out of sticks and leaves. The way children innocently wear daisy chain necklaces, leaf bracelets and use paperbark as powder-puff in a non-political way, is evoked here. The person and the plant live, work and play together  in harmony. 

The use of metal and moss together bring together the modern and the traditional, the man-made and the organic. I also love the way they are displayed, placed like little bridges on a pebbly surface. I wonder about the applications of this mini-innovation, how beautiful it could be to transfer other living details to our daily dress, blossoms on a collar, jasmine on neckline, its scent wafting up your neck throughout the day... I attempted to add plants into a one of my designs early on in my university degree  - but the idea was then dismissed as perhaps too kitschy  (that said, maybe I hadn't developed the garment shape well enough in the first place...) But it's definitely an idea I would love to further explore in the future.

While the knuckle duster does have violent connotations, I'd assume that the piece was designed this way a) to allow maximum growing space for moss and boost the impact or b) because Juliusson, like me, has a penchant for the absurd and the satirical. (I am looking forward to the day when someone designs a knuckle feather duster for the tough housewife/husband - ok ok, stupid chindogu idea -  but everyday needs a little bit of ridiculousness). 


Either way, its the perfect blend of the natural and the man-made, nature and culture, a beautiful reminder of the delicate balance of nature, and how it is our duty to live harmoniously with it and not take it for granted.

Falling in Love Again...no.3 Klaus Nomi

 Last but not least! This is the version that set me on this 3 post entry in the first place. The singer is Klaus Nomi  (1944 - 1983) (sadly died from AIDS), a German Countertenor, West Berlin Opera usher, New Wave Vaudeville performer, Back-up singer for David Bowie (!!!) and solo-artist (and pastry-chef by day) known for his bell-clear high pitched voice and 'out there' costumes. 


Nomi combines Marlene Dietrich's famous half-spoken English version "Falling in love again, never wanted to...." with the original German one (spoken) "Ich bin von Kopf bis Fuß auf Liebe eingestellt, Denn das ist meine Welt...' (literally: Head to toe, I"m ready for love, because that is my world) with an electronic clang, a boppy base and interestingly nuanced vocals, coloured lights, graphic sets and colourful, clean cut 80's costumes and make-up (WOW- to the electric bodysuits and the lady in them.. breathless wow again) which accentuate and draw attention to and away from the body in all the right ways. It's weird and wonderful and I'd have to say this is one of my favourite versions of the song, because although it may be less melodic, the combination of the visuals and the upbeat, out-of-tune experimental boppiness is definitely appealing to someone who is always searching for something interesting and perhaps slightly odd but beautiful.





Sexy.... 
It's surprising how much innuendo an ice-cream can have.  I've never seen either portrayed so pornographically before. 

If you want to hear Marlene Dietrich's original German version - you can find it after the jump

Around and about

 Out and about. Textures and Colours jump out at me everywhere. The most interesting and often unexpected combinations exist all around you.

The feathery mosaic of abandoned walls. 

The colour of an early autumn afternoon. 

Pumped up!

Kept natural... 

 Or toned down. 

Life in multicolour.