'tensemble NY 2023AW ORDER FAIR -Interview-
'tensemble NY 2023AW ORDER FAIR
TOKYO EVENT : 4/14-4/19
OSAKA EVENT : 4/22-4/23
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-'tensemble NY Interview-
1. Can you tell us about your background?
- My training was in pattern-cutting and I worked for various designers in New York as a sample-maker and pattern-maker for both runway shows and production collections.
1. Please tell us about your background.
- I was trained in pattern cutting and worked for various designers in New York as a sample maker and pattern maker for both runway shows and production collections.
2. Your brand seems to contain various ideas and philosophies.
- I think the most important aspect of clothing is to dress the body. Story-telling is an added bonus, but at the end clothes should foremost be worn and in comfort. the attitude is there but it doesn't have to be forced. Clothes should be good just as stand-alone garments, even without any "story”.
2. Your brand seems to have various ideas and philosophies. What do you value when presenting a collection?
- I think the most important thing about clothes is to dress your body. Having a story is a plus, but in the end, clothes should be comfortable and comfortable above all else.
Customers don't have to worry too much about what they're wearing, and even if they have an attitude, there's no need to force them.
Even without a story, clothes should be good on their own.
3. As for your personal questions, what are your influences in terms of artists, history of clothing, etc.?
- To be honest when working I'm not really looking at visual references. Sometimes a random abstract idea will come when listening to lectures or reading, I'll mentally save it, maybe a couple of months or years later, when something else comes by to make the whole story. Sometimes ideas come when working on the patterns or in the sewing process.
3. This is a personal question, what are your influences such as the history of artists and clothing?
- Honestly, when I'm working, I don't do much visual reference. Sometimes, while listening to a lecture or reading a book, a random abstract idea will come to you, but you can mentally store it, and months or years later, others will pop up. may compose a story. Ideas can also come to me during the pattern and sewing process.
4. Please tell us about your favorite music, books, etc.
- Music and books (nowadays more audio-books) are important to me because they're especially good companions to sewing. It's hard to pick favorite in books... but the last few I read were: The Red Prince, Bloodlands, Stories of the Sahara, The Bookseller of Kabul, Giovanni's Room (again). There are also many fantastic radio programs with short stories too, both fiction and true.
Music too - it's hard to pick favorites... but some of my all-time favorite artists are Iron & Wine, Calexico, and Cat Powers. Some of the really good younger artists recently are Kevin Morby, Warhaus, and Michael Kiwanuka. I was also a big fan of Namie Amuro when I was young, so she'll always have a special place. My favorite Namie Amuro song is "Dreaming I was Dreaming”.
4. Please tell us about your favorite music, books, etc.
- I cherish music and books (mostly audiobooks these days), especially since they are great companions for sewing. It's hard to pick a favorite book, but the ones I've read recently are The Red Prince, Bloodlands, Tale of the Sahara, The Bookstore in Kabul, and Giovanni's Room (again). There are also many great radio programs that collect short stories, both fiction and true stories.
As for music, it's hard to pick a favorite... My all-time favorite artists are Iron & Wine, Calexico, and Cat Powers. Recent young artists like Kevin Morby, Warhouse and Michael Kiwanuka. Actually, when I was young, I was a big fan of Namie Amuro, so she's always been special to me. My favorite Namie Amuro song is "Dreaming I was Dreaming".
5. Please tell us about the concept of this 23AW collection.
- I first discovered the singer Zabelle Panosian from the radio show Kerning Cultures, that tells both historic and contemporary stories from the Arab world and north Africa. Zabelle was an Armenian American who was active in the early 1900s, especially during the tragedy of the genocide The lyrics are from the old Armenian folk song "Crane", which Zabelle recorded and performed to fund-raise for the refugees. Cranes are migrating birds, and the song sang of the migrants that lost touch of their homeland. don't know whether your family back in Armenia is still alive or where they ended up.
My good friend is Armenian, herself a refugee, and she lent me the book Passages, about traditional Armenian rug-weaving. I got in contact with the Armenian Rug Society, who published the book, and they were very kind to let me use the rugs as prints. I liked the idea that as an immigrant in the US, integrated into the western society, there is a layer underneath from a previous culture, and so hence the hidden layer of the rug prints. brides wove theirs as dowry, and often times the scriptures were literally woven into the rugs, stamping the name, place and time. The history is there, but you don't think about it while carrying on with daily life, like many other forgotten things.
5. Please tell us about the concept of this 23AW collection.
- I got to know the singer Zabel Panosian from the radio show Kerning Cultures, which tells historical and contemporary stories of the Arab world and North Africa. Zabel is an Armenian-American who was active in the early 1900s, especially during the genocide tragedy. The lyrics are derived from an old Armenian folk song "The Crane" that Zabel recorded and performed to raise funds for refugees. Cranes are migratory birds, and this song was about immigrants who lost sight of their homeland. In 1915, no one knows if family members in Armenia are alive or where they have gone.
My best friend is Armenian and she herself was a refugee. She lent me a book "Passages" on traditional Armenian carpet weaving. I contacted the Armenian Rug Society, which published the book, and they were very kind to let me use the rug as a print. I liked the idea that when you move to America and integrate into Western society, there is a layer of your previous culture underneath, and therefore a hidden layer in your rug prints. Rugs were of particular importance to Armenians, with brides weaving rugs as dowries and often scriptures were literally woven into the rugs, imprinted with names, places and times. The history is there, but in our daily lives, we are unaware of it, like many other things we forget.
