the rule

These are the most recent 2 jackets i made.   Not bad, huh?

 my specialty is designing leather jackets.  Today i will tell you "why leather"? You guys ready? :oB

know yourself:

I learned all the aspects of fashion design from developing conceptual ideas to translating the ideas into actual garments (this step includes pattern making and sewing) at an art school in my town.  There was a director at the art school who taught us what fashion design is from the basics.  He had his own "unique" way to teach us fashion, which was sometimes "mean" and very strict almost like an army school (seriously) but behind his hard mask we the students all knew he loved us and fashion a lot... just like the sadistic Sergent from the movie "the officer and the gentleman".  I would say I was pretty much of Richard Gere.   Anyway what was amazing about him was he had this sharp eye to find out a core design style each student has.    It is very important to know what style you have inside.  Sometimes we don't know what we have inside.  "know yourself."   (wow, the squirrel just said something deep.)     So all through the struggle i had in my school life under the sergent, i realized what i felt most comfortable to design was jackets.  Not like gorgeous gowns or avant garde dresses.  Those were for other students. Not for me. 

The key is yourself.  You already know the answer.

the virtue and the viciousness:

After i graduated i was working for a lot of local fashion designers.  they all had hard time selling their clothes because of those H&M and forever twenty something stuff.  I was tired of watching people not buying well made and well designed local designer's clothes just because of the price and buying cheap clothes which they can wear for only one season.

 

The virtues are "fastness", "cheap price!" and "variety". 

Damn.   So this squirrel decided to go a vicious way, which is "slowness", "toughness" and  "simplicity."    The answer to the words was leather jacket.  I decided to simply stick to leather jacket.  No "variety".  just leather jackets.    I like leather jackets. I always wear leather jacket in my life. I am always attracted by the functional beauty and the "free spirits" which leather jackets represent.  And i already knew i could make jackets. Why not start making it in leather?

It is far from "fastness" because i sew them one by one.  It takes long time but, hey, making clothes takes long time.  It's natural.

Wearing a leather jacket means we are owing an animal's life.  (actually 1 leather jacket uses a half cow...so you owe half of a cow life for a jacket.)  So i have to sew it very carefully to not waste any tiny piece of hides and sew it tough so we can wear it for a long long time.  You might have to pay more than the clothes sold in H&M but it deserves it.

the regulation:

Also, i needed a rule.  For me, leather is like 575 rule of Haiku.  The Haiku poets have to  express their thought in a rhythm of 575.     I need a restriction to express my design idea.  Does it sound weird?  Sometimes a simplicity which a restriction leads us to creates a great result just like Haiku.  

Let me show you one more example.  I went to Vancouver several years ago with my friend.   She and I looked around native Canadian museums.  We were totally fascinated into their totem pole arts.  I was especially impressed that there were so many talented young artists who followed their ancestors' footsteps.  They take over the traditional style and transfer it into totally a new look.  It is modern and almost even looks somewhat like a digital art but the intensity and the feeling which their ancestors drew in are still there.  Then my friend showed me the booklet she got from the museum and told me to read an artist's word.  I forgot the name of the artist but he said he needed the traditional style as a "frame". (or almost like a "regulation" or "restriction")  He continued that he tried to create the feeling like..."once you touch the motives i drew, the motives pop out and start dancing."  Until the moment would come he squeezes the motives in the frame and the motives are holding still and waiting with holding their breathes....that was an amazing explanation.  his art works do look like almost popping out with full of energy with a slight stimulation.  he just pressed and seal the energy into a 2 dimensional traditional art style....

So that' it. the leather is my 575 rule and a frame!  i squeeze a lot of energy in there!

---squirrel.