Three Anti-DNA objects formed the starting point of the collection ‘Sisterhoood’: The steam punk corset, the fluffy Batman sweater and the anti-muse. These articles were chosen on the basis of their lack of personal aesthetic appeal; normally, they would not attract or trigger me.
Playing with perception and the act of removing things from their original function, I seek solutions by placing things in a new context. The principle of “turning around, upside-down and inside-out” forms the basis of the collection, guiding my approach to shape and material, challenging expectations.
The ‘Fringes-in-Fringe-Collar Coat’ plays on materiality and perception. Starting with a leather hide, I sought to reconstruct it in another form; the iconic little ‘fur coat’ à la Courtney Love. Handcraft was important in the process; the desired texture and volume were created by cutting fringes within lengths of hand-cut fringes. I decoded the coat’s construction, draping a collar-shape with the fringing so that it appears as the coat itself. The fringes are hand-stitched together on a base of sheepskin, fully finished with a hand-stitched silk facing. A silk lining completes the look, finished with Hong Kong seams so that it works as the coat. This idea of individual pieces is important to the collection: how they can interact.