Kowtow

Impermanence, Kowtow Summer 11-12 from Kowtow on Vimeo.

Check out Kowtows new range. The Spring/Summer collection can be broken down into two. The first being 'Metamorphous' a collection focused on versatility, each garment can be transformed into many different garments. The second is "Building Blocks',a more minimal approach, each item is a staple piece that can be easily layered and worn throughout any season. Well done Kowtow, you've done it again!

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Kissin Cussin

A few months ago I had the lovely opportunity to write about Sydney based label Kissin Cussin for Ecouterre. With a new collection full of fresh prints and colour I thought it would be nice for you to hear a bit more about all the good things they do..

What are you up to today?
We're in Bondi at our little studio. We try to keep Friday's a creative day so we're working on creative marketing for on our blogger as well as finalising fabrics and designs for the next collection ...

Can you tell us about the women that make Kissin Cussin clothing?
The women who sew for us in Talalla Bay are absolutely divine and we've built up a very loving and caring relationship with them over the last 3 years. The ladies, were previously unemployed skilled seamstresses and we've offered them an opportunity to work close to their families, which they are very grateful for.

What was the first conversation like between you and the ladies of Talalla bay?
We were very lucky that the lady we chose to head the whole operation seemed to get what we were about instantly, although she / they had never been approached with anything like this before and there was definitely a sense of feeling that 'this is too good to be true' or 'we'll believe it when we see it'this is because their alternatives are pretty dismal. A common option is to work in the capital or overseas for long, long hours, a low wage and to be away from their families ... so 3 years on and we are continuing to employ and grow the employment in the village you can feel their happiness to be able to work from their own village and earn a decent income ... and for this reason they put so much love and care into each garment that they make for us.

What got you into fashion?
It was sort of by accident ... we both had a love of fashion and experimenting with fashion. After we went to Sri Lanka, and spent 8 months there, we were very much inspired by the colourful nature of tropical life and bought a little bit of this back to Australia .. our friends LOVED the clothing, so we decided to make more and that's how Kissin Cussin was born.

What's it like being based in Sydney? Do you spread your time out working in Sri Lanka and Aus?
Yes we are very lucky. We both love being based in Bondi, there's a hub of artistic inspiration from the people and daily environment .... and then just when we're feeling ready to leave it's time to go to Sri Lanka, which gives us a different insight. I think working in Sri Lanka so much (we spend about 4 months intermittently there each year) is very grounding, we get to experience first hand the humble way of living that most of the villagers do, and makes us very grateful for everything that we have.

We also get to spend time in India, which is a huge melting pot of continual inspiration, Jess just got back from there a week ago as she was checking our current fabric production for SS 2011.


When you are not working you are...
Enjoying the outdoor lifestyle that we are lucky enough to have in both countries .... swimming, yoga, whale watching ... and being with our friends.


What's next?
To carry on as we are ... the label has been growing quickly with each year. We are just about to head into production in Sri Lanka and to develop our next collection ... as well as this we are developing elements of label all the time with creative marketing and sourcing new ideas and fabrics .
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Sydney Design Festival Workshop

As some of you may know, Transparent Seams and ALAS recently ran a workshop at the Gaffa Gallery as part of Sydney Design Festival. It was an incredibly fun and inspiring day, everyone took on ambitious projects and created a range of very wearable pieces! We had a great group of people from a diverse range of backgrounds and probably the most enjoyable part was seeing all the different creative approaches unfold. Rumours are we might be hosting another one soon!

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A little update

Some of you may have been wondering why there was a lull in regular posts...The hiatus was caused by an impromptu visit to London. My sleepwear label ALAS won a category of the Ethical Fashion Forums Innovation Awards. The EFF are doing amazing things for the Ethical fashion movement, you can check them out here.

While my partner Betony and I spent most of the time running around to meetings, reuniting ourselves with our favourite old haunts and absorbing as much information as we could, I also managed to interview a few designers and make some great contacts for some exciting Transparent Seams articles! So stay tuned..



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Kuwaii

Buses are always late so I am on foot most of the time, half running half walking to here and there, I dont know why- except for pure vanity, but I will never do joggers! It is is hard to find the perfect, practical, good looking shoe.There seems to be an abundant of shoes in the world, so many choices so many styles however it is often hard to find that good quality well designed footwear. An even harder task is finding a shoe produced in Australia. The lovely Melbourne based designer Kristy Barber has added footwear to her womenswear label Kuwaii and in doing so, has rejuvenated my enthusiasm of shoe shopping. Made in a local family run factory with reclaimed leather as well as being beautifully designed, Kuwaiis' new range is extraordinarily tempting.

Why fashion?
I started as a love for making things and an interest in how garments were put together, it was a very natural progression to study fashion and then to start a label.

Can you introduce us to Kuwaii?
Kuwaii is based in Brunswick, Melbourne, and is a personal philosophy of dressing. Each piece is carefully considered- effortless and refined so that these are garments to live in.
Our emphasis is on interesting and meaningful garments. The concept for the label was always a more old Fashioned approach- a return to quality throughout all processes. I wanted to produce beautiful pieces made to last and for their owners to treasure. We focus on workmanship, fabrics, and finishes. Whilst being both stylised and subtly poetic, I hope that Kuwaii garments are intelligent in both their design and production processes. Kuwaii pieces are made locally in Australia, with a strong commitment in excellence in manufacture and supporting the local industry, with the manufacturing process being overseen 100% by Kuwaii to ensure all garments are produced ethically.

You have recently added a shoe range to the label. Why the move into footwear?
It was a lucky collaboration really, I met the shoe manufacturer who were keen to work with a more emerging designer to produce a small collection of footwear. I have always wanted Kuwaii to have a more holistic approach – I guess a lifestyle – so the move into footwear has been amazing, and I've just been so proud of the product – how great the quality is, how comfortable they are, how well they wear, and how ethically they are produced. And I've been so happy with the response from my customers too!

Where and who produces your shoes?
They're produced in Melbourne suburb Clifton Hill, by a small, family owned factory who has been operating for 30 years and who of course oversee the entire production process themselves meaning that these shoes are produced in an non-exploitative environment, 100%.

Why Melbourne for production? Why is this important to you?
This week I met with a knit wear manufacturer and it was completely heart wrenching to hear his stories (and see his photo albums) from when he operated a bustling factory in the 90s employing 65 people, and having state of the art knit wear machinery, to now employing 5 people and having to send his knit machines to scrap metal as there is just no use for them anymore. Personally I don't believe we should discard the skill set and trade of our country. I feel very strongly about keeping trade and industry on shore and supporting the industry here. It's a sort of patriotism and wanting to support and build upon the community here within our shores, and not letting go of the rag trade history we've had.

What inspires each collection?
One thing with producing on shore is that we're slightly more limited with the possibilities of producing designs – limited by the machines the factory has available and how long things take to produce. So I definitely work within parameters given to me by the factory. We devise silhouettes, decide on colours, textures, stitiching details, perforations, linings, laces. The inspiration and colours for the footwear definitely reflects Kuwaii's clothing inspiration for the season and the shoes are devised to be pieced back to any of the Kuwaii garments.

What's next for Kuwaii?
We would love to open a flagship store! At the moment we sell out of our showroom space in Brunswick, which our studio is behind, which is a super cute way to meet our customers, but our dream is to open Kuwaii land … We also recently secured our first international stockist!

Find Kuwaii here
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I.C.A Watermelon

Julia Knupfer is the talent behind I.C.A Watermelon, a Berlin based knitwear label. Relishing in the ambiguous nature of dying with plant extracts, each piece is unique. Her collections are full of body and unusual textures. Shape and form are prioritised while faded colours compliment. I.C.A watermelon represents knitwear at its finest, exploring the endless possibilities you have by taking your time, slowing down and continually being inspired by the materials you work with.

Can you explain the philosophy behind I.C.A Watermelon?
I.C.A Watermelon is a contemporary designer line for women with a commitment to sustainability. The subject of nature and environment plays a central role and is conceptually translated into garments. Traditional handicraft especially handmade knitting and crochet is a consistent feature of the collections. My vision is to create sensible and strong pieces that reflect the zeitgeist and last for a long time in terms of material and style.

Why knitting? What motivated you to this traditional craft?
My grandma and my mother taught me knitting and crochet when I was a child and it still gives me a cosy feeling. Wool is such a versatile and expressive material. That's why I love it.

Your designs are always very structural and full of contrasting textures what inspires you to design in this way?
Contrasts are always fascinating. I am often inspired by the huge variety of natural structures. I love to explore different combinations of fabric treatments and techniques such as weaving and braiding to create unusual atmospheres and structures.

Can you tell us more about your natural dying production?
I started natural dying out of a need, because a few years ago it was quite hard to find a suitable colour range of organic fabrics which I liked to work with. Now natural dying is part of my creative process. Dying with plant extracts produces an astounding spectrum of subtle colours. I really enjoy the fact, that depending on time, temperature and concentration the outcome is never clear.

Where are you based? What do you like about living there?
I am based in Berlin and despite of the weather it is a perfect place to live and to work. The design scene is very young and vibrant and moreover housing and living costs are low. I like the creative energy on the streets but also the chilled out and relaxed pace. Then there are many visionary people who are working on a greener industry and created a space for the new green fashion movement here.

What's next for ICA watermelon?
Right now I am working on a seasonless and permanent collection simply with colour and material updates each season. Because, I think it makes sense to slow things down. It allows me to work less wasteful and gives me more time to concentrate on doing great designs with a high quality standard. My personal highlight will be the opening of my own showroom and shop in Berlin at the end of this year.

Find more of the collection here

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Transparent Seams at Sydney Design Festival

A.L.A.S and Transparent Seams is putting on an exhibition and workshop as a part of this years Sydney Design festival.

The exhibition and workshop acts as a bridge to reconnect consumers to their clothes, to inspire people’s involvement in the design process and explore solutions to updating or bringing new life to their discarded clothing! Guests will be invited to watch the design and production process that transforms disused... clothing into completely new garments; we will be turning armholes into necklines, necklines into bustles and shirts into skirts!

A one off practical workshop will coincide with the exhibition giving guests the tools to up-cycle their favourite old t-shirt or an unwanted garment from their wardrobe. This project will incite passive consumers to re-connect with their clothing through creative and fun solutions to breathe new life and meaning to their garments. By creating something new but keeping element of the old garment, the clothing’s history and life is extended and consumer becomes the creator.

Please come along!

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