Material Goods

>> I've got a stash of labels that are springing up with a singular and often socially responsible ethos that changes with the seasons only ever so slightly.  Labels like Suno and Osborn shoes have made a success story of producing their collections in Kenya and Guatemala, nurturing local artisans as well as stimulating local economy.  Likewise, the designers Cary Vaughan and Jenna Wilson behind New York-based label Ace & Jig sourced their raw material from India, working with textile specialists one on one in sound working conditions with free childcare and organic produce.  That's a fair number of feel-good, do-good facts but the main point is that Ace & Jig's pieces centre around a sole striped woven fabric that can be manipulated in colour and texture, according to their preferences and remains a constant in all their collections.  This sort of limitation actually imposes an appealing singularity to the collections – knowing what texture to expect, knowing that the silhouettes will never really be in or out and knowing that you can get something versatile…

Their S/S 11 collection…

Their A/W 11-12 collection…

Still this isn't yer run of the mill 'basics with a twist' (I've come to think that if they're basics and they're twisted, then they're not actually err…that basic…?) purely because the unique fabrication that Ace & Jig can call their own, instantly gives a tactile appeal to a vest top, a hoodie or a maxi dress…

Especially when you incorporate quilting too…

There's a weirdly stubborn sentiment behind the label that shines through in the clothes not because there's trend jiggery or details to catch your eye purposely making these the sort of clothes that creep into your wardrobe for you to fall back on time and time again, without you realising it…

Another label which centres around textile as well as having a specialised product nature is LA-based Symmetry Goods, designed by husband and wife duo Ted Byrnes and Gena Tuso. Symmetry Goods have collaborated with Of a Kind (incidentally, Of a Kind do a great job in highlighting designers with specific product ideologies…) and their singular focal point in this instance is the scarf which through the past few seasons they've elevated into a multipurpose item.  For S/S 11 for instance, they have managed to come up with a shape that turns scarf into tote bag and vice versa.  They again pride themselves in using carefully sourced raw materials from custom cast brass hardware to Japanese fabrics that are often organic as well as making each piece by hand in their hometown Los Angeles…

You can tell I'm spouting off facts for the sake of information because none of that would of course be hugely relevant if the product didn't balance out with aeshetic appeal…

Their A/W 11-12 collection centres around the brass carabiner fastening, which is the pivotal point in each scarf that determines how it's worn around the neck (or sometimes as a snood…) along with toggles and leather straps that can also fasten the scarves in different ways. 

Again, there's nothing trend-driven about this appreciation of Japanese textiles, exacting bits of brass and hand-cut leather but it's a sum of things that increasingly I feel like people are more appreciative of, which can only make way for more designers and labels with a specific mind to control everything from sketch to final product…