Friday, March 4, 2011

FIT vs. Parsons Collection Preview - Beautiful Calamity




My inspiration for Beautiful Calamity came from two sources... The starting point came from the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010. Causing tremendous disruption to our environment and animals (humans included), it was a very emotional topic... and rightly so. 

Of all animals, humans have the capacity to feel the greatest range and depth of emotions. I believe when our emotions are stirred, the best creative output occurs.

My outlook on the world is very optimistic. Therefore, I always strive to find the best in a situation. Setting aside any political commentary on lessons learned from the disaster, one thing I couldn't help but be mesmerized by was the colors of the brown and auburn orange crude oil swirling with the blues and whites from the ocean.

My mind then drifted off to thoughts of the incredible ingenuity our species has, to be able to pull from a mile under water the liquified remains of animals that walked the planet millions of years ago. With that, we drive things like cars, planes and motorcycles by igniting the oil in a controlled manner. This led me to explore motorcycles and the style surrounding those who ride them.

I view bikers as a very practical, functional and masculine type. Motorcycles are many times enjoyed in solitude with no others on the back. In the same manner, I included details that are meant to be enjoyed by the wearer of my garments, even though others may not take notice, the raw edge of jeans piped with shirting fabric or contrasting inner cuffs on a woven shirt. Replacing traditional tailoring canvas, coat collar bands are made of pliable woven brass stitched inside and molded around the neck for a perfectly ergonomic shape. The material also just so happens to be used for filtering the petrochemicals that inspired the collection.

In whole, Beautiful Calamity uses mostly desaturated shades of wool, leather, ultra-suede, waterproof chino, rayon/cotton blend jersey and poplin... with a little woven brass peppered in for some attitude and function.

Beyond providing you with entertainment today, as a designer, I strive to make the world a more beautiful place to inhabit in the short amount of time I'm blessed with. I hope I inspire in you the idea that life is precious and every moment of it can have an element of beauty in it, if you're receptive to it.


Please leave a comment below and let me know your thoughts on the show!