This collection is inspired by the idea of Palimpsests – manuscripts which have had the original writing erased in order to make room for new text, but where the earlier content is still traceable underneath. This idea is re-contextualised as a cross section of my own wardrobe history. I consider that my own collection of clothes is my most important Library of references and inspiration. Combined and layered are favourite garments, inherited pieces, vintage finds and my own past collections; all which use amalgamations of different histories to create something constantly new. It is fresh, but it carries with it inherent memories, meanings and purposes.
The dust gathering in the corners of studio HLH has been blue for a while now. Indigo in all shades, from the deepest, inky tones, To a dusty light blue where the colour has washed out and the white weft of the fabric blends with the dye that is left in the warp.
Denim shirt and jeans, denim jacket and jeans, denim shirt and denim jacket. Denim never looked like this. Slashed, sliced, shredded, perforated, cut-out, pleated and knitted. Trousers, T-shirts, shirts, jackets, coats and jumpers.
Layered silhouettes. Integral layers in garments. Trousers have additional shorts fronts, sleeves have elbows accentuated with floating panels, shirts come with double fronts, coats have layered backs. Short over long, long front, short back, single, double, triple.
This section of Modefabriek is reserved for highly creative avant-garde design that does not shy away from experimentation. Earlier editions of Modefabriek have shown the Cutting Edge platform to be a magnet for forward-thinking followers of fashion, including stylists and other creative talents, as well as fashion journalists and bloggers.
The line-up features names such as, amongst others, the London-based mens’ fashion label HLH, run by the Norwegian Harald Lunde Helgesen. The 2011 autumn/winter collection is characterised by perforated, quilted and layered materials and the application of denim, such as cut denim, denim fringes and denim knitwear.
CUTTING EDGE DESIGNER PLATFORM
23 & 24 January, Modefabriek
MODEFABRIEK PRESENTS CUTTING EDGE CATWALK SHOW
24 January, 12 noon, Modefabriek
Photo by Marthe Elise Stramrud
Harald Lunde Helgesen was commissioned by the groundbreaking French contemporary dance company La Zouze in producing the costumes for their production, LIQUIDE. Performances took place in July 2010 during the Festival de Marseille.
“The Crystal Farmers“: in the heat of below ground, the pressure rises and miners take great risks when entering deep caves in order to reach crystal walls where they are expected to collect precious minerals. Harald tells this dangerous story of resistance through a collection of raw, intricate clothes that expertly combine traditional tailoring with functionality.
Co-directed by: Claire Kurylowski & Jason Bradbury
WINNER OF THE DAILYMOTION AWARD at A Shaded View of Fashion Film 2009.
If you would like to find out more about HLH. Please visit About HLH.
“For Project White T-Shirt, Harald noted that while the white t-shirt represents the most basic element of clothing, it is still constructed by at least two cuts of fabric. He sought to further simplify the “simplest garments of all garments” by cutting lines across one flat sheet of material. The garment gains body if intervals of the resulting strips are separated and the wearer slips into the interior space created. In this way Harald employed a basic technique to simplify the most elemental clothing article and created something entirely revolutionary in the process.”
www.projectwhitetshirt.com/
Harald Lunde Helgesen’s ’09 Graduate collection. Winner of the Swarovski Crystalized Elements award at the 24th International Festival of Fashion and Photography of Hyères April 2009.
Helgesen looks at ancient Mesopotamiam digs as inspiration and takes elements of clothing associated with the desert, like robes worn by Sumerian priests or modern day workers’ outfits then mixes them up with the colours that litmus paper tests reveal.
