The Constant Presen(t/ce)
Temporality has estranged us from ourselves.
There exists a tension between the temporal life we live & the innate eternity found at the very core of our human identity. It’s in this tension that I spent the better part of a year, exploring, embracing & engaging with. My exploration and ultimate understanding of this phenomena has been documented and compiled into what has become this collection. This is the solution to our temporality. This is the constant presen(t/ce).
Beautiful searching lines recontextualized as seam finishes
Beautiful searching lines recontextualized as seam finishes
Sunfaded pattern pieces, created in partnership with the sun
Sunfaded pattern pieces, created in partnership with the sun
Alignment as a physical design approach
Alignment as a physical design approach
Process & Research
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A style of illustrating characterized by quick sketchy lines that seem to explore every possible stroke & avenue before finding the right one. A core tenant of my design language since childhood, I sought to move it into the physical space as a seam finish. By building a catalog of vintage garment repairs, I then recontextualized them into a beautiful searching seam finish. What was once only saved for a garment after its been torn now exists preemptively. Repairs become seam finishes; the past becomes the future.
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With time at the forefront of my exploration, it became important to study how it affects garments. To do this I worked with both the sun & time. After various trials using different fabrics, washes & lengths of time, I settled on a vinegar wash and a week in the sun. I chose to place each individual pattern piece in the sun and tape down the edges. This created a unique effect in which all the seams kept the original color while the rest of the garment was faded. Not only did this speak to the partnership between time, the sun and me but also highlighted the unique construction details of the garment: A hybrid sleeve construction not too different from a mullet. A clean, sharp set-in sleeve in the front and a roomy raglan in the back.
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With the spiritual goal of the project to align our temporality with our eternity, it became quite a task to communicate this physically. I focused on the word alignment as a means to do this. Necklines, pant legs, and twisted pleats throughout the collection all speak to this idea.
Twisted Trouser Development
Following the themes of alignment, perspective and time, I began to experiment specifically with the silhouette and shape. Here, inspired by the twist of pasta, I sought to create a spiral in the pants by combining a forward curve as well as a sideways one.
The curve visible from straight on was easy. That was a simple manipulation. However, the curve visible from the side was harder. For that, I had to take from the back and add that same amount of fabric to the front. Inspired, by motocross pants, the new shape created a sort of shell around the knee that followed the leg’s natural bend.
Wanting to elevate the classic trench coat through small intentional design choices, I began to explore sleeve construction. Fascinated by raglan sleeves, I wanted to incorporate their roomy fit while maintaining the clean sharp lines usually associated with a set in sleeve. The result is this hybrid construction, not too dissimilar from a mullet. In the front, set in, clean, sharp & flush to the body, while the back is where the party’s at. A spacious, mobile sleeve perfectly suitable for movement, whether that’s chasing down a bandit train robber or an oat milk flat white. This coat is built for everyone.
Trench Coat Development
Trench Coat Development
“The allotted function of art is not, as is often assumed, to put across ideas, to propagate thoughts, to serve as an example. The aim of art is to prepare a person for death, to plough and harrow his soul, rendering it capable of turning to good.”
— Andrei Tarkosvky
In Ecclesiastes 3:11, King Solomon writes that God has “planted eternity in the hearts of man.” Before exploring the repercussions of this idea, we must first define some terms. Eternity is often thought of as a forever past & a forever future, as if we took the plane of time we’re currently on and stretched it infinitesimally in either direction. However this is not the case according to Augustine of Hippo who in his “Confessions” (397 AD) presents his understanding. According to the Algerian philosopher & theologian, time is not an infinite past & infinite future, but rather a constant present. Eternity exists outside of the time spectrum we currently experience. It is a constant present, devoid of past & future, aging, decay, and every other fruit of temporality.
This revelation courtesy of St. Augustine both clarifies & confuses the excerpt above. In one sense
it reveals the true nature of the eternity planted in our hearts. But then arises a paradox. That eternity has been planted, that like a plant it might be cultivated & watered, and grow into full bloom. So to see this eternity fully realized, to see the fullness of time, we must first submit to the process of growth. To encounter a constant present, we must submit to the passing of time and its consequences. This is the paradox. Submit to the movement of time & experience the constant present.
So what’s the solution? How do we undo this knot & unravel the paradox? I have found that this constant present, this full bloom of time that has yet to happen, is something that can be experienced even today. in spite of our temporality, we are given the chance to experience eternity. We can engage with the source of all humanity, the very origin of reality,
in our surrender to the constant presence. This constant presence is not a thing to experience, nor a force to tap into, but rather a person to engage with. At the center of it all, a single person.
This is the solution to our temporality. This is surrender to the constant presen(t/ce).
As stated previously, it is these musings that paved the way for my collection. With the major themes of time, alignment, surrender & beauty I began my design exploration.
