Gender studies
As someone who considers fashion through feminism couldn’t help but be enthousiastic with this. ‘Gender Studies’ SS 2018 collection by THEBE MAGUGU.
The name takes me back to the days I spent reading and researching. Feminism, gender, politics were all examined as elements of a woman’s considerations when putting together an outfit. You see I have this crazy idea that we are part of the material world which we choose to live in and therefore our actions are intertwined with it. One is not born a woman, one becomes one, asserts Simone de Beauvoir. And acts as one ,Judith Butler argues. So becoming means contructing an identity - doesn’t clothing participate in that? And what about becoming an empowered woman? Could clothes enhance something like that?
All the above just magically arose as the form of textiles and patterns and colours when I laid eyes on the collection. Identity politics and autonomy infused in design. Contradictory elements give us a clean feel of an evolving woman nature where sisterhood becomes key to prosperity.
The opening picture above is part of the Figures of Fortitude 2018 series by Aart Verrips. The faux ostrich coat - part of the SS 2018 collection - entered the permanent collection of the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York after being part of the 2018 exhibition ‘Pink : the history of a Punk, Pretty, Powerful colour’.
Would you care for a glimse at the ‘Gender Studies’ runway? Masculine and feminine, red and white, half cut overcoats, darkened sunglasses, they all celebrate the woman who goes against all odds as you can see in the pistures below.
The final look of the collection - fourth picture in the row - included a printed top with words from Oscar Wilde’s The Ballad of Reading Gaol. Wild wrote that while being imprisoned for his homosexuality…
I should point out here that 26 year old Thebe Magugu is considered to be one of the most promising talents emerging in South Africa. A true multitasker - characteristic of his generation - whose last venture is the launch of Faculty Press. An anual zine with the significant role of presenting the face of contremporary South Africa, a who is who of youth culture that explores gender identity, feminism and LGBTQ+ rights.
I absolutely adore what Thebe Magugu does. He is the kind of designer who truly admires the feminine in all its power. From his point of view women possess both strength and vulnerability while beauty operates on a very subjective spectrum. There is no right or wrong side. Just an obvious rebellion against the discrimimation women still face. In his own words :
More chillingly, you would have to be existing in complete isolation to not see that there is currently what is obviously a war on women. If they are not being murdered in cold blood, they are being completely marginalized and essentially erased. Women who assert any sense of self-government are always seen as a threat to be stifled, stemming from the damaging fear of the feminine– that’s why they can be discredited as problematic or discarded in a field. […] Women really need one another right now.
Fasfem listens : La poudre
Do you enjoy listening to podcasts? I for sure love them. I find them somehow fascinating and informative at the same time. There are so many options from which one can choose. And just like that boring tasks or commuting become time well spent.
La poudre is a fasfem favorite. Lauren Bastide has created such a strong opinioned female gathering that worths every bit of your time. Creative women of our times share the interesting routes of their lives, their accomplishments, their failures, their views and - what a novelty! - their relationship with their uterus.
Do begin with beloved Sophie Fontanel’s interview which is doubled in English as well…
Blood
Fridays are for pleasure. I’ve managed to secure this for myself. I don’t feel guilty to devote some of my time to what I cherish most about work. My site and my writings; my photography and inspirational readings; my reasearch around style and female empowerment. Mood is at its best on Fridays.
But this Friday morning I cried hard. I was late in my period. Eventually blood found its way out of my body. Am I sad because I’m not pregnant? No…I am sad because I feel so bloody relieved not to be. At the age of 42, being healthy and accidentally pregnant should count as a blessing not as a curse! But not for me. I was terrified of the prospect of having another baby…And - don’t get me wrong - I love babies. I adore my daughter. But I despise money and time shortage and low back pain that comes with it!
You see, I am not privileged enough to be able to quit working for as long as I need to. There is no such thing like paid maternity leave in my profession. If I do quit working, we are going to be so short in our income it will suffocate us. Nike doesn’t deserve this. My husband and I either. Moreover, I wouldn’t have time to work on my fasfem projects. And my spine is quite as sensitive as it is…
Our societal norms expect women to create and expand families without providing them the tools to survive. We are trying to balance work, housework and family emotional labour while being pregnant. A true juggling act. As a result our bodies ache and our minds get blur. Our identity gets lost somewhere between the constant demand. Sometimes even our sanity….This has got to change.
So here I am feeling relieved and - after putting these thoughts down in paper - not so guilty anymore. And calm. And would like to be hopeful that soon the day will come that all the above won’t be an issue anymore. That the ones who give birth to this world will be treated as the complicated and magnificent creatures they are. Not as reproductive machines who need to quit most parts of their identity in order to support a family.
I intend to work for it.
Would you care to join me?
Sharing your thoughts below could be a good start…
* pic by @brunomarcal
Marije and the Food
Eat love Budapest project : that was the first thing that drove my attention towards Marije Vogelzang. A wonderfully curated project where Roma women fed people by hand or with spoon while telling their life story. It should be noted that there was no eye contact between the feeder and the fed as they where both sitting behind long white curtains. Roma minority and especially women are marginalized in our society. The cause of this project was to make people understand Roma, enhance integration through food culture. When asked, Marije explained the roots of her inspiration using this quote from Immanuel Kant : ‘If you break bread together you’re less likely to break each other’s neck’.
I was too impressed not to search further about Marije. And became even more impressed to find out that this self acclaimed ‘eating designer’ has created a field on her own; design experiences through food. She has graduated Design Academy Eindhoven where she was educated in product creation. But she decided that food would be her field. Back then in 2000 there was not such thing as an eating designer. Firstly she launched two experimental projects and then moved on to food projects. These included installations, exhibits, consultations and social experiments for Dutch Design Week, Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum and Cooper Hewitt, just to name a few. Today she is the head the new Food Non Food department at the Design Academy Eindhoven and founder of the Dutch Institute of Food and Design as well.
At this point you must wonder : and what does she actually do? So let me take you on a small walk through some of her other projects. The above picture is taken from Seeds project in collaboration with Caesarstone that will take place in the upcoming interior design show in Toronto next winter. A honeycombe like installation will welcome visitors and a chosen seed will ‘guide’ them through grinding, cooking and tasting. Food preparation is seen here as a part of nature and human connection.
Here you can see a Plantbones project picture where objects are similar to animal bones but grown from vegetable cellulose. Doesn’t it provide an interesting vegan eating experience?
Faked meat was inspired by the need to replace soulless food such as ‘soy ham’ with food maked of invented animals such as the above vegan steak; it is made of Herbast, an invented animal that grows herblike fur to hide from predators so its square shaped meat is preseasoned…!
And bread. Yes bread is having a moment among food designers …such a powerful material. Here Vitra Bastard Bread is made from swiss zopf, french baguette and german dark sourdough.
Marije also works with porcelain. The collection above is part of the Volumes objects project where objects are directly placed on the plate between food as to give more attention to the food presentation; that might change mindless consumption behavior as she claims.
She also creates those and several others strange shaped eating objects which she sells on a vending machine outside her studio in Dordrecht, where she lives as well with her family. She is a mother of three. And a wife. And a remarkably stylish woman. I was attracted to her beautifully painted fingernails, the maginificent hairstyle and her interesting coloured way of dressing. My theory of noticing that remarkable women of our times have a stong sense of personal style has been confirmed once more. Those ladies create new realities and their clothing materials are a huge part of them.
As you can see here Marije has plans for Netflix as well. Would be more than keen on what she has in mind. For the time being enjoy a little bit of her on camera spark …
Seven free
I don’t like getting manicures. There I said it out loud…! I hate waiting at the salon, all those smells and unavoidable smalltalk. And don’t even get me started on the gel manicure procedure and all the toxicity that comes with it…
But I do appreciate the way my hands look after it. Since I am an avid cuticle destroyer, my nails look really transformed when pampered and painted. So what do I do? I try my manicures at home, by myself and with carefully chosen products.
Like this perfect sade of brown by J. Hannah. I came across it during my visit at Nanushka flagship store when in Budapest. Loved the intense coloured liquid as mush as the rectangular shaped bottle. And all this came with a seven free formula…which means without the following, known for their harmful effects :
Dibutyl phthalate (DBP)
Formaldehyde
Toluene
Formaldehyde resin
Camphor
Xylene
Parabens
I was sold. And the bottle was sold to me as well! As I knew nothing about the brand, I sat down at the store café to google it while enjoying an espresso. I was surprised to see that J. Hannah is actually a jewelery brand and a very popular one in LA. They have created a small yet delicious collection of nail polishes with colours inspired by art and nature. One of their collaborations was with the artist Alyson Fox who dived her brushes into the nail polishes to create works of art - such an inspiring approach to communicate the launch of a new nail polish colour, don’t you agree?
While taking my last sip of coffee I browsed this at the brand’s site…it was like a puzzle game completed. I smiled and took off to enjoy the city.
Scarlet red
You want this out of your swimsuit. To make you want to conquer the world. Or just a small piece of beach land that you plan to call home for the day.
For me this mission can be accomplished by wearing The Red. I know it when I see it. As bold as I allow it to be. By the beach or by the pool. With a straw hat or tiny black accessories. Twisting around my sun kissed skin and allowing my body to make its comment out in the world. And I feel stronger just like that….
This red scarlet beauty of a swimsuit-one or two pieced-is by Botanica Workshop. The brand is known for their sensational underwear - a woman could finally live and breathe in their silky bralletes and briefs. But it was the swimsuit collection that gave me such a vision of perfect summer days…
As you can see for yourself here, the Botanica Workshop world is made up of organic cotton and dreams. Nature inspired colours and functional design draw a sensual image of femininity, spectacular in its simplicity. The swimsuits, made up from recycled nylon, flirt with minimalism and boldness at the same time.
Getting ready for the beach can’t help but wonder; is there a better approach than allowing the female body to simply BE in all its greatness?
