The Superficial charm of Synth-aesthetics
The Deep Charm of Time
Some 8 years ago I read about a trend that stuck with me, where artists were incorporating the concept of time. An example given was of the Future Library Project by Katie Paterson, a project that utilized the sowing and growing of a 100 year forest. In 100 years the trees would be mature enough to transform into a library and the books inside it. Each book would be written by a different artist and the entire anthology wouldn't be available until the year 2114. In this conceptual peice, the end product wouldn't be as interesting without the entire story behind it. This long-term vision is exactly the opposite of the appeal of short term synth-aesthetics.
What are Synth-aesthetics?
Synth-aethetics is the glorification of pretty pictures of items that do ugly things. Art, like fashion, is usually based around the final product. Whatever leads up the final result is (often) hidden. But contemporary fashion as a post-industrial product is a nasty thing, and maybe this is where we deviate from art and free-form creativity. The image of the final product often betrays its sickly origins. The problem here isn’t the people, or the consumer, but perhaps the awareness of time. If we could suddenly see the behind the scenes our stomachs would flip. Unless you have a heart of stone, industrial fashion manufacturing is callous stuff. Synth-aesthetics is the result.
The fashion industry prioritizes efficiency and scalability over long-term effects. Considering the effects of long term takes laborious mental effort, scanning the past, present and future, and calibrating..."ah, how's that all going?" Since it's not working out so well, maybe we should focus on creating more transparent aesthetics. I don’t want to get rid of aesthetics altogether, it's through aesthetics that we can dream... or as Diana Vreeland said, that the eye can travel.
Pretty Face, Dirty Bottom
I'm theorizing that synthetics are the result of not thinking about time. Where do un-biodegradable items go when their time is up? Synth-aethetics: the glorification of pretty pictures of items that do ugly things... as my mother would say, pretty face, dirty bottom. Taka still depends on the aesthetics of the final product - looking sharp isn't bad! But having a clean bottom is good too. Clean looks good. I love that our veg-tan leather isn't just a clean, biodegradable material, but it also develops a patina over time, creating a ridiculously special effect. All based on your own movements and repetition; the passage of time. The result is a time lapse registry on our feet, absorbing our movements and life and mirroring it back in the form of dark patches, creases, shadows, and more. It’s pretty cool. I would call it Deep Aesthetics.
Deep Aesthetics
Being a fashion designer is being an aesthetic creator, and I have to think how to keep shit sharp and in shape. Making things with artisans in a slow, contemplated way means we’re doing something tight. Working with artisans and local production - all this incorporates copious amounts of time. Everything I make is incorporating time - who made it, how it will age, how to give it a long life and where it will go when it expires. It makes image-making more simple in a way, because the raw, unfiltered product speaks for itself. Age, use and time can look great. It's ok to repair things and to wear them out. Letting things look lived in is cool; you can see the life in them, a little decent filth.
Letting things look lived in is cool; you can see the life in them, a little decent filth.
This all comes back to the theme of time and what happens to things over time. I love brands whose aesthetics reveal a deep ethos and philosophy to craftsmanship, clean materials and longevity. I'm thinking of doing a round-up of fashion creatives I admire most right now. These cohesive stories hit me right, not just for fact-checking and transparency but because of the commitment to deep aesthetics.
Parting thoughts... My first job post-uni was at The Face in London. My job was international trend-spotting. I was so excited about cultural movements and what forward thinkers and creatives were doing. What would that have looked like if I'd also investigated the propelling forces for those trends, i.e superficial or deep? What would the future of creativity look like if examination of time was at the epicenter? The point of fashion is to be playful, so don't worry, it will never be too deep. Just like, Deep Aesthetics deep.