Couture 2011—A Design Team's Perspective
Details Magazine—Spring 2011
Article Written by CATHERINE BRITT, ARCHITEKTON
All photos by: BQ PHOTOGRAPHY
As part of the design community, the couture is something we looked forward to attending. Rachel Usher joined Architekton over two years ago as a designer who could really help us push the integration of architecture and interiors to the next level. After John Kane was invited to be a judge at the 2010 Couture event, we saw an opportunity to put ourselves out there, make connections in the interior design community, and show what we could do from a creativity standpoint. As a result, John, Rachel, myself, and Brie Smith formed a team to take on the challenge.
I have always believed that nothing breeds innovation like constraint, and constraints are what this competition is all about. Sara Auden, our manufacturer’s rep for J+J Invision, was a valuable member of the team from the onset, as she dragged endless boxes of carpet and its component materials into our office. We examined everything from every stage of the manufacturing process, including waste materials, which ended up being a significant part of our piece. It was from this waste material, as well as our assigned color, Chivalry Copper, that the primary concept of the dress was derived.
Chivalry Copper is a very subtle color, evocative of the climate and geological makeup of our physical surroundings here in the Southwest. Once we were informed the runway would be spanning over the swimming pool, we let the idea of water, and its extremely transformative properties on the desert landscape, begin to further influence our concept. This resulted in a piece that itself embodied transformation, as the dirt and grit of the rolling dust cloud is washed away, leaving behind a desert landscape in full bloom. The flowers peeking from the cracks in the geology layers, and the blooms in the beds of the arroyos, communicate the memory of the water’s brief yet powerful presence.
The show itself was exciting both on and off the runway. It was wonderful to see the amazing display of talent from all of the teams, and how they used the constraints of each assigned color and material to their own advantage: dresses that shimmered and jingled with keys, paint frozen in liquidity, wall covering folded, looped, tethered. As in every creative problem-solving exercise, a single solution, which may be obvious to one, is artfully addressed in an infinite number of ways.
While we believed strongly in our design solution, and we labored long and hard on its crafting, we were both shocked and humbled to earn Best of Show from the judges. The efforts and collaboration of the many talents on our team paid off, and we only hope that our design served to inspire the people who watched, and those who participated, as much as their work inspired us.
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BQ PHOTOGRAPHY: Event Pictures http://www.bqphoblography.com/2011/03/iida-couture-2011.html
BQ PHOTOGRAPHY: Individual Entries http://www.benquillinan.com/pickpic/gallery/image.php?id=23473
mmm design studio designed/created the 8 glass art fashion awards: http://mmmdesignstudio.com/iida_2011_couture_fashion_awards/best_of_show_architekton