What Are Aitor, Igor and Lela Up To?
26 March 2010
Whenever we start talking about Aitor Throup (ITS#FIVE Fashion Collection of the Year and i-D Styling Award) pages and pages could be written on him and his work. We always feel we do not do him justice if we don't describe every single little detail of what he does and why he does it. Writing a brief overview can be frustrating. Luckily, we've already written a lot about him (you can read about him here and here) so if you go back to the articles we've already written, and pay a visit to his website www.aitorthroup.com (but you can also simply google his name and see what happens...), we'll feel less "guilty".
Aitor has recently presented in Paris "Legs" a retrospective exhibition on the trousers he developed from 2004 to 2010, a perfect way for him to express his fascination with anatomy and the need to have a reason or function behind all his designs. An installation, paired with an explanatory video for instance, is the perfect way for Aitor to present his work and provides the viewer with sufficient information to understand his process. "Legs" was also presented during London Fashion Week and if you missed it in both places, you can easily look it up on the internet or, as said, on Aitor's personal website (see above).
But that's not the only thing Aitor's been doing lately. For the football aficionados out there who still do not know it, England's national football team has been wearing an Aitor design since March 2009. The project was commissioned by renowned British sportswear brand Umbro, and it might be the best fitting football shirt ever, considering Aitor's anatomy-based design which started out from the most common positions a soccer player uses during a game. Aitor doesn't start from the garment, he starts from the body that wears that garment and what that body will do. The development of the Umbro Away England shirt is incredibly interesting even if you hate football, so we suggest you have a look at the short video documentary on youtube (search for "Umbro England Away Kit 2010”). We're sure Aitor won't miss any of England's games at the South African World Cup this summer...Last but not least, get ready as well for the first commercially available line by Aitor, "Prelude" to be presented in June this year!
Going through the portfolio of ITS#FIVE finalist Igor Alustiza is a feast for the eyes. His amazing drawing abilities ooze personality in his sketches, and the women he draws are mesmerising, self-confident, elegant, dreamy and powerful. They stand with their hands on their hips, look directly into your eyes and appear as if they are waiting for you to say something or to just stand in awe in front of their strength and perfection. Be it sketches of his own designs, designs for Armani's couture line "Armani Privè" (Igor spent 2 years working with the creative team) or proposals for other brands, one can feel the character of the couturiers of the beginning of the 20th century in his designs. There's intellectuality in what Igor does, there's delicacy and research that is reminiscent of that of a painter, or of a 19th century poster designer.
Igor's latest collection is entitled "Stem Cell". The concept of this work is the incredible potential of stem cells in modern science. Igor was fascinated when reading that a square meter of skin can be produced from one single stem cell, and he wanted to translate this in his collection. There is continuous reference to small objects that build up to create entire silhouettes, with the predominant colour invading each outfit being the colour of skin. The details Igor has included are in fact made up of tiny little beads and parts that are constructed as if they were joining like cells to create something bigger. The two years spent in the Armani couture team have refined Igor's technical abilities even more and his outfits are positively influenced by this.
Igor's new collection was presented from 14 January to 20 February in San Sebastian inside the context of "Gorputza", an event that unfolds throughout 12 months exploring the human body in its spontaneous and direct manifestations through documents, video installations, performances, photography, graphic design projects, light design, poetry and any other means, including fashion design.
Swiss born ITS#ONE finalist Lela Scherrer has a strong background in tailoring and costume design and established her independent atelier in Antwerp and Basel in 2002. Since her participation at the first edition of ITS she has been collaborating with Dries Van Noten, ELLE, Walter Van Beirendonck and Wim Neels among others. She has worked on the Swiss pavilion at the World Expo 2005 as well as doing costumes for theatre companies in Switzerland and Belgium. Contemporary and traditional, local and foreign, craftmanship and industrial elements are among the sources of her inspiration, and she is always challenging her creativity through collaborations in other fields, with artists and product designers.
Lela has relaunched her own line in which she shows her personal creative vision abundantly. Her Spring/Summer 2010 collection presents modern couture forms, draped, constructed and folded tailoring pieces contrasted by single-seam cut jerseys and gift bowed leather belts. Pastel colours are combined with strong colour accents like red, black and white, with clear graphics next to washed outs. Materials are those of classic couture: silks and cottons, cool wool and leather. The small collection will be available for Spring/Summer 2010 by order, each piece exclusively tailor-made to satisfy the needs of her private customers. Check out her website for more info: www.lelascherrer.com.
