21 May 2009

So onto my coat for Episode 3…. As I was saying, this challenge was something that I was really excited about because clothes that “do things” have been the hallmark of my own collection.  However, I knew that 14 hours and the limited selection at B&J was not going to help me create much.

Innovation requires time for development and to do it properly is very time-consuming and expensive. My self-heating vest from Fall 2008, for example, required an insertable battery-powered silver heating system that took  Noble Biomaterials 7 years to develop! The wool tweed (custom-made) took 3 weeks to be made and shipped directly from a mill in the north of Italy. It then took 3 days for my patternmaker to incorporate it into the right silhouette, 2 days to get the cashmere ribbing made by a knitter, and 2 days for my samplemaker to piece it all together. If you add up the R&D phase and one design season, you’ll see that the start to finish process took 7.5 years to create the final product. 

As you can see, my technology-based collaborations take longer than what most fashion houses are willing to spend on a single design. The increasing speed to market these days really hinders the level of innovation we see in the marketplace.  New ideas take time and effort to develop.  It is rare to see innovation in clothing today, and this is why I am so committed to investing my time in it.  

So what can we actually create in just 14 hours?  

There was no time to make my disappearing map print fabric or burn-out patterns: those require inks to be shipped all the way from Japan and other far-away locales.  So I decided to focus on zippers because those were the most “innovative” things I could find within such a small time frame and budget.  Oh, the limitations!  

For this challenge, “innovation” would have to reside more in the concept and the application of the zippers.  Yes, I am aware that zippers are not that innovative, but I like their history and that it took 20 years to develop in the late 19th century in Britain. They were being used to close car hoods before Emile Hermes  so cleverly incorporated them into his handbags for Hermes in 1922.

My coat was a classic British trench silhouette that transformed into a funky Harajuku-style vest. It was intended for a jet-set traveler like Kate Moss who has lots of style but little very time to pack. With pockets in the facing and collar to store pajamas, socks and eyeshades for the long-haul flight, her coat now doubles as a carry-on tote bag!   

It’s looking a bit lumpy because it has all those things stuffed into a hidden storage area between the facing and the front of the coat. The construction concept itself was inspired by the expandable bags I often use when making my own trans-Atlantic flights. 

So there you have it: a trench coat that doubles as a carry-on tote!  

If you like my design and the concept behind, please vote for me here on the Bravo site. You will be graciously thanked when you see next week’s episode!