Architect and textile designer Wynn Komata interviews Katie King and Jesse Finkelstein of JF & Son about their Autumn ’09 collection:
Wynn: We’re all falling down now, aren’t we?
Jesse: Times are tough.
Wynn: To say the least. Everyone is saying that the upside to this financial kamikaze is that people are going to start being more creative? Are you two finding inspiration in the meltdown?
Jesse: No more so than before. We started this company about a year and half ago, at the beginning of the recession. We were forced from the beginning to be resourceful and not take anything for advantage. But being
resourceful goes beyond being financially sound. We try to use recycled materials, natural dyes, hand-woven textiles, etc. So this question of how much a business consumes or spends can operate on many levels.
Katie: In terms of design, I think our use of traditional fabric manipulation and dyeing techniques is a very clear example of this resourcefulness. The Mama Dress, for instance employs a simple weaving technique where we crisscross netting to achieve an ombre lattice effect; the Pleated Dress is just shibori dyed hand-woven silk
pleated to create texture. I guess you could say that being resourceful is part of our design mission.
Wynn: In addition to the shibori and hand-woven silks you see a lot of handwork in the actual application of the fabrics; for instance, the Robo Jacket, Duvet Pant, and the Robo Sweatshirt. These are practically
couture techniques of quilting and braiding material.
Katie: We tried to find ways of using fabric as embellishment, and then camouflaging the embellishment in the garment so it doesn’t sit on top, but is incorporated into the silhouette. It’s a di cult challenge for us and I think most designers to navigate that line between gaudy embellishment and modern, wearable embellishment.
Wynn: But why embellish at all, so a modernist would ask?
Jesse: Because in this economy everyone wants something special [laughs]. Katie and I aren’t huge fans of embellishment, so I think for us, it’s just a fun challenge: How do we make garments and textiles that are embellished that we would actually like to own and wear? You have to invent reasons to keep on making things.
Wynn: Speaking of embellishments let’s talk about this new jewelry and accessories line. How did that come about?
Jesse: As part of our textile design consultancy, Project 1281, we’re constantly creating new beading and textile manipulations. Jewelry is a great and simple way to turn those experiments into wearable pieces. Same goes for the bags. We made a bag out of dye cut fabric sequins that we then digitally printed.
Katie: Don’t forget about my brilliant idea with jump-rings [laughs].
Jesse: Talk about resourceful, Katie had a flash of genius and decided to use all these spare jump rings that were lying around and make these chain-mail like necklaces. Ingenuity is born out of constraint.
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