Dear Shaded Viewers,
Mariel Manuel's collection -called Keep your Eye on the Doughnut– closed the last Antwerp Academy's graduation show and it was a welcome breath of fresh air. Her pieces, inspired by the body beautiful and creatures of the ocean, celebrated colour, wit and sunny California. I met her at the brunch organised by the school, the day the jury results were going to be announced. Mariel won two prizes: the MoMu award and the Coccodrillo award. Her pieces are currently exhibited at the museum and she's got a couple of projects she's already working on.
Mariel was sweet, unpretentious and lovely to talk to. In this interview, she talks about her inspiration for the collection, her ambivalent relationship towards America and why natural fibers are the best.
Can you tell me a bit more about your inspiration for this collection?
I was back from Los Angeles and felt inspired by the ocean and California's pretty blondes. I'm actually half-Swiss, half-American and I've got family living there. I kept observing people in LA last summer and started imagining my own gang of super-heroes and these Venus-like figures coming out of the ocean. I wanted long dresses floating in the wind, Pamela Anderson's red swimsuit and some heroines that could also be princesses.
How do you get your ideas?
I always need a story before I start working and this time things just clicked. I started with these little drawings of ghostly heroines wearing seashells on their heads and the collection sort of developed from that point with fabrics, cuts and colours. I guess there are always very personal elements in my work that directly refer to what I've experienced.
And what was your impression coming back from your last trip to the US?
I think the cult of the body and actual cities struck me the most. I went clubbing once and was amazed by the guys and girls I saw there. They all looked the same, with flawless skin and a standardised body shape. In the end, there wasn't a lot of soul behind all this. That's why I did these dresses with six pack guys on them. It was some sort of ironic comment on that culture. I just wanted the clothes to have a sense of humour.
Do you feel more European than American?
Well, I lived in Switzerland my whole life, but we travel to the US every year. America has always been a great source of inspiration for me. American culture fascinates me, but I'm also quite critical of it. As far as the American dream is concerned, you realise soon enough that it never works. A lot of Americans are completely disconnected from what's happening around them. They can be fairly ignorant, too.
I really liked the patchwork dresses where you used these quirky characters. Was it silk?
Yes, it was appliqu
