Dear Shaded Viewers,
In 1989 Martin Margiela showed a waistcoat made of 47 pieces of shattered porcelain made into a waistcoat. In 2012 Rahul Mishra revived the art of Ikat weaving from the Pochampally district of Andhra Pradesh in India. Every day, near by where I live in Palma, Mallorca, in a shop named Lana Land a number of women sit around a long high table and hand knit and teach others. In a project I was working on a few years ago at London College of Fashion in the Business School, one of the groups focussed part of their project on Kintsuji, the art of repairing china with gold.
All these separate stories point to a gradual evolution of the subject of hand crafted, both in the sense of repair and the new. It is fascinating how crafts can be applied to both the classic pieces made for years, if not centuries, as well as employed to make new garments. In recent years at Haute Couture in Paris, Ronald van der Kemp, Yuima Nakazato and Aelis have explored recycling, upcycling, and deadstock, and now Julie de Libran and Kevin Germanier have joined this group. Craft does not come cheap, quality and time are expensive commodities in this day and age and the assembling of beautiful things, the use of heritage techniques, and the creation of the unique requires dedication and love.
Last week two craft events took place, the first in London London Craft Week, which I did not attend but below is a link to a wonderful piece by Tamsin Blanchard where she talks about several different artisans.
Meanwhile in Palma Xtant was drawing crowds for the sixth year. The main exhibition of the event takes place in the courtyard space of Can Vivot which is a Mallorcan manor house that has remained intact since its last renovation between 1683 and 1711, with its roots dating back to the 14th century. There are also events at Es Baluard Museu d’Art Modern i Contemporani de Palma, opened in 2004.
This years Xtant was the sixth and the team of eleven listed have truly assembled an international cast list. South America to India, and on to Uzbekistan. The work covers huge wall hanging to delicate floral brooches, from the most fragile of pieces to ceremonial splendour. The pieces are true collectibles, and the origins of each piece can be explained by the wonderful people exhibiting. Passionate about craft and focussed on the skills engaged and involved, each piece contains both history and love. Each year there are both returners and new people who join the event and it also enables one to see many collections in the flesh which are also available online.
One of the great advantages for these small craft designers today is the ability to deal across the globe and communicate in ways impossible in the past. My own splendid, embroidered floor length coat from Lasha Devdariani in Tbilisi Georgia, was ordered measured and purchased through online conversations.
Craft may be an amazing brush made the same way for centuries, or it may be an ancient technique used on a modern mini dress, it may be a utilitarian object or a wonderful couture like piece. Since the original techniques of fashion, from toile to tailoring, from embroidery to hemming, are al, established and old its is a great match. However other elements such as patching and darning, the preservation, restoration and lengthening of the life of clothing are also being reexamined in craft exploration. Knitting especially, either with new or recycled yarns is not going anywhere when, for example, on Instagram @summer.lee.knits has 81.2 followers.
The whole subject of craft and ethical sourcing, the link between craft and sustainability and the revival of skills lost is important. The continuance of local techniques and of the importance of the preservation of national cultural history are all subjects close to many people hearts. The contrast between Ai and the time and care, narrative and emotions contained in the hand made and the link to both family and homeland, cannot be underestimated.
Fashion and interiors are linked by skills in textiles and detailing in many ways. Xtant shows this very clearly with a huge bedspread shown next to a tiny blouse. The ancient, simple art of stitching with needle and thread being common to both.
If we are increasingly scared of what happens when technology fails us, when robots and machines take over, yet are not infallible, returning to core skills, taking time to know the basic uses of tolls, rediscovering the joy of crafting something with our own hands is vital. It offers mental well being, it offers joy, and it links us to the past.
As a child we scribble and draw, yet somehow, we cease. Today illiteracy and the ability to sign our name, use a pen, address an envelope, is vanishing. Once upon a time we see in old documents the x and next to it is the persons name, written by someone else, and the words “their mark” since they were unable to read and write.
In 2025 as we are in danger of returning to this situation, craft, and the ability to make something is also essential. We should be able to create the simplest basic elements of life, to feed, clothe and house ourselves, along with the ability to communicate. Our hands are the foundation of life, and the crafts we can create with them are the narrative across time. We must value them to survive.
Later,
Tony Glenville
