Monday , November 16, 2009
Love (and a Q&A): complexgeometries
The first time I saw work by complexgeometries, I was amazed at how they took the simple, humble idea of a t-shirt and turned it into something infinitely more dramatic and intense. Putting on something by complexgeometries is an equally transformative experience: it's as full of ease and comfort as wearing a t-shirt or tank top, but you feel ten times more mysterious and poetic due to the beautiful draping and lines in many of the garments. It's perfect clothes for a sophisticated nomad or a couture skateboarder: wonderfully comfortable but genuinely compelling from a design point-of-view. Based in Montreal, complexgeometries is a relatively young operation, but they've found a good deal of success during their short time in existence thus far -- their clothes are carried in cool places all over the place, including my own beloved Oak in New York. (You can also buy from their own website online.) Clayton, the designer of complexgeometries, was super-kind enough to answer a few questions for us -- you can read more after the jump about the role that Buckminster Fuller played in the company, the importance of random Google searches and the beauty of Italian disco.
+ Tell us a bit about how your company got started: what was the initial impetus and inspiration behind complexgeometries, and what has been your journey so far?
I love clothes and I`ve always loved clothes. It took a few years of my adult life to come to grips with the fact that I should become a fashion designer, but in the end it's what I love and what I'm good at. I started making clothes and selling them on a small scale and things just took on a life of their own. All the right people seemed to be attracted to what I was doing (or what they thought I was capable of doing) and they just keeping pushing me along.
+ I love how the clothes are based on simple, even humble items like t-shirts and tanks and hoodies, but the way you play with detail and proportion reveal a deeper complexity at work. What's the idea/motivation/thought process behind your approach to design? And what's your design process in general?
I like working with simple styles like tshirts for a few reasons. Creating an unusual cut in a simple fabric makes it more accessible. The balance is important. The clothes are challenging and easy at the same time. Also, the tshirt is the most iconic garment of our time. On any given day, any where in the world, you are likely to be surrounded by people wearing tshirts.
+ How did you get the name "complexgeometries"?
The name came about after watching a documentary on R. Buckminster Fuller. His approach to design and his thoughts about the importance design plays in society really inspired my own practice.
+ Who or what are some of your design/fashion/art/whatever inspirations?
I try to search out inspiration from the things that don't inspire me. Every season I try to include something inspired by a garment that is really not fashionable; the kind of clothes you see and say "what were they thinking". Taste is subjective and learned culturally, so it's good to remind yourself that there is no such thing as intrinsically bad style. But I try to look everywhere. I do a lot of random Google image searches and find a lot of amazing things there.
+ What are some of your first memories or experiences with fashion/design?
As a kid? Making clothes for my sister's Barbies. I was a really crafty child (I come from a crafty family). The dress that sticks out in my memory was a flapper style dress with fringe....probably not unlike something you`d see in the collection now...although better made. And I think I spent most of my childhood knee deep in the play clothes box.
+ What music, art and movies have you been into lately?
Music? Italo disco. Actually, that's been going on for a while now. Kind of embarassing, but it's the perfect blend of energetic and peaceful, dark but positive. I don't have a lot of time to watch movies, but I do read when I get the chance. Mostly Haruki Murakami if I'm reading fiction, and I love biographies.
+ Name a record you loved as a kid that you still love now.
The soundtrack to The Sound of Music....but don't tell anyone ;)
+ What's next for complexgeometries? Where do you eventually want to take your company?
There's a lot to look forward to. More collaborations, ventures into other mediums, stores. We're growing so fast at that moment that I hesitate to say what's coming first.
+ And finally, the question we ask everyone: what is your spirit animal?
You have no idea how much time I've spent discussing this question. I used to share a studio with two wonderful designers (Jen Gilpin-ReGen and MaryAnne Mathias-Hastings and Main) and the question came up again and again. I think the final decision might have been a bear. I'm a bit of a grump.
Tags: Buckminster Fuller, complexgeometries, couture skateboarders, Google, Italian disco, sophisticated nomads, t-shirts, The Sound of Music
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1 Comments!!
Say something so insightful and witty, it will blow us away. (No pressure.)
Got something to say? We'd love to hear it! Name, email and "type in the weirdo drunken text" thingie are all required to comment; don't worry, we won't email you or anything, we just want to make sure you're not an evil spambot. Keeping in mind the good-times mentality we like to keep going here, we've worked hard to keep NOGOODFORME.COM as fun as possible. We welcome all kinds of comments, but insults/abuse/general bitchery are not tolerated. In other words, we put the smackdown on evil troll posts. If you want to be a hater, please go elsewhere. Now, as Salt 'N Pepa say, "Only the sexy people..."
complexgeometries seems like simple genius. i like the collection a lot.
and now i think i like clayton too. i downloaded some of the songs from 'the sound of music' last week since i'm always singing them anyways, and i agree that taste is subjective. someone argued (quite aggressively) with me on this topic on tFS actually. glad to hear someone else understands how it works. thanks for the interview.
By editor on December 12, 2008 12:40 PM