Wonderful interview... so many people take fashion design for granted. "Oh, they're just clothes." Well, yes. Any monkey can design mass-produced clothes, whether that person be Mary Kate Olsen or Cassie Wallace.
But there are some real design geniuses out there, like Ann, who have an incredible aesthetic. You've just got to love that.
faust, I just remembered your post about Anatomico aka muscle t-shirt, after reading this.
I saw her holograph when she gave answers written in her own hand to the questions from magazine. she had really beautiful handwritting. she said there she has respect for Marcel Breuer and Le Corbusier.
"soul" was how she summed up her aesthetic in a single word.
Originally posted by Scott@Aug 21 2004, 10:45 PM Actually,her belts wrap around two or three times(depending on one's size) rather than just that slung look Helmut does. Except,I don't think she started doing those belts till the mid-90's. And she started her business in '85 which I believe is a year before Helmut did. Its irrelevent however because for a time,I think they had loads in common with each other-only she was about the volume and movement and he was more about a stiffer structure.
Btw,a friend of mine that was an assistant to Ann whilst at the Academy told me Ann is extremely timid in person.
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not surprised to hear she may be timid...her clothes are like armour...i would think the person designing them would be an introvert...plus as i said...i think that's the first interview i've read...she's certainly no media whore...
but i wasn't referring to any sort of belt scott...i was referring to the bondage style straps they both have hanging off their clothes...
did she start in 85?...that doesn't seem possible...maybe 95?... ... i don't have that book on belgian design that some of you have that might have all that kind of info... maybe that needs to be added to the collection...
i do agree with your assesment that ann is softer and helmut is more structured...maybe the difference btw a male and female perspective?...
Ann Demeulemeester graduated in 1981 from the fashion department at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp.
In 1982 she won the first Gouden Spoel (Golden Spindle, an annual prize awarded to the most promising young fashion designer).
During the first years of her career she worked as a freelance designer for several manufacturers. In 1985 she founded BVBA "32", together with her husband, the photographer Patrick Robyn. Her first collection hit the shops in the autumn of 1987.
In 1992 Ann Demeulemeester gave her first catwalk show in Paris. Four years later she presented her first men's collection during the Paris fashion week. Also in 1996 she lent her creativity and name to the furniture collection Table Blanche for Bulo.
In 1999 she opened her flagship store on the Leopold De Waelplaats, the square in front of the Museum of Fine Arts in Antwerp.
Ann Demeulemeester's style is consequent and recognisable. Sober at first - the silhouettes are often straight and look severe – but rich in sophisticated volumes, exclusive materials and unexpected details. She wants to create a poetic rock 'n roll feel in the style of Patti Smith and has even presented an homage to her during the exhibition "Strange Messenger: The work of Patti Smith" (Haus der Kunst, Munich).
A highly developed sense of perfection is Ann Demeulemeester's trademark. Her collections are always a reflection of their times, but nevertheless transcend both time and trends. In periods of colour and frivolity her palette remains calm and collected.
Sometimes the link between fashion and art becomes very visible, for example in the summer collection of 2000, when she worked together with artist Jim Dine. She integrated some of his images in her designs, not merely as a print but as an artwork that has taken on the shape of an item of clothing.
thanks runner...good little history lesson there...
so i became aware of her a couple of years after her first runway show...probably about the same time everyone else did...around 1994-5...
until you have a proper runway show...it's very hard to get noticed...and even then it's hard to get the right people to attend...
funny though...because that means she is older and more experienced than i had realized which actually makes a lot of sense...funny how the media refers to everyone as "young" designers...which really has very little to do with their actual ages...
Originally posted by softgrey@Aug 22 2004, 08:43 AM
i do agree with your assesment that ann is softer and helmut is more structured...maybe the difference btw a male and female perspective?...
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I think it's just diffrent asthetic, i mean ann comes from a mroe romantic, poetic, punk point of view and helmut is more modern/urban, i don't even think there that comparable
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Oceans of angels, oceans of stars
Originally posted by softgrey@Aug 22 2004, 10:43 AM not surprised to hear she may be timid...her clothes are like armour...i would think the person designing them would be an introvert...plus as i said...i think that's the first interview i've read...she's certainly no media whore...
but i wasn't referring to any sort of belt scott...i was referring to the bondage style straps they both have hanging off their clothes...
did she start in 85?...that doesn't seem possible...maybe 95?... ... i don't have that book on belgian design that some of you have that might have all that kind of info... maybe that needs to be added to the collection...
i do agree with your assesment that ann is softer and helmut is more structured...maybe the difference btw a male and female perspective?...
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Its the same for all Belgian designers as the majority of them are exactly that...introverts. You can see it their work. Its such a revolutionary concept these days actually designing from a more personal,emotional approach. And I'd like to think Ann was highly influential in that respect. Look at so many "indies" coming up now...very personal the majority of them are.
Softie,I must have misinterpreted about the straps/belts...sorry
Space,the reason I say they had loads in common is because if you look back before Helmut got signed at Prada,both had a very strong utiliarian/conceptual style about their work. And the tailoring is and has always been their strong points. Only Ann,added a bit of movement in hers...that volume,you see.
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'rise like lions after slumber. in invanquishable number-shake your chains to earth like dew which in sleep had fallen on you-ye are many-they are few'
percy bysshe shelley,the last verse of:
the mask of anarchy
And I just wanted to give my personal feelings about Ann. Ann was the first designer who introduced me to not only Belgian fashion but Avant-Garde in general. I will always admire her because she was the first person who allowed for me to look at fashion at a different angle....and as you can see now,it just evolved since. She is really the reason why I wanted to be in this world so badly because if she could express herself as she has been for so long,I could too.
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'rise like lions after slumber. in invanquishable number-shake your chains to earth like dew which in sleep had fallen on you-ye are many-they are few'
percy bysshe shelley,the last verse of:
the mask of anarchy
i think that by definition the intellectual designers will always appeal to a select group of people... i put ann in this category along with yohji and rei and dries etc...
it is a more subtle and thoughtful approach to design and self-expression...
i want desperately to own this...leather leggings..!!!!!
have you ever put on an outfit and felt yourself change?...i mean your attitude and posture and even the way you walk and hold your head...???
that's what happens when i put on some of ann's pieces...i feel impenetrable...invulnerable...like i could take over the world and nothing can hurt me...
that is an amazing thing for an article of clothing to do...
to make you feel different...
i call it urban warrior apparel...like a modern suit of armour to protect you from the elements and harshness that come with urban life...it's like magic...
Originally posted by Scott@Aug 22 2004, 11:39 AM And I just wanted to give my personal feelings about Ann. Ann was the first designer who introduced me to not only Belgian fashion but Avant-Garde in general. I will always admire her because she was the first person who allowed for me to look at fashion at a different angle....and as you can see now,it just evolved since. She is really the reason why I wanted to be in this world so badly because if she could express herself as she has been for so long,I could too.
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oh that's so touching
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Oceans of angels, oceans of stars
Originally posted by Scott@Aug 22 2004, 01:39 PM And I just wanted to give my personal feelings about Ann. Ann was the first designer who introduced me to not only Belgian fashion but Avant-Garde in general. I will always admire her because she was the first person who allowed for me to look at fashion at a different angle....and as you can see now,it just evolved since. She is really the reason why I wanted to be in this world so badly because if she could express herself as she has been for so long,I could too.
Originally posted by MayaPapaya9@Aug 22 2004, 03:19 PM "This movement gives me something which is intriguing, but is not obvious. It's almost cutting an attitude into the clothes."
I love that statement!!
"I wanted to have the nonchalance of something falling down. Sometimes, I think it's beautiful when something falls down."
I agree!
this interview really opened up my eyes to these small details that she points out. thanks so much for posting faust!
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My pleasure. Your last statement, I heard that so many times as I forced people to look at Ann's designs closely. That is so much of the appeal of fashion (rather of what I consider fashion) to me - the designer THOUGHT, put energy, creativity and care into her creations. It's artful.
... i don't have that book on belgian design that some of you have that might have all that kind of info... maybe that needs to be added to the collection... 
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