A LOOK BACK
A Look Back
“This newsletter is a short writing of ongoing reflections, in my and my teams workspace. It’s a “digest” of our work and the fashion industry (creative perspective) and it is about facing sustainability as our no. 1 challenge; a topic that I am obsessed and engaged on since 2018.”
Clothes aren't going to change the world, it's the people who design and wear them who will.
A month ago we had the pleasure of presenting our New Radical Sustainable Concept Store in heart of Paris, the marais district.
Two weeks ago we had the pleasure of revealing our newest Aalto Recoded™ collection featuring a portrait series of the coolest indie musicians from Paris.
The store wasn’t just a shop but an opportunity to evolve the concept from digital – and from piles of waste clothes – to a physical space of gathering and exchange direct with consumer. Many of our community, and our artist friends , could finally see what we do in a bigger picture.
Hence our creative sustainable concept has been 4 seasons in constant evolution, and well distributed around the world, it was thrilling to see how it was all received and get the instant feedback.
Arnaud Mielvaque - Set Design by Sonder
The Artist serie shot by notorious Johan Sandberg (long collaborator and friend of mine) was a dedication and opportunity to what inspires throughout time the most; Music. We got the idea to capture the collection directly with the people who inspire us, and got unique talent; including Bamao Yende (Boukan Records), Johnny Janne, Romain Brau and the band Klon. Thank you all participating.
This season feels like a new beginning in many senses. It feels our focus is shifting to elevated craft and away from the hard cold numbers. Every element of the design, from the interior layout to the materials used, was carefully chosen to minimize our ecological footprint, and think in circular reusable way, while offering a unique and inspiring experience to our customers.
One thing is for real; Recoded™️ is more than just a fashion product or process: it's a alternative style concept how we believe sustainable methods and innovation can make fashion better. And profoundly, it is also a different kind of product in the eyes of the consumer - each Recoded™️ item is inherently a little different to each other – meaning each item is Unique – and the story is told in our unique QR code embedded ID labels.
Taking this look back, the season was full on and it was a good season. All this happened in the fashion weeks where the whole industry is putting their best efforts. Even though I and my team were very focused on our collection, what came out of it, in general, felt a bit overwhelming. So many effort-full collections, few effortless ones. In consideration of the difficult times we live in there was a subtone that felt hollow. For example very few spoke about sustainability and the drastic state of our industry, or that said, proposed anything new.
As for now, it is tough times for most people and companies in the industry. What was seen, message is quite clear, is that we need to patient and wait for the new wave. And meanwhile we need to keep creating. And like an old sport proverb says; no pain no gain.