Julian Roberts Productions (Nothing Nothing etc)

[cerfas]

everything above from www.julianand.com
Julian now has his own label, Parc deS EXpositions
Images from A/W 05 from www.fuk.co.uk

[cerfas]

....

[cerfas]

That's correct, Tism. I actually put information about that in this thread.
You're welcome, fashionyork!

[droogist]

Thank you for posting this, cerfas. I got a bit frustrated looking at this thread; their concepts are quite compelling, but the clothes just never seems to live up to their promise. I think the eloquence of their texts really set you up for something exciting...and then you see the garments they've made out of all those passionate convictions, and you're like, "oh..." One of those things that just works better on paper, perhaps...

[Estella*]

that's a lot to absorb...i'll be back later. thanks cerfas!

[mishahoi]

i love it all! i remember reading all about their "collection in a day", their patternmaking class (which, after reading it a second time, makes sense now!) and selling their label on ebay (augh! what an opportunity to snatch up!) but i still find it fascinating even now. i would love to see the stuff in person. i think the clothes are quite eloquent

[cerfas]

You're welcome , droogist, anna_k. The written portions really are the best part...it's so impossibly hard to strike a working balance between concept and product. It seems he started out too much with an idea and tried hard to make the clothes fit to the idea, rather than examining the possibly poetry of the actual clothes. I think Parc des Expositions gets it a little better, the clothing is more sculpture than wearable which is a bit silly, but oh well it still is interesting to look at on the hanger.

[travolta]

thanks cerfas for posting. in the past couple days i've been slipping in the reread this and look at the website..i sent the link to a bunch of friends, and some industrial design friends to see how they perceieved the patterns. i didn't want to write until i had everything clarified in my head..but oh well..
for the reasons it fails it succeeds in my opinion. they spoke about how ideas so often never see the light of day..and what is the definition of success? is it the concept being executed? or is the the process--the means to the end. in the real world, it should translate..it has to, but i think its very clever on their part to add all this stuff on a website. they understand that they were not successful..but they know the idea is good enough to not die..so they presented an opportunity to pass on the torch. to me this is more interesting than if the clothes suceeded. clothing is rarely intellectualized..if i were to see those designs and they were perfectly executed i would not for the life of me know what went on behind its conception. but it think clothing should be analyzed, because after all, it is a design like anything else...shouldn't it be critiqued? shouldn't it be innovative? a gillet razor is scrutinized over w/ such intensity its liteally nasa technology...we wear clothes on our bodies..why shouldn't we think about clothing in new ways besides the old techniques. clothing could be so much more..and it is essentially a tube stuck on top of a body. people are dynamic, moving...there are so many possibilites for these two things to mesh. anyways i think there concepts worked..cause its out there and some of the people i sent the website to are going to try out the patterns themselves and try ot figure out how to make what they are trying to do succesful...

[cerfas]

You're welcome, travolta. Great comments . Very intelligent. I like your idea of it as them "passing on the torch"--putting the ideas out there so that others can try for themselves. And you're right, they seemed very much aware that it wasn't totally successful. Determined in their decision to end the label.
Related to people trying out the pattern making techniques for themselves, they also post on their website results from the class they taught at RCA:

Vanessa Rolf


Eliza Wheeler


Yujin Jung


Also, the meticulous and thorough documentation adds to the feeling that they wanted people to understand all the ideas behind the project...not to just let it die.

[travolta]

thanks cerfas. this reminds me of a st. martins project where the first years were to draw up several outfits (not flats..just croquis) and the professors chose a handful of those submitted and distributed them to the class asking them to construct a garment based on the drawings. because the drawings were not technical..each person had to figure out the best way to interpret it..i wasn't sure what i thought of the project then..but i think its quite clever. it really shows you about a persons skill level, thought process...

also the first page you posted some of the finished garments, and they become lamps, essentially. its beautiful..but not too gimmicky, because if the clothing is like as my friend commented "bookmarks" of the process..then the clothing lit up like that exposes this. the level of opacity informs the viewer of the density of layers...give them something to gage of how much fabric was used in that particular place on the body. it also removes the clothing from the context of the body..which might have been its "downfall" and shows it like a piece of fabric..some manipulated material..and it becomes something to scrutinize..like an x-ray of the garment. there are many people who make clothing and as they said..its a personal thing..and they don't necessarily share their processes..it think the idea of an idea failing..posting it and then having a sort of after life..works. if there wasn't such a fluidity or accessibility to information it would probably be a failure..but in terms of reaching people..i guess they are showing people through their own way of thinking..concepts..how to critque their own work..what it could be. its very inspiring

[*Happiness*]

WOW! This is some great information. Thank you to everyone who posted their ideas and thoughts in the subject.

[.francesca]

yes, i agree..i hadn't heard of the designer before, but the name of the line really compelled me to read about it, and i think those of you who said that it looks better on paper and the finished product doesn't really live up to the concepts are right..i really want there to be something more to nothing nothing, but i'm not getting what i want from it. the actual images of the clothes are really beautiful..the photography and some of the really high-contrast stuff with the people looking weird..i really like that stuff. i wonder who the lucky buyer is and what he or she is going with the line now.

[Spacemiu]

I really like the clothes alot , thanks very much cerfas

[cerfas]

Aw, you're welcome dear spacemiu

[mishahoi]

first, thanks again to cerfas for starting the thread and taking the time post up so many pics

and thanks to travolta for writing the long replies on your thoughts on the subject, i found what you say to be very fascinating. this whole thing seems like a science project, that people kinda tilt their heads and day "huh?" when they hear someone trying to explain it. but who knows, someone else may come up with something really good using the ideas. it reminds me of yohji's APOC thing... so radical...