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FRAGMENT OF A (W)HOLE

FASHION IS A STRANGE MIXTURE OF PERSISTENCE AND FLUX, A COLLAGE OF ELEMENTS THAT HAVE REMAINED UNALTERED FOR OVER 500 YEARS AND OTHERS THAT HAVE BEEN (RE)-INVENTED YESTERDAY. EACH ELEMENT IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF A GARMENT OR PIECE OF CLOTHING CARRIES A STRICTLY DEFINED CONNOTATION DEVELOPED THROUGH HISTORY. THIS SOMETIMES INTERFERES WITH OUR CONTEMPORARY JUDGMENT. TO US IT SEEMS THAT THROUGH THE ADVANCEMENT OF PRODUCTIVE POSSIBILITIES AND MEGALOMANIA WE ARE FORGETTING TO CONSIDER THE LIMITED SIZE OF OUR ANATOMICAL PROPORTIONS IN OUR SURROUNDINGS AND CREATIONS. THIS CREATED A NEVER-ENDING PREOCCUPATION WITH SHAPES THAT HAVE NOT BEEN DEVELOPED IN TANDEM WITH OUR FAST-PACED SOCIETY.

OUR CURRENT UNDERSTANDING OF CLOTHES HAS LED US TO PROPOSE AN INDIVIDUALLY MODIFIABLE UNIFORM, EMBEDDED WITHIN OUR CURRENT FASHION SYSTEM, TO BE ACHIEVED ON THE INDIVIDUAL LEVEL. WE WANT TO CREATE MORE EQUALITY THROUGH THE IMPLEMENTATION OF INDIVIDUAL - UNIVERSALITY.  BY COMBINING THESE TWO HIGHLY OPPOSING CONCEPTS SHADOWPLAY AIMS TO BRING A NEW AND SOCIAL FORMAT TO LIFE. CREATING ONLY TWO DEFINED PATTERNS, THAT ARE AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD TO EVERYONE, EVERYWHERE. THEREBY QUESTIONING THE VALUE OF INDIVIDUALITY AND OFFERING FASHION DESIGN TO ONE AND ALL. 

TOGETHER, THESE TWO PATTERNS CREATE THE TOOL-KIT, TO BE ARRANGED, ADDED TO OR SUBTRACTED, ALLOWING THE PATTERNS INFINITE WAYS OF DEVELOPMENT & CHANGE. THESE ENDLESS POSSIBILITIES FOR ALTERATIONS THEN CREATE A DIVERSITY OF LENGTHS, PRODUCTS, AND FORMS, ORIGINATING FROM JUST TWO PREDEFINED SHAPES. FROM THE FULL-LENGTH PATTERN OF THE DRESS, ONE CAN CREATE A JACKET, SKIRT, DRESS, AND OTHER VARIATIONS. SHADOWPLAY CONCEIVES A COLLECTION WITH THE LEAST ELEMENTS NECESSARY, ENVISIONING THE FUTURE OF FASHION TO BE INDISPENSABLE CONSCIOUS.

FOR OUR PRESENTATION, WE HAVE SHOWN AN EXAMPLE OF 24 ARRANGEMENTS TO SHOWCASE THE INFINITE VARIETY ONE CAN PRODUCE WITHIN THE TWO PATTERNS. 

We produce and procure all of our fabrics within 300km of our primary location, working closely together with local and established factories. Blending novel technologies and repurposing old materials remains an important aspect of our philosophy. We do not think propagating one specific solution to be sustainable is more appropriate. In short, our ultimate motive is to bring awareness to the meaning, the process, and craftsmanship behind the clothes we are constantly surrounding ourselves with. In this first collection, we have worked together with contemporary manufacturers such as Econyl, regenerated Nylon made out of synthetic waste, industrial plastic, waste fabric, and fishing nets from the ocean, then recycled and regenerated them into a new nylon yarn that is of the same quality as virgin nylon. 

One of the many local productions we have worked with is the Swiss weaving company Alumo based in Appenzell. All of our knitwear is made in Huttwil, a small Swiss village in Emmental. we have also included hand weaving from Egg, Switzerland. We aim to support the local textile industry while simultaneously experimenting with novel technologies and paying homage to the past. By using an old fabric found in a local warehouse that previously almost burned down, we have rescued and revived the material with fire extinguisher stains on it. For us, it is essential to use fabrics that have their own history, relevance, and contribution to the time we are living in.

We have decided to use a 3D printer to make all of our buttons and accessories, as we believe that these elements have such a high loss rate where with the current technologies we should redefine their value. Shadowplay believes in such new technologies becoming an important aspect of our daily lives in the coming future, and therefore wants to set an example of individual producibility.

We believe the fashion industry in its current state needs to distance itself from its selfish and superficial image for which we see great potential in open source information. As a result of this contestation, we have decided to release an ongoing conversation series to make our thoughts and urgencies public for customers and a wider audience. Shadowplay wants to include the consumer, work out sophisticated simplifications and visualizations, which demonstrate our aim to design clothes for a wider audience.