Collateral
Some time ago i came across to this new label named Collateral.
Albert Huang is a former of this brand and here is interview
with him to help you to know more about it. (spec. for D’2′rs(flava))
1.First of all can you tell a small story about when and why you start your brand
Collateral evolved slowly over the last year and a half. I had been sketching pieces and developing ideas for quite a while before that but never actually sat down and started constructing. I created a couple of pieces and the response was very positive. I continued with designing many more pieces (along with some new ones that came to me during the production process) and presented all of this work at once. This is why I don’t call the current set of pieces a “collection” as it’s more of the first iteration; the first grouping of pieces that I have created.
2.What is main idea of Collateral?
There isn’t too much of a main idea behind Collateral. My background is science and medicine as I am studying to be a doctor right now and will be done in about a year and a half. All of my work has strong influence from science, anatomy, and life. I am very interested in the idea of war and the violence within as well as the individual experience in battle and my more recent work echoes this as I fuse my medical influences with war-based ones. I am constantly inspired by my research both in and out of science and I experiment continuously with fabrics, leathers, metal and processes of construction/treatment. If I had to say what the main idea would be, it would have to be trying to bring experiences into a wearable form. I want my work to be new to the viewer but at the same time familiar and natural.
3.Do you have season collections?Or you have one collection with new items added ( like Altieri did)
The “collections” are definitely not seasonal. I produce and construct what I develop and decide is complete. Of course I always have to factor in wearability. I can’t make 10 types of shirts and say I’m done! The process and progress of Collateral is going to be a linear one with a focus more on each individual item instead of being able to group the pieces together. Everything will go with everything else not because I actively design it to be that way but because my approach and mindset throughout design will remain the same.
4.You have very strong industrial ideas for a design and some rare materials, now we have ironed, oxidized, fired items and some things made of 60 year old elephant skin,so what’s coming up next?
For some of the upcoming pieces (as well as some of the more recently completed pieces) I will be working with some Indian batiks that are extremely organic. Some of the patterns will make your skin crawl! At the same time I’m continuing the experimentation with curving seams and anatomic based construction, minimizing the number of individual pattern pieces, and also delving deeper into the individual experience of war.
5.Song of a day?
Oh that’s a tough one! Today it’s Keith Jarrett- Koln Concert Part 1
