A.PRESSE operates with a considerably muted aesthetic. Why do you suppose simplicity resonates with at this time’s viewers?
Individuals are exhausted by exterior validation. In a capitalist economic system, “likes” have turn into a brand new type of foreign money, encouraging people to function like media entities. Increasingly, persons are starting to really feel that this comes at a big value. Reasonably than being formed by others, they really feel the necessity to form themselves, which naturally results in a desire for simplicity.
Your designs incorporate trendy parts into traditional American menswear. How do you strike that steadiness in your design course of? Are there any objects or durations which have significantly influenced you?
I’m not keen on the best way the phrase “trend” is usually used at this time, however I do imagine that individuals all the time have a sure temper or feeling. This sense isn’t centered round people. It emerges from the stream of the world itself, which is completely different from fleeting tendencies.
Since clothes is worn by folks dwelling within the current, I do consciously contemplate the “now.” Nevertheless, I additionally imagine that what we create shouldn’t be confined to the current second—it must be one thing that transcends time. I’ve discovered from traditional craftsmanship, tradition, and historic context, so I be sure to not lose sight of these influences. That’s why I keep away from exaggerated expressions of a particular period.
I’m significantly influenced by the mid-century interval and earlier. I imagine that every one true originals existed earlier than the Sixties, with roots tracing again even additional. Every decade, together with the Nineteen Fifties, has its personal distinctive attraction, however in the end, all the pieces occurring at this time is a repetition of the previous. Historical past has by no means been interrupted, so the deeper you hint it, the extra you notice that clothes, politics, faith, and economics are all interconnected, shaping the best way we take into consideration design.
You’ve talked about your appreciation for French classic manufacturers like Hermès and Charvet. How do they affect your work?
Even when the nation is completely different, the angle stays the identical. In fact, environments and cultures fluctuate, and their historic roots differ as effectively, however I view all of them from a impartial standpoint.
