19 januari 2016
Fashion
IL PASSO A DUE: CLASSICAL CRAFTS AND HIGH END FASHION
As a photographer and fashion lover Italy is a great place to go. For me Firenze always does the magic, being there is synonym for seeing beauty everywhere, not only the ancient buildings, the ponte vecchio, il duomo, but especially the ‘ordinary’ places like shopping windows and coffee bars.
During my last visit to Firenze I was very excited when friends introduced me to Craafts. Being in Firenze is great, being in Firenze and having a chance to visit a high end fashion atelier is twice as lucky!
The Atelier
Scandicci, Firenze
Even when there was no one working at the time we wanted to visit them, one of the owners came over, showed me the beautiful workplace, let me take photographs and of course made me a delicious Italian ‘caffe.’
We entered a factory which wasn’t only a workplace but with utmost attention to detail and items placed so perfectly together, it was a showroom as well.
Something old, something new
The Magic of Intertwining Classical Techniques with Modern Products
Craafts unique style of the handmade pieces lies in craft and the mastery of methods such as crochet, macrame, knitting, various beading techniques etc. Which are made in collaboration with fashion designers, architects and design firms. (There are ongoing projects with Prada, Ferragamo, Gucci, Dolce & Gabbana and many more).
The combination of materials leads to a style that has classical elements and colors (knitting, feathers, sequins, gold, bronze); but the classical techniques are used in such a creative way, giving a modern touch to all the items (the shape of the bags, the modern patterns, the clean design of the chairs and the colorful leather bracelets).
And that’s where the magic comes in, seeing the beauty of techniques usually labeled as ‘worn out’ and knitting them into something new.
Fashionably...
........Furniture
Using the same techniques, the craftsmen at Craafts not only make handmade fashion pieces, but also eye-catching lightning fixtures, furniture and decorative finishes. When curiosity is a foundation, creativity will flow in many beautiful ways, I guess!
My Curiosity
After having a great day in the atelier, my mind started wandering, I was missing one thing in my photographs… people!
So my curiosity leads me to dreaming of photographing the process itself from making to wearing…..Let’s make that one of those great opportunities one can happily look forward to, or at least a sign that following your curiosity can bring great joy and new ideas.
Thank you very much Elif Malkoclar and Davide Dell’Acqua, looking forward to see you again!
Links:
De kracht van mijn beelden zit niet in een tijdelijk imago, maar in de verbeelding van het tijdloze ‘ zijn.’
© Inge van Beekum