Thomas Voorn: the interview

About 3 years ago I wrote a little post about Thomas Voorn and his personal aesthetic. Before my post I exchanged a couple of emails with him to get a closer view of his work. I never published the little chat we had but, althought it might be a bit updated, I think it's still very interesting.

ME: the concept of Thomas Voorn is defined as "a new concept of beauty", what does that mean? Is this beauty understood as a tradicional beauty or are you trying to find a new definition, outside from the classical parameters?

TV: Since quite a few years I am pushing the boundaries of contemporary fashion aesthetics in my work. Trying to expand the idea what contemporary fashion can be. Exploring what could be entitled as a "new sense of beauty".

In the ongoing 'coming home series' I focus on my search for a contemporary clash and match in colour and print on a "small scale". I use the traditional "mug shot" (portrait photograph) to let the colour/print combination take over the picture rather than the garment. Placing traditional feminin floral prints and mixing them with colours/prints to create a new fashionable sense of masculinity.

ME: Could you tell me a little bit more about the collaboration of Jeanette Osterried in Osvomode?

TV: In the collections of the high fashion label OsvoMode (2002/2003-2006), which I founded with Jeanette Osterried, we worked from the concept that our designs did not have to represent beauty at first glance. Designing garments tat you might had to get used to in time. Exploring where beauty ends, and ugliness begins and in that way extending the way one can perceive beauty in fashion industry. In contrast to, for example, music, where we are much more used to listening to an album a few times before actually appreciating it; we applied this thought on fashion collections.

ME: it seems to me that the main idea of this project relies on prints and patchwork more than finding new shapes and volumes, and the feelings and emotions than can be created through patchworks and prints. In which concept do you based the identity of the clothes?

TV: While I was studying fashion ten years ago, I worked already with fabric combinations that were "unsual"; looking for a friction between colours and prints to make one think if this represents beauty or not. Exploring how you can apply colour and print in a outfit and how you can play with them proportion-wise to balance on the edge.

ME: Is there a connection between your way of understanding fashion and contemporary art? Which are your main influences?  

TV: In my work I'm always looking to make a fashion statement, but use and autonomous way of working and thinking bout fashion, clothes and dessing-behaviour to create imagery. My main influence are people on the streets that are not aware of what they are wearing and communicating with their clothes. Fascinating.

.- April 2008.

Special thanks to Thomas Voorn