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  • hobo
    Senior Member
    • Jul 2009
    • 301

    Geoffrey B. Small

    I would like to kick of a discussion on a designer who has been quietly working away, doing his own thing, in a very cool way, since the 80’s. He was one of, if not the first to do recycled, and although Margiela also did it very well, I believe that Geoffrey did it in a more honest way. He has been making environmentally concessions clothing since way before it was fashionable and when designers like Yohji and Comme were expanding their production he was shrinking his, so that he had more control over it. He is not just a designer, but a tailor, a pattern cutter and machinist, so he really does understand and have control over the every detail of his clothing. He even works with a local fabric weaver to produce just what he needs for each piece. I understand that the there are many who do this now, but in combination with the fact that he personally oversees and works on pretty much every garment which he produces, I think that this makes him pretty special.

    You may not be into Geoffrey B. Smalls design because, like Poell and Harnden, he designs from his own special place which is not really influenced by the fashion world. He is far more interested in history and socio-political issues, and how they affect the way we cloth ourselves. When I first saw his work, it scared the shit out of me! But after speaking to him in great depth, I began to understand his attention to rapidly disappearing values and to the details which are becoming less and less important in modern clothing, and the journey which had brought him to this place from where he produces his art. To me this involvement is very important.

    Although seen in a very different light he has a lot in common with Altieri and did indeed showed with him in Paris in the very early days of Carpe Diem. Although he never exploded onto the scene, creating the impact that Altieri did, he has been working in a similar way for much longer and has probably, in a far more indirect way, had an equal impact on the way that the likes of Grandma, Luca, and this whole wave of new-school craftspeople who have emerged in the wake of Carpe Diem.

    Ps. when I can post images I will let you see some of my collection of his work.
    "I am so clever that sometimes I don't understand a single word of what I am saying." — Oscar Wilde
  • zamb
    Senior Member
    • Nov 2006
    • 5834

    #2
    Thanks for the thread Hobo
    was also looking at somw more of his work lately, also saw a T-shirt by him on Yoox that I am considering to buy.
    think somone already started a thread on him here, maybe both threads could be merged
    “You know,” he says, with a resilient smile, “it is a hard world for poets.”
    .................................................. .......................


    Zam Barrett Spring 2017 Now in stock

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    • MikeN
      Senior Member
      • Nov 2007
      • 2205

      #3
      paging fuuma

      Comment

      • SHYE_POSER
        Senior Member
        • Mar 2009
        • 1143

        #4
        Just had a read through his website.
        Rather amazing to say the least! I really appreciate his use of fabric and keeping his work in house so he can overlook everything.
        When i was at university this is how i had imagined for me to work also.
        I found this list of his innovations incredibly interesting
        1. the use of inserts,
        2. the 2-piece recycle twinset
        3. themed recycle collections based upon a particular concept or garment type
        4. inside out,
        5. metamorphosisizing garment types (changing the original use of the garment into a different type or use)
        6. half&half
        7. tape bands
        8. mesh
        9. camouflage
        10. plastic
        11. metal
        12. electronic components (applying solid state computer components into recycled clothing designs)
        13. graffiti tagging
        14. painted leather
        15. painted jeans
        16. zippers
        17. the pinch seam
        18. inside pinch seam
        19. inside exposed overlock seam
        20. laser and silkscreen prints on pants, jackets, button-down shirts, leather and knitwear
        21. chiffon over jersey
        22. holes
        23. label outside
        24. intarsia stitching
        25. convertibles (2-in-1 or 3-in-1 garments that can be changed into bags, backpacks or alternative garments)
        26. slashed knitwear
        27. antique patches
        28. ergonomic cutting and stitching
        29. overdying
        30. denim and khaki
        31. refitting menswear into womenswear
        32. customizing repairs
        33. developing the world's most comprehensive standards and methods for production of recycled clothing.
        For other members here is his website with images of previous collections and much more.
        Well worth spending some time looking and reading everything within it. Incredibly inspiring.
        Cheers Hobo for bringing him back to my attention!

        Since 1979 elevating the art and science of making clothes by hand, the dream continues...
        merz: your look has all the grace of george michael at the tail end of a coke binge.

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        • lowrey
          ventiundici
          • Dec 2006
          • 8383

          #5
          aaak, second topic in a few days about GBS with no pictures!

          like discussed in some other thread (shit is so mixed up right now), Geoffrey is a very cool guy and does some very nice stuff. His work really can't be compared to anything else, he has such a different approach to making garments and his style, while utilizing some rather classic styles, is quite a unique combination of different elements. Also, he is probably one of the nicest people I've met.

          There will some more up to date content on him in the near future, which is why I was holding back with the thread start but perhaps I will make a third one soon
          "AVANT GUARDE HIGHEST FASHION. NOW NOW this is it people, these are the brands no one fucking knows and people are like WTF. they do everything by hand in their freaking secret basement and shit."

          STYLEZEITGEIST MAGAZINE | BLOG

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          • SHYE_POSER
            Senior Member
            • Mar 2009
            • 1143

            #6
            There are many pics on his sight, i try and upload a few in the next few days so we have some visuals at hand!

            I sense you are cooking something up mr.lowrey!!!! hmmmm
            merz: your look has all the grace of george michael at the tail end of a coke binge.

            Comment

            • hobo
              Senior Member
              • Jul 2009
              • 301

              #7
              Originally posted by wire.artist
              it seems he shares several innovations with other sacred cows

              the question is... who was first?

              Convertible garments > junya
              painted denim > MMM or helmut?
              ergonomic cutting > altieri
              menswear into womenswear> yohji
              inside out> rei

              ....
              My money's on the Small guy! Innovation is his middle name (or maybe it's Boris!).

              Seriously though, I don't know about these particular ones but Geoffrey has come up with so many interesting innovations, for which he is not generally credited!
              "I am so clever that sometimes I don't understand a single word of what I am saying." — Oscar Wilde

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              • lowrey
                ventiundici
                • Dec 2006
                • 8383

                #8
                I don't think the innovations should be taken too literally, he didn't obviously invent denim or use it for the first time in the world, I think some of the concepts are just elements which weren't that commonly used at the time and have since become more popular.

                always thought the website was quite funny, its a bit out there with all the manifestos, randomly sized images, slightly messy lay outs and all but then again I'd imagine him to be the type that doesn't find it necessary to have the most elaborate online presence, the site has probably been close to the same for a decade.
                "AVANT GUARDE HIGHEST FASHION. NOW NOW this is it people, these are the brands no one fucking knows and people are like WTF. they do everything by hand in their freaking secret basement and shit."

                STYLEZEITGEIST MAGAZINE | BLOG

                Comment

                • SunshineSometime
                  Member
                  • May 2008
                  • 67

                  #9
                  Originality is undetected plagiarism

                  Comment

                  • Aleks
                    Senior Member
                    • Feb 2009
                    • 475

                    #10
                    Love his "principles":

                    1. respect for the individual
                    2. service to others
                    3. strive for excellence
                    4. strive to have fun
                    5. loyalty & trust

                    Comment

                    • Chinorlz
                      Senior Member
                      • Sep 2006
                      • 6422

                      #11
                      Originally posted by SunshineSometime View Post
                      Originality is undetected plagiarism
                      I have to disagree. That's quite a negative statement.

                      Of course you can nitpick the argument down until one agrees that we all pull inspiration from somewhere be it nature, a book, an idea etc. but it certainly may not constitute plagiarism in the dictionary-defined form of the word.
                      www.AlbertHuangMD.com - Digital Portfolio Of Projects & Designs

                      Merz (5/22/09):"i'm a firm believer that the ultimate prevailing logic in design is 'does shit look sick as fuck' "

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                      • Macro
                        Senior Member
                        • Apr 2008
                        • 351

                        #12
                        2nd that Albert. It's important to stay honest with your work and true to your own inspiration. Do this, and I would be challenged to call any work unoriginal. We all take our inspiration from somewhere... it is our perception of these influences that determine our fate as an artist.
                        every man has inside himself a parasitic being who is acting not at all to his advantage

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                        • hobo
                          Senior Member
                          • Jul 2009
                          • 301

                          #13
                          I think that Geoffrey's principals and manifestos can be seen as comical if you don’t know him or understand how serious he is about them but they are an important part of what he does because it's this intellectual process that leads him to the end product which is so beautiful (and, I admit, sometimes, a little out there!). For some designers, it's a purely visual process, but for Geoffrey, it's the opposite, it starts with ideas and principals! For me that makes is more interesting than something which is just art for art’s sake.

                          As far plagiarism, I suppose that it depends what you consider to be copying and what you consider to be inspiration. When I was in Venice with Geoffrey he took me to the church on St Marco's square and while everyone-else was looking up at the frescos and ornamentation, he was down on his hands and knees looking at the broken mosaic tiles on the floor and telling me how this was the inspiration for some of his best patchwork pieces. This is inspiration. It's also inspiring! However, he also takes original patterns which are hundreds of years old and incorporates them, in their original form, into his collection. He usually chooses fabrics which would never have been used for that particularly garment. I think that it could be argued that this is plagiarism, but I would disagree. I understand that the history is an important part of his collection and I understand why he doesn't want to tamper with the patterns. He is also very honest about the fact that he uses these patterns as an integral part of the collection; in fact he is very proud of the research that has gone into them and the part that they play.
                          "I am so clever that sometimes I don't understand a single word of what I am saying." — Oscar Wilde

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                          • Faust
                            kitsch killer
                            • Sep 2006
                            • 37849

                            #14
                            I think in this day and age the whole plagiarism discussion is kinda overwrought. The myth of the purely original is dead. Everyone is inspired by something/one that came before, and mixes things to his own heart's content, and that's fine. Originality in its original sense is nearly impossible. People forget that genius is an incredibly rare phenomenon.
                            Fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to alter it every six months - Oscar Wilde

                            StyleZeitgeist Magazine

                            Comment

                            • hobo
                              Senior Member
                              • Jul 2009
                              • 301

                              #15
                              Absolutely!

                              Don't really know how we got on to this one. No one said that Geoffrey was a plagiarist. I think it was more about his innovations, whether they are in fact his and whether he has been credited with the ones that are his.
                              "I am so clever that sometimes I don't understand a single word of what I am saying." — Oscar Wilde

                              Comment

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