Entry II - Colour Theory
As I sit in between painting sessions, I feel compelled to let my thoughts spill.
One of the more challenging yet insightful elements of design that really shines through my work, particularly through my accompaniments for Shoma, is the story of colour. With the pieces I create for her collection, I get to match (colour) to a concept outside of my own design world. It’s one of the reasons I appreciate the opportunity (aside from being able to participate in a very normal facet of international fashion (designers designing for other designers)), to showcase how seemingly simple concepts have their own little vortex of complication.
I look forward to seeing her colour story the most, because I already know the designs are going to be top notch. You see, I’ve gotten to witness (through the process of painting) how her brands’ signatures manifest through colour, where colours shift based on additions or omissions of black or white and where her collection changes energy based on tint or shade with each new chapter, while staying within her signatures’ lines.
Of course, I’ve been able to see the beauty of these things within my own galaxy. But it’s one thing to experiment within your own space and another when your experimentations take you into someone else’s.
Colour has been an integral element of my brand from the beginning. When it came to fashion trends to follow it always was (and in many ways still is) colour that was used to complement my design ideas, with what was happening internationally. Colour is such a definitive way to express one’s emotional landscape and one of my favourite things to see is the language of colour as a facilitator for one’s perspective of who they are. For me, colour is a form of categorising a season or a mood. From that point, I explore how they can be amplified, toned down, or mixed together. It adds to the dualistic story of my brand by identifying which pieces are for day or night, summer or fall, everyday complements, or special occasions. After that I’m able to see what you consider an everyday complement or a piece for a special occasion and that’s where the galaxy comes alive.
I see fashion as a conversation between design and function, i.e the designer and the wearer. What I imagine the piece is for and where you choose to wear it is where the real fun begins. And as I head back to my painting session, I find myself grateful once more, that I get the chance to stimulate those interactions through the art of colour theory.