Satoshi Date by Genie Espinosa.
On Sunday evening I decided to head down to London Bridge for my last stop of the day, an installation by Japanese designer Satoshi Date. It was held in a musty arch near the railway station, atmospherically lit with beautifully crafted lanterns and echoing to the sounds of Satoshi’s very own voice in music. For Satoshi is an artist maker who fuses fine art, clothes making, musicianship and sculpture – all with the help of a large team of devoted fans. When asked what attracts them I was told that it’s not only Satoshi’s obvious talents that draws them in, but the fact that he’s really funny. Always helps!
All photography by Amelia Gregory.
There was a hushed silence when I entered and ten minutes later his partner and PR maestro Sarah Ashwell had plucked up the courage to ask where I had come from – they clearly hadn’t taken me for a fashionista, a not un-rare occurrence it has to be said. By this time I had had a good chance to take in the beautiful intricacy of the clothes hanging like refined art pieces from tangled skeins of yarn. Sarah is a craftsperson too and she has made much of the clothing that completes the new Satoshi Date collection, helping Satoshi to translate his ideas into reality.
Satoshi Date by Genie Espinosa.
Ethics are important to Satoshi, who states in his press brief that “In our capitalist society consumers rarely consider the consequences of their bargain shoes, or whether it is actually possible to fairly produce a jacket with a £15 price tag.” It’s a rare person indeed who works in the fashion industry and dares to utter the C word. I mean, I bandy it around all the time, but the cogs that keep the wheels of fashion turning are so well and truly oiled by our current capitalist global economy that it can seem hard to see how we break free. “The Satoshi Date philosophy does not end with the sale of the garment, rather it continues on its mission of inspiring people to think more, care more, be more creative and be more accountable, thus trying to diminish the negative impact that fashion so often has on the environment.” These are admirable aims, and Satoshi dreams of a future where his garments are mass produced by “fairly treated and fully appreciated skilled workers in decent conditions.” For now most are one offs, and he is extremely careful how he sources the materials.
All fabric are organic and naturally dyed by hand, and Satoshi tries to keep waste to a minimum by creating smaller pieces from offcuts. He creates necklaces out of felted wool, tangles old computer cables and reshapes old guitar strings into colourful architectural necklaces.
Satoshi Date by Genie Espinosa.
More experimental pieces are interspersed with clearly saleable items, and unsurprisingly Satoshi already has a series of stockists in his homeland. Back here in the UK we really really need to nurture more designers like Satoshi Date: expect to find him profiled in my upcoming Amelia’s Compendium of Fashion Illustration (which will have an ethical slant, of course).
Here’s Satoshi Date…
and just some of his team…
This soft, understated kind of clothing isn’t really my personal style, but although I would wear very little of it myself I can appreciate the beautiful craftsmanship – I particularly liked the way that fabrics have been rewoven and re-imagined, and the jewellery was right up my street: I even treated myself to a pair of swinging felted ball earrings. Let’s hope my moths don’t find them.
Tags:
Genie Espinosa, lfw, London Fashion Week, Satoshi Date
Similar Posts:
- Satoshi Date: London Fashion Week A/W 2012 Exhibition Review
- Edun: the ethical fashion company founded by Ali Hewson & rock star Bono
- Sugar and spice: Make Lemonade opens vintage fashion pop-up shop
- â
- Melissa Leon jewellery exhibition
Beautiful stuff!
Satoshi Date is really talented – he will go very far very fast! I really like his style.