AN “OTHERWORLDLY” SUPERHERO – PART II

Art/Fashion

http://theo-masstimes.blogspot.com

http://shop.gestalten.com/otherworldly.html

How was your collaboration with Gestalten born?

Since 2011, when Theo Mass Lexileictous was born, and when i begun collaborating with various designers and artists, i used to keep an archive, as a common ground, a reference point for all the costumes i was creating and/or wearing.

I begun to create a PDF file, to keep everything documented. Looking at it years later, i realized that the same aesthetic was prevailing over the years. I also realized that I had in hands a great material to depict a certain phenomenon in the fashion industry. I sent it to Gestalten and a few months later I got a reply from them expressing their interest about furthering this research and eventually publishing a book. OTHERWORLDLY is only a part of the research, featuring approx. 60 designers with whom I have collaborated or used their work in my personal research.

What is the OTHERWORLDLY book about?

OTHERWORLDLY is about fashion fascination with mutation and space.

Can the fearless creations, of the OTHERWORLDLY’S featured designers, break through the sphere of the runway into the reality of wearable trends for the mainstream crowd?
This is very possible; designs that in the past would have been difficult to imagine, are now just a click away from production. This goes especially for the 3D printed creations where lots of designers started selling ready to print blueprints for home usage, directly to the user. The rapid development of technology will soon promote autonomy, offering us the possibility to design and 3D print our own personalized accessories and clothes at home. Just as industrialization and modernization once blurred the line between handcrafted and machine made products, technology is sure to hold even more in store for fashion in the very near future.

In OTHERWORLDLY, technology goes fashionable. In your opinion, who wears this “haute technology” off the runway?

All these creations and the designers behind them push the boundaries on what is possible nowadays as well as moving fashion forward. Many performers and artists have embraced these creations over the years but again that was solely for their performances.

What does this sci fi fashion reveal about our present culture?

A reflection of its future! It also shows our current need to redefine the parameters related to our appearance, our tendency to exaggerate, as well as our desire to evolve as species.

Top 3 favorite designers and why?

Thierry Mugler because of his ability to create superheroes through his costumes and choice of contemporary materials.

Iris van Herpen because she is a pioneer in what she does with an extensive interest in using technology into wearables.

Maison Margiela because it’s a brand that always manages to tell a story through its creations.

Are there specific materials that you like to work with for the creation of your costumes and your installations?

I avoid natural materials for my costumes; I prefer synthetic materials, high tech fabrics and contemporary materials. 3D printed titanium and marble are two materials that I would like to explore in my new body of work.

Who is the OTHERWORLDLY audience?

The OTHERWORLDLY audience can vary; from fashion and art students, because of how they can be inspired from the material in the book, to a wider audience who seeks to look at and discover fashion from a different perspective. I find very interesting the way that people who are not related to the fashion industry perceive, comment and react to the book’s contents. Frankly, the most intriguing reactions were coming from people who have no attachment with fashion and the fashion industry in general.

Normality is…?

For Theo Mass Lexileictous, normality is Alexis

Fantasy is…?

For Alexis, fantasy is Theo Mass Lexileictous.

Content Annie Markitanis, Antonio Ametrano

Picture 01 FUTURE TIVE NATURE, Otherworldly book cover by Nixi Killick, Photography by Mardiana Sani, from Otherworldly, Copyright Gestalten 2016

Picture 02 Headpiece by Tanel Veenre, Dress by Liisi Eesmaa, Photography by Birgita Silberg, from Otherworldly, Copyright Gestalten 2016

Picture 03 By Iris van Herpen, Photography by Patrice Stable, from Otherworldly, Copyright Gestalten 2016

Picture 04 By Iris van Herpen, Photography by Patrice Stable, from Otherworldly, Copyright Gestalten 2016

Picture 05 THE FRINGE PROJECTS by Vibskov & Emenius, Photography by Asger Carlsen, Add. Credits Ryan Noon, Robin Switzmann, Alastair Wiper, Svend Jacob Pedersen, from Otherworldly, Copyright Gestalten 2016

Picture 06 PREP THE BODY FOR SPACE by Lucy McRae, from Otherworldly, Copyright Gestalten 2016

Picture 07 YELLOW SOVEREIGN by Ken Tanabe, Photography by Willie Davis, Styling by Catherine Leung, Model Ken Tanabe, from Otherworldly, Copyright Gestalten 2016

Picture 08 CHROME CLOUD by Ken Tanabe, Photography by Willie Davis, Styling by Catherine Leung, Model Ken Tanabe, from Otherworldly, Copyright Gestalten 2016

Picture 09 MAKING THE NEXT WORLD by Thierry Mugler, Photography by Patrice Stable, from Otherworldly, Copyright Gestalten 2016

Picture 10 DYL X TREME CONQUISTADORS, Photography by Low Weakness, from Otherworldly, Copyright Gestalten 2016