Our series “Fashion Going Forward” is about understanding how this time of isolation and ambiguity is changing the lives and work of the brands and designers we work with at Pylon. Today, we hear from Anne McCaddon of COATZ.
“To be honest the word ‘fashion’ has never really resonated with me. I was a painter and started making indigo jackets because I wanted one … and then my friend wanted one … and then I realized they were works of art too; an extension of my art practice,” she told us. “I named them, I titled them, and I got to watch these great interactions as people would come to my studio and find one that was right for them. Now we are stocked in select boutiques around the world, and I have help with the sewing, but I still think of myself as belonging to the art world. And so far at least, the virus hasn’t changed my studio practice."
"Because I source vintage, antique, and deadstock fabric, I have the materials I need and my process with them hasn’t changed. I very much prefer working this way: with the amount of fabric I find and the age or the qualities of the textiles dictating what they can become.”
Speculating on how this era might shape the industry, and culture, Anne says, “My hope would be that during this time people have had to slow down, and they might have felt more pleasure in the slowness. Maybe pleasure or enjoyment … or realizing that things fail, and that all along, the process and the creativity and exploration was the nurturing part of it all."
"With so much time on people’s plates, they’re trying new things —we’re all gardening and making bread—people are using their hands and they’re experimenting with stuff, and I could see that translating into appreciating other people who make things slowly, with care and with sustainability in mind."
"I hope people will be even more interested in other people and other cultures; I hope they’ll want to go out into the world and experience things personally after all this time online.”
We share the artist/designer’s views on what luxury connotes—and how that might change. “I always think that luxury comes from buying things that take a lot of time and talent to make,” she says. “Like food that takes a lot of time to grow and harvest and prepare. I think luxury is about the maker choosing each thing: the perfect button, the thread color, all of that. An in-depth love of the process and care. I wonder if maybe that term luxury could change."
