SoftMatters

Publications

Clinique Vestimentaire

A fashion-led colloquium co-organised by Magasins Généraux, Soft Matters and Ecole des Arts Décoratifs in the context of the exhibition-residency of Jeanne Vicerial at Magasins Généraux from the 16th of october till the 14th of November 2021

Jeanne Vicerial unpacks her suitcases at Magasins Généraux for an exhibition-residency around her Clinique Vestimentaire from the 16th of October till the 14th of November. This event curated by Anna Labouze & Keimis Henni takes part in the dissemination of her PhD research undertaken in the SACRe program and prepared within the Soft Matters research group at EnsadLab, École des Arts Décoratifs and her subsequent investigations, notably during her residency at Académie de France à Rome – Villa Médicis (2019-2020). At this occasion, Soft Matters is supporting the program surrounding the exhibition, in particular the fashion-led colloquium to which several members are contributing:

SAMEDI 30 OCTOBRE
COLLOQUE VESTIMENTAIRE : PENSER LE FUTUR DE LA MODE

  • 14h — Rencontre #1 | De l’atelier au laboratoire : introduction et visite commentée de l’exposition- résidence par Jeanne Vicerial
  • 15h — Rencontre #2 | Les nouveaux liens entre recherche et création textile : présentation du groupe de recherche Soft Matters de l’EnsadLab (laboratoire de recherche de l’École des Arts Décoratifs de Paris) par ses cofondateurs, Aurélie Mosse et Jean-François Bassereau
  • 15h30 — Rencontre #3 | Le retour du savoir-faire artisanal dans l’innovation textile : présentation des projets de recherche d’Antonin Mongin et de Juri-Apollo Drews, doctorants du groupe Soft Matters de l’EnsadLab, suivie d’une conversation avec Jeanne Vicerial
  • 17h — Rencontre #4 | Le rapport au corps et au vêtement au-delà de la mode : conversation entre la designer Wendy Andreu, le sculpteur Hugo Servanin, la plasticienne sonore Nadine Schütz et Jeanne Vicerial.
    Modération du colloque : Anna Labouze & Keimis Henni, directeurs artistiques des Magasins généraux

The full program of events around this exhibition available here. NB: French will be the langage of the event.

Today, we are familiar with two techniques of creation and clothing design: tailor-made and ready-to-wear. These are usually considered as opposites. If we compare these two models: with ready-to-wear, the individual must belong to a size and adapt to it, whereas in custom-made clothing, the object is a dated to the person.  This research aims at reconciling these two approaches by developing new systems of creation and production for clothing taking the shape of a new paradigm, that of the « ready-to-measure ». With ready-to-wear design, clothing can be considered as a consumable product, whereas with custom-made clothing, it acquires a special status because of its relationship with the hand of the person who designed/manufactured it. The « ready-to-measure » seeks this status of clothing object in connection with the body that wears its. With the paradigm of the ready-to-measure, the advantages of both approaches are reconciled: the speed of obtaining ready-to-wear garments and the unique and specific character of tailor-made clothing. The project adopts a practice-based and design-led approach, claiming results related to practice, in this case the crafting of clothing, but also research results, which are discussed and positioned in disciplinary fields, specifying certain zones of ignorance, often at the boundaries of each of the scientific disciplines that identify our subject of creation/ conception and clothing production. The fashion system culminating in fast fashion defines the context in which this research was carried out and from which three main forms of experimentation are deployed: “Tricotissage” (knitting-weaving), smart accessories such as EEGs and Clothing collections “Lignes noires”. As such, this research through practice includes the ready-to-measure project of garment  creation and production and its shared actions and results, such as the “knitting-weaving table” (a real creative tool and production machine), know-how and expertise, from which questions are born. Together they have led to new interdisciplinary knowledge that makes old practices and those we have proposed in the new ready-to-measure paradigm understandable.

Exhibition of Clinique Vestimentaire during Jeanne Vicerial’s PhD defence, 3rd of October 2019. Crédits photo: Mathieu Faluomi.

Read the PhD thesis

Related publications

  • Vicerial, J., 2023, Clinique Vestimentaire: for a New Paradigm of Creation & Custom-Made Clothing Design, .able Journal.
  • Mosse, A.,  2020, ‘ Textile transitions: Time as a material for Soft Matters’ design practice’.In Montagna & Carvalho (eds), Textiles, Identity and Innovation: In Touch, London: CRC Press /Taylor & Francis. Proceedings of the 2nd international conference on Textiles, Identity and innovation, (D_TEX 2019), Libson, Portugal, 19-21th of June 2019, pp.389-396.
  • Mosse, A., Bassereau, J.F., 2019, ‘Soft Matters: en quête d’un design textile et matière plus résilient’, Sciences du Design, n°9 Développement durable (Mai 2019), Paris: Presses Universitaires de France
  • Vicerial, J., 2018, “Print the body. Clothes printing project” in Temes the Disseny #34 Material interactions in the human-made milieu, ELISAVA Barcelona school of design engineering.