THE DESIGNER
Judit Bárány is a newly graduated designer, whose work focuses on menswear fashion. The craft and the experience of making is a fundamental impression on her process of designing clothes. Knitted products play a dominant role in her work, but other manual textile technologies also appear. At the heart of the design process is the method of making, the interplay between manual and digital technologies. It is important that the material also represents the message with which the collection is made. Time is a tool that gives us space to think and reflect. She believes that we live in an age when society needs as much as possible, so the processes that allow us to stop and think, are really important. Her aim is to give clothes a valuable and meaningful purpose through design.
THE COLLECTION
Ancient power, culture, and permanence. These are the key concepts that motivated me to create my collection. I was looking for the works of a contemporary artist who could help me understand how modern work can relate to ancient culture. He was Kamill Major. He seeks the eternal transformation of matter, rhythmicity, and the imprints of transience. He makes use of the memories of ancient culture. Writing and pictographic signs are the basic experience of his works. These are the experiences I also started to research. I was searching for the limits of transience and human memory. How long can we remember, what helps us to remember? Do we recognize our instincts, are we aware of where our instincts come from? And should we fight against impermanence?
First I looked for the solution in the material. I chose technologies that can connect with ancient times. These include knitting, weaving, and felting, and in the experimentation, I combined them. These technologies in themselves represent eternal permanence and their further development symbolizes the constant transformation of matter. The essence of the process is about the method of making, playing between manual and digital technologies. The design started with a paper collage, the final pattern designs were created using digital tools and in many cases, the execution was again a manual process.
The design of the formal world of the garments was another key aspect of the design. The 24-piece menswear collection is designed to create natural elegance. Monumentality is used to show elemental power. The transformation of classic men’s suits has been inspired by anthropomorphic elements of ancient faiths, and the fine tailoring represents the sensitivity of human existence. My pattern designs are embedded into this formal world as a means of imprinting.