INTERVIEW WITH FASHION DESIGNER TIMNA WEBER
Tell us about your label and latest collection.
“Timna Weber is a high-end, sustainable womenswear label with an emphasis on textile experimentation and exploration. Each garment is unique or created in a small limited edition run in my studio in East London. I get a lot of inspiration from abstract art, and my design pieces resemble assemblages that blend materials, techniques and styles. Woven fabrics mingle with knits and prints to create a collage-like effect. With my label, I also offer garments that have the possibility of future design alterations, meaning the customer can come back to me when change is needed or required. Through this service, wearers can continuously update or change their garments to keep them relevant for longer. With this, I hope to give added longevity for the pieces I create. It’s my personal take on sustainability, helping to shape a new design system that also takes care of the clothes I create after they leave my studio. An added benefit is that adjusting pieces to their wearer, allows them to become more personal and unique.
My latest series ‘004-ENOUGH’ conveys the spirit of already having everything we need, by weaving together a patchwork of unused materials and fabrics from previous collections. Now, more than ever, it’s the time to reflect on our consumer culture and think about whether we need all these new things or if we can make use or reuse what we already have.
The decision to reuse materials and fabrics from my previous collections came naturally, as my studio was slowly lacking space to store more things and the fabrics were too precious to be thrown away. But at the same time, I thought about how much stuff is already out there, and even more so in our own proximity, I just didn’t feel like using any new fabrics.
The imagery of the collection and lookbook shows a silent, almost poetic, force de résistance. Rather than waving flags and shouting slogans, our demonstrators hold the pose of distant disillusionment. A quiet reflection on how close we are to annihilation.”
And how do you think clothes/outfits interact with our identities?
“Our clothes let us express all the different facets of ourselves and explain more than anything else about who we are and who we want to be. It’s in a way this constant exchange between the clothes we wear in relation to our past, present and future self. Clothes have the power to shape our (future) identities, f.e. you might dress like someone you admire in the hope of becoming a bit like this person. But since we’re constantly changing and our identities are never fixed, we might also outgrow our clothes, and they might not feel anymore they align with who we are. Because in some way, each individual is shaped by the clothes they wear.
As a designer, I feel it’s so powerful to be able to create something that can influence how someone feels or provide a tool for their self-expression. An inspiration has long been designer Vivienne Westwood and how she helped spark the punk movement with her clothing by giving it total room for self-expression. She managed to create fashion that doesn’t impose a certain identity or style on someone but rather keeps a DIY spirit, inviting the wearer to take part in the creation. In our modern age, so many clothes are offered in a finished state with little room for transformation. In addition, the culture of seamstresses and tailoring has increasingly disappeared. My hope is that we’ll integrate a DIY culture in fashion again, making it more personal and collaborative - creating more loved garments, with added emotional connection for garment longevity.”
Timna Weber - Website