On the Castelbajac event a journalist walked up to me, and asked to take my picture for a fashion column. Playing it cool, and concealing my excitement under a "oh-well-it-happens-to-me-all-the-time"-implying "OK" I posed for my photo. A week later, the photo was posted at the Art section of Haaretz Newspaper [aka, one of the eminent publications in Israel]
Background:
Last night, on Tuesday June 26th to be exact, the thrilling
interdisciplinary fashion designer Jean-Charlesde Castelbajac lectured at BeitHa'ir ("City House"), TelAviv.
Jean-Charles de Castelbajac at Beit Ha'ir, Tel Aviv, photo by Juliette Gold
It
was 20:30 p.m. on a warm, summery Tuesday night. There was peace and quiet on
the Bialic Square
at TelAviv … outside at least. Inside, magic was
happening! Girls with colorful hair, guys with fans, photographers, bloggers,
designers and curators all gathered up in one place. The music was cool; the
dimmed lighting was cool; the walls were cool; Castelbajac was cool; and
according to him, the crowd (that would us) was also cool!
The walls of the Beit Ha'ir museum, Jean-Charles de Castelbajac at Tel Aviv, photo source: Castelbajac's Facebook Page
Seasoning
it with humor and fun, Castelbajac explained his vision of creativity. He told
us about his childhood, his past, and the sources of his inspiration. Jean-Charlesde
Castelbajac was born in 1950 inCasablanca,
Morocco and a few years
later his family moved to France. There, he was
sent to a boarding school where he stayed until the age of 17. He confessed of
being quite unhappy in boarding school. However, with his spectacular life
perspective, he was empowered by his situation.
{ He
built his imagination on wound, his creativity on failure and his strength on
loneliness. }
During
his years in boarding school he developed his fascination with color. When all
of his classmates kept their chocolaty treasures in identical wooden boxes, he
asked his mother for a blue plastic box. Even though his candies have all gone
bad in the sealed container, the color and individuality gave him hope. He kept
that unique, colorful, and extraordinary child with him throughout the 40 years
of his career.
Since
one should never conclude a day without learning something new, I bring to you the
summery of all the new content that now inhabits my brain:
Jean-Charles de Castelbajac at Beit Ha'ir, Tel Aviv, photo by Juliette Gold
Don't
be afraid of failure:
At
the age of 17, Castelbajac graduated from boarding school. With no experience,
no diploma, and zero desire of becoming a fashion designer, he started working
for his mother, who owned a fashion business. Yet, instead of reveling in
self-pity Castelbajac became … well, Castelbajac.
{
"There's emotion in things we don't achieve" ~ Jean-Charlesde Castelbajac}
Open
your eyes:
He
finds his inspiration in things that people don't see, in the everyday life, in
accidents. His advice - look around yourself. Inspiration is everywhere.
Have
a clear say:
Each
collection he creates has its own manifesto, a distinct saying. His current
line, for instance, deals with "Dystopia". Castelbajac says that
Dystopia describes our time – the rapid existence in which we abandon
traditions and forget old beliefs.
{ "you
don't just buy a piece of clothing. You buy a philosophy, an idea". }
In
a fashion show, Castelbajac said, the first garment on the runway sets the tone
of the entire show. When his whole collection is complete, he spends hours in
the studio pondering on the selection process.
Laugh
at yourself:
After
his divorce, Castelbajac created a double poncho that had a zipper in the
middle.
Learn
from others:
Castelbajac
says he absolutely can't work alone. He has to be in a studio and around
people. Theirs is always something we can learn from others. Their perspectives
are contributive, not disturbing.
Last
and most important: Stay true to yourself:
Even
though that during the 90's grunge era, Castelbajac's colorful and poppy
designs lacked popularity, he remained loyal to his aesthetic. Surprisingly
enough, since his clothes were sold on sales and in cheap department stores,
they became popular among the rising NY rappers. Now, JZ has a collection of
these then-disapproved sweats and they are sold for thousands of dollars on
e-bay!
{
" What you do can have more than one life. It's about whether you're
sincere or not." ~ Jean-Charlesde Castelbajac}
What
do you think about his work and his life perspective? What is your favorite
piece from the latest collection?
