העולם המופלא של גיא גיל

פוסט ראשון בעברית. על השיקולים לכך בהמשך, אך על הרקע עכשיו:

בערב רגיל באמצע השבוע, לבושה בסקלה של גווני אפור, כרגיל,  הלכתי לי דרך שינקין, בלי סיבה מיוחדת, סתם כדי להגיע ממקום למקום. לפתע ראיתי אותה - נסתרת מעט, אפילו ביישנית, אך בולטת כל כך בצבעוניות שלה ושופעת חיוניות - החנות של גיא גיל.

הייתי מוכרחה להיכנס. כשהתקרבתי, גיליתי מחזה מרהיב - עשרות שרשראות ייחודיות תלויות לרוחב הקירות של חנות קטנה, שולחן מצופה עגילים וחלון ראווה שמאיר את כל הרחוב. הייתי מוקסמת. ככה בטח גלידה מרגישה כשמצפים אותה בסוכריות. 

החנות הקסומה, צולם על ידי גיא גיל

כל פריט הוא עיצוב ייחודי ואין אף פריט משוכפל. וזה לא רק הצורניות שמשתנה - אלא גם הקונספט של כל יצירה, שכן לכל שרשרת יש סיפור משל עצמה ושם שנובע ממנו. מדהים, ללא ספק. אך מה שמדהים עוד יותר זה האדם שעומד מאחורי העיצובים - גיא גיל, הבה נכיר. 

למה דווקא עיצוב?

בעיצוב אני יכול להביע באופן חזותי את האני הפנימי שלי, ובעיצוב שזה כמו בתאטרון אני יכול להחליף תפקידים להיכנס לכל דמות. אני חושב שהתכשיטים שלי משמשים בצורה מסוימת כתפאורה מתחלפת ברחוב, ונשים שעונדות את הפריטים שלי יכולות לבטא את עצמן כל פעם בצורה שונה.

היכן אתה מוצא השראה?

השראה מבחינתי נמצאת בכל מקום רק צריך לזהות אותה, היצירה שלי יוצאת ממני באופן טבעי וספונטני ולעתים תוך כדי הסתכלות בחומרים רצים לי רעיונות שהופכים לכדי עיצובים. 

איך אתה מגדיר את השפה העיצובית שלך?

השפה העיצובית שלי נעה בין הצבעוניות המתפרצת למונוכרומטיות וגוונים של פסטל, אני איש של ניגודים וכך זה גם מתבטא באומנות שלי.

יש אפילו בשחור לבן. צולם על ידי גיא גיל

מה תהליך היצירה שלך?

אני אספן של פלסטיק על כל צורותיו פלסטיק ישן וינטג' וחדש. פריטים וחלקי פלסטיק שונים מרתקים אותי, משחקים ישנים מפלסטיק בובות שונות חלקי לגו ופליימוביל וכמובן שאין לזה סוף...אני עובד הרבה עם פרספקס אותו אני מייצר על פי מודלים בהתאם, חלק מהעיצובים שלי מתחילים לעתים מסקיצה אותה אני מצייר על נייר.

מהו העיצוב שאתה הכי מרוצה ממנו ולמה?

ללא ספק " חמולה" שרשרת בעיצוב ייחודי גדולה ובולטת בנוכחותה. כל שרשרת היא סיפור בפני עצמו לכן שמה "חמולה".

"חמולה", צולם על ידי גיא גיל

הדבר שאתה הכי אוהב בלהיות מעצב?

השילוב שבין מפגש עם הקהל לבין עבודה אינטימית בסטודיו, לראות נשים מאושרות שעיצוביי עושים להן טוב ממלא אותי בהנאה, אני שמח שהתכשיטים שלי מעלים חיוך באותן לקוחות וגורמים להן להרגיש שמחות.

הדבר שאתה הכי שונא בלהיות מעצב?
 אני לא שונא. אני אוהב את מה שאני עושה וחש סיפוק גדול.

האם יש מעצבים שאתה מעריך את עבודתם במיוחד?

אבנר ליפשיץ. מעצב תעשייתי שהוא גם מעצב תכשיטים. האופן שבו הוא רואה חומרים פשוטים והופך אותם ליקרי ערך מופלא בעיניי. קולקציית הצמידים שלו שעשויים מברגים למשל בהחלט ראוייה להיות גאווה ישראלית.

עצה למעצבים מתחילים או סטודנטים לעיצוב?
תהיו אתם ותלכו עם האמת הפנימית, כך גם ברמה העיצובית.

מה הצבע האהוב עליך?

בעבר אהבתי את הצבע האפור על כל גווניו הבהיר והכהה, לאחרונה אני מתחבר לירוקים ירוק גינה וירוק פיסטוק, אך גם לשאר הצבעים.

הפייבוריט שלי, צולם על ידי גיא גיל

Who is the cover girl?

 

 

Interviewing Our Cover Girl

Between sewing her own fashion collection, renovating her room, and getting ready to dive into architecture school, our cover girl - Juliette Gold's cover girl alter-ego - met me for an imaginary split-personality brunch the other day to talk childhood, goals, and other things people normally ask in interviews.

 

Note: As an advocate of unnecessary abbreviations [I'm too lazy to retype, and copy-paste doesn't feel genuine enough], I will now refer to my cover girl alter-ego as CV, and to my interviewer alter-ego as IAE.

 

IAE: Let's start from the very beginning. Where were you born?

CV: I come from the northern European-Russia. It's a seaport city, practically at the North Pole.

 

IAE: Brr! That must have been freezing! [I say, shivering].

CV: [laughing] There's an adorable joke about the weather. A guy asks his friend: "What did you do this summer?", and the friend replies: "Uhh I missed it! I was at work that day". The location has it upsides though; we were the first to receive gifts from Santa!

 

IAE: Oh wow, the move to Tel Aviv must have been a big change.

CV: Oh no! It was fun! We moved when I was six, and my parents made my childhood magical. It's something I can't thank them enough for. Even though we moved around quite a bit, and I've changed cities, schools, and friends, I've never felt sad or alone. Life has just been, and still is, a one big adventure.

 

IAE: That's so nice to hear! Are you still close to your parents?

CV: Still? [laughing] You make me sound old! And yes, we are very close! We spend a lot of time together. My mom and I even have "days of girly fun" every two-three weeks or so.

 

IAE: Adorable! Has your childhood influenced your decision to become an architect?

CV: In retrospect, I can say yes. My childhood revolved around changing cities, apartments, furniture arrangements, and atmospheres. So I can be artsy-fartsy and say that it inspired me to see the influence space has on a person. However, I was able to formulate lofty theories about architecture only when I was sixteen or seventeen, whereas I decided I wanted to be an architect when I was twelve.

 

IAE: Oh wow! That's an early age to pick such a serious career. How did you stick with the decision for so long?

CV: I'm a stubborn mule! [laughing for a while] Even though I have no clue how I thought of the idea, I know that I do love the field. I've always had. I've read a bunch of books, took some classes, and started seeing the idea behind it, the magic architecture has. So, referring back to the influence mumble, I now have a solid reason behind my choice.

 

IAE: And why did you decide to give fashion design a try?

CV: I see design as something universal, a complete picture of oneself, be it a person, a group or a society.  Fashion design, in my opinion, is a statement of our character to the outside world. It's the first thing people pick up when they see us. And since I design for myself, fashion design is my way of communicating myself, and showing a glimpse of my personality to the outside world. Also, it's a fun experience, which I think would enrich my later work.

 

IAE: How would you define your aesthetic?

CV: Just as I define myself, "a work in progress".

 

IAE: That's enough work-talk for one interview, be it imaginary or real. Let's talk fun. What's your favorite pastime?

CV: Flânerie! [said with an awful fake-Frech accent] - the art of strolling. Walking around the city with no purpose, sitting at some small cafe and people-watching... Even being stuck in traffic has its magic moments.

 

IAE: Let's finish up with something sweet. What was the best advice you've ever received?  

CV: There are two, actually. One is from my mom, to put a hundred percent into everything I do. And the other one is from my grandma, to be a lady.

 

 

 

 

Is there anything else you'd like to know?

Jean-Charles de Castelbajac

Jean-Charles de Castelbajac in Tel Aviv

Background: Last night, on Tuesday June 26^th to be exact, the thrilling interdisciplinary fashion designer Jean-Charles de Castelbajac lectured at Beit Ha'ir ("City House"), Tel Aviv.

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 Tel Aviv … 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

The crowd, 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-Charles de Castelbajac was born in 1950 in Casablanca, 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.

{ Color = Hope }

Little Jean-Charles, photo source: Castelbajac's Facebook Page

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-Charles de 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". }

photo source: Castelbajac's Facebook Page

First impression is everything:

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-Charles de Castelbajac  }

What do you think about his work and his life perspective? What is your favorite piece from the latest collection?