OUR THOUGHTS AND EXPERIENCES ARE WRITTEN HERE IN A Q&A FORMAT.
Q1. What is the reason that you started THE MODELISTE STUDIO ?
A. We want to convey the importance of the relationship between design and pattern cutting. Garment is a three-dimensional object, and pattern cutting is a method for constructing the three-dimensional object. Therefore, learning pattern cutting is inseparable when designing garment which is a three-dimensional model. We consider garment design to be integrated with pattern cutting.
Q2. When did you start the project THE MODELISTE STUDIO ?
A. We started making variations of collar, sleeves, body and started taking photo in 2015.
Q3. Who is the founder of THE MODELISTE STUDIO ?
A. This project is mainly carried out by two people.
GENTA MORI and BRITT MORI.
Q4. What is pattern cutting for you ?
A. Pattern cutting is a method of approach for covering a three-dimensional shape with a flat cloth. In the era of Couturier, they took the lead in thinking about how to cover the body from a unique perspective while considering the characteristics of the cloth. For us, pattern cutting is a story about the body and the fabric that covers it.
Q5. What is your idea of garment design ?
A. The design of garment is the optimal solution that is derived from pattern cutting as a method of constructing a cloth three-dimensionally to cover a body. What we are talking about here is about garment design, not fashion design. We think of those two separately.
Q6. What is Couturier for you ?
A. There was a job that integrated pattern cutting and design. That is Couturier. They understood how to assemble the body and the structure of the sleeves, and designed the structure of the garment themselves. That is the Couturier such as Cristóbal Balenciaga and Christian Dior. The existence of Couturier disappeared with the change of the industrial structure. Currently, couturier’s role are often divided into pattern cutters and designers. We would like to reintegrate the two through this project.
Q7. What does it mean to think of garment as a three-dimensional object ?
A. Take a jacket as an example. Let's think about the elements that make up the jacket by dividing them into three parts. It can be divided into the collar that makes up the neck, the sleeves that make up the arms, and the body that makes up the torso. Furthermore, the types can be divided among those classified parts. For example, the collar is a collar stand and top collar, the sleeves are sleeves head and sleeve cuff, and the body is bust darts and waist darts. Then, it can be seen that a huge number of elements are included to compose one piece of garment. To think of garment as a three-dimensional object is to factorize and understand what the elements that make up garment are.
Q8. How did you start THE MODELISTE STUDIO ?
A. We have worked for several companies in the fashion industry. There was something in common as we looked at the process of creating designs for various companies. For example, using the garments of the previous season, changing some parts of the garments to make new design. In other words, the design of garment is made by combining elements. In such a production environment, we thought that a platform that could classify, cite, and search the parts would be useful. We think that was the starting point for this project.
Q9. What are you thinking about the changes in the current information environment such as the Internet and social media ?
A. These changes in the information environment is the reason why we decided to start this project as well. We believe that we have the role of archiving the creative knowledge of cutting techniques accumulated in the history of fashion. We want to make that information accessible to everyone.
Q10. What are your future goals ?
A. We will work on this project for the rest of our career. We want to make it a valuable platform for people involved in the fashion industry and studying fashion.