Do you suffer from wardrobe obesity?

Fashion detox, fashion propaganda and wardrobe obesity are new expressions in our vocabulary - but what do they really mean? Let's start with wardrobe obesity.

Wardrobe obesity is something you get after having bought too many garments that, neither fit your figure, are comfortable to wear or can be combined with clothes you already have. A well known symptom would be the feeling of having nothing to wear, despite having your wardrobe full.

Often misinterpreted and excused as "fashion do change", the feeling usually appear when most of your clothes are rather ill-fitting, or, just simply uncomfortable to wear.

Wardrobe obesity is most commonly contracted by (1) a direct effect of fashion advertising, and/or (2) an indirect social influence from friends, colleagues and acquaintances. They get us to buy the clothes we do not really need. And after the immediate rush we then get, the well recognizable nagging empty feeling arrives - a bad conscience.

Our society's pressure to get us to consume is enormous. We are even told to resume our consumption full speed, preferably together with friends, as a leisure activity, for a perfect act of redemption when the feeling of guilt from overconsumption grows upon us. And if we comply, our acts will go full circle and the abuse will then be firmly established. We have finally become "good citizens" and will hereby ensure community growth.

What’s important to remember is, that our clothing manufacturers obviously do not know us personally, nor our needs. That’s why, when they tell you that you will be more happy, trendy and desirable by buying their products, they are not to be believed. Your life will not change by buying clothes. And the hours used in the search for anything you might buy, are just empty calories.

The solution to this problem will always be learning and knowledge. Learning how garments actually are made, and recognizing their true functionality in life. And then, maybe even understand why some clothes simply do not fit your body. And why good quality is better than bad.

More knowledge is the way forward. And yes - you're almost there!

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Next time we'll take a look at the expression fashion propaganda.

DTTA – Your Tailoring Academy.

If you really want to know how clothes are made.

The Book Of Being Depression Crisp

A tailors' essay containing two letters, a fairy-tail, a quote and an intermission. Five chapters in all. A journey towards a better understanding of the creative mind. Please take a seat.

Chapter 1:
THE LETTER

The tailor stayed up late trying to write a letter to Dr. Henry Wampen, the mathematician who had asked for his views on bespoke tailoring. He wasn't used to write letters and tried very hard to find the right words describing the advises he wanted to pass on to his customer. He made sure not to sound too negative, although he wasn't especially keen on the good doctor's new project. After a while he carefully wrote:

"Dear Dr. Henry Wampen,
Thank you for your last visit. It is always a pleasure having you at my tailoring shop. Your new coat is coming along fine. It will be ready for you Monday 20th.

Regarding our discussion on tailoring and how it can be effectivized, I think it is important to view it from a human side also, not focusing on the technical work-process only. Here are some thoughts on what I find important in tailoring:

1. Be sure to use what you already got, while still striving for excellent style, fit and true creativity. As you know, I always try to do this.

2. Rather use what you got before ordering something new. Old things can easily be renewed. This is very practical in hard times.

3. To listen and learn is also important. A process usually turns out well if there is an understanding beforehand and during, I think.

4. If ordering something new, be sure it will be of good quality, made with taste, well designed and can be used indefinitely. Flimsy fashion never can.

5. Enjoy being empowered every now and then, by creating things for yourself. Either by yourself or together with others. A creative process is always quite soothing when completed.

6. Furthermore, I think it is important to try to minimize in all one's doings, except in your relation with loved ones.

I hope the list may be of some help in your further work. Looking forward to see you the 20th.

Yours sincerely."

"There!" he said proudly to himself. "I think that's it!"

[6.6.2012]

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Chapter 2:
INTERMISSION: THE TRUE TAILORING MANIFESTO
(The inspiration - A Swedish prequel)

1. Din personlighet är allt för viktig för att andra skall bestämma över den. (Your personality is way too important for others to decide upon.)

2. Säg nej till överkonsumtion. (Turn away from mass-consumption.)

3. Lär om hur kläder egentligen är uppbyggda. (Educate yourself in how clothes are made.)

4. Få ordning på din garderob. (Get your wardrobe sorted.)

5. Alla kan lära att sy. (Everyone can learn how to sew.)

"Din personlighet byggs upp inifrån - inte utifrån. Du kan inte köpa dig till ett lyckligare liv. Det hittar du inne i dig själv. Så uttryck din personlighet bättre. Det är mitt budskap idag."

("Your personality is built from within - not the other way around. You can't buy happiness. You will find it within yourself. So express your personality better. That's my message today.")

[17.7.2010]

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Chapter 3:
THE VALIANT LITTLE TAILOR (REVISITED)

"But what if we all just learned to make our own clothes, then?" the tailor said. Being of the naive kind, he still thought people could change over time. "There would be so much more diversity around, like... like a population of true individuality!" His face lit up. "Wouldn't that be absolutely fantastic, Your Majesty?"

"But, Mr. Tailor, nobody knows how to do things like that anymore." the King replied. "Sewing? Look around you; you're the only one still doing that! And besides, the learning processes would take far too long, would be far too expensive and would probably end up being altogether way too amateurish. You surly know that too. You have to remember that people don't have time for crafting anymore. It's not like in the good old days when you had a lot of spare time on your hands. People have things to do now, important places to go.

"But that's just it! I think there are a lot of subjects who really don't know what to do with themselves. Unemployment. Boredom. Poor people. And even a group of people although being well off, still wanting to bring some creative light into their lives. They just don't know how!"

The tailor paused. "Well... Maybe, I don't know. But it all seem so obvious."

"What's so obvious, if I may ask?" The King grew a bit impatient with his tailor. "Never mind the academics. Let's just hear what you have to say, shan't we?"

"Well... It's correct the economy isn't doing very well right now, Your Majesty?"

"Right."

"And there's a lot of unemployment in our kingdom, wouldn't you say?"

"Yes?"

"Hm... I just thought..." The tailor looked away as if he suddenly turned shy, and although he usually was, this was something he did to sort his mind of clutter. "If you're on a budget - I mean, not so well off - you could actually make your own clothes, couldn't you? And then make them really smart and durable so you didn't need so many of them either."

The King sighed, but the tailor kept going. "We could start up a small number of tailoring shops all over the Kingdom, where those, absolutely not having the time or knowledge, could order their clothes. It would be both environment-friendly and cost effective. Your Majesty."

"Cost effective? Don't make me laugh. As I recall, we sent our entire production abroad ages ago since they're not so well off 'over there' and, frankly speaking, don't have the strength to argue for a decent pay... That's how we earn our way!"

"But we just have to remember that our own unemployed do get paid anyway, so the only difference would be, they now would have a job. And our money would then stay with us, within the Kingdom, Your Majesty."

"But what about businesses already specializing in all that? (Well, producing clothes anyway...) They would loose enormous amounts of revenue. And what about our delivery firms? And the tailors in Kingdom X? You surly don't want to hurt you colleagues over there, do you?"

"I don't think things could change that quickly anyway, Your Majesty. But if they did, our firms just had to make some better products, wouldn't they? All seven of them! And in Kingdom X, maybe the tailors could make their own clothes? For their own customers? They've done that for centuries, Your Majesty, until our ideas were kind of... well, more important. Maybe we even could learn a thing or two of them? And actually I think we already did, earlier on...?"

The King paused. There was a silence in Palace Court.

"Tell me, Mr. Tailor, so what are your arguments for this sudden left-turn then; some statistics that would prove your notions being of an actual interest? You know there are a lot of better educated people than you out there, who's certainly not on your side."

"Well, things doesn't work so well right now either, do they?" the tailor said a bit more quietly this time. "And we did have proof that this should have worked, didn't we Your Majesty? Maybe we could try something new...?"

"Mr. Tailor. Let me tell you what's the real problem here, and you better listen." the King said firmly. "It's actually people like you, who don't work enough to pay for what's really needed in this kingdom, that are our greatest concern right now. Your work doesn’t produce what we need. And we can't afford supporting you."

"But... I never accepted any alms..."

"That's not the point. Don't be stubborn. It doesn't suit you. You now we took you in here because of your earlier achievements, and that you've lived well. You, if anyone should know that. The point is, that your work is neither fast nor clever anymore. And your recent public letters - 'The Importance of Feeling Good with Yourself" and the other one - what was it called? Yes; 'The Empowering Feeling of Creating Something with Your Hands' - aren’t doing good for anyone.'"

"But it's true..."

"In your mind maybe. It kind of evolved, right? But... How should I put it? You're not educated. I know that, and so do you. Maybe you should just listen instead of speak, since your arguments are so disturbingly incoherent. (And that's the truth of the day!) Maybe you should stick to what you know best? I really think you should."

The tailor collected he's thoughts for just a moment while looking away slightly. It gave the impression of him being shy. But he wasn't anymore. Then he left the Palace Court and was never heard of again.

There were some rumors, but no-one new the truth.

[7.6.2012]

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Chapter 4:
A QUOTE

"Comparatively, the fashion industry is one of the most polluting and socially challenged industries - cotton production alone is the second most polluting crop after corn. The industry has also long outsourced production to low wage countries. While the challenges facing the fashion industry may seem daunting, there is hope and a willingness to pool resources and continue to raise awareness as well as share knowledge towards innovative solutions and an improved sustainability footprint for the global fashion industry. "

["Copenhagen: Tailoring a Sustainable Future", Ministry Of Foreign Affairs of Denmark, 3.5.2012]

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Chapter 5:
THE LETTER (REPRISE)

Dear Bette,
I just needed to tell you how inspired I got after our last chat yesterday! Your thoughts on tailoring as some sort of a meta-clothing project felt absolutely right. Like a much needed clarifying of my passion, it all suddenly fell into place thanks to you.

As you know, I always felt an attraction towards the creative side of tailoring, but unfortunately always ended up in helping others to reach their goals, instead of helping myself. I guess that's what we call "having customers" or "a real job", but I never quite figured out how to tackle the undefined process of finer tailoring. The starting-with-a-blank-piece-of-paper issue always seemed very difficult to explain and daunting to overcome. That's probably the reason why I gradually turned to my customers for answers and for them to make decisions. Decisions I should have made myself.

But now I understand: True tailoring, or fashion for that matter, is not about the clothes itself, and never was. It's all about the dreams and wishes we put into them. And with that fact stated, the next question would be: Are you into searching new ways to express yourself, or, are you into doing what everybody else does? Do you need rules to follow?

I even realized that perfection has nothing to do with the tailoring process either, since all perfection is in the very eye of the beholder. What seems perfect for me may seem utterly dull, strange or unfinished for others.

That's why the "meta" expression you told me about felt so appealing! The idea of clothes telling their own story of their coming about and being. How interesting! And how true of tailoring! The never ending search for ways to express oneself with one's own appearance.

I do feel now, that this was exactly what my Project 100 was really all about. Through the process of turning away from mass-consumption, and instead producing my own clothes, myself, for 2 years, I actually freed myself from the cluttered images of pop-culture fashion and became able to concentrate on my own creativity. I even think I without knowing it embodied the meta-clothing concept myself back then, by practically solving the issues of what to wear, while mentally pondering over what I really wanted to have. My searching ultimately became my own answer.

So maybe it's time for the next level now, Bette? Do you think all this could be interesting for anyone else than me, or has it just gone to my head? Maybe it could be transferred into a message or lifestyle of some sort and maybe be taught? At least the passion is there (no doubt abut that!) - so why not try it, right? Telling the tale of the empowering feeling of creating something with your own hands! While actually executing the act of being truly individual.

Yours sincerely.

P.S. Just remembered, that when I started my two-year project my argument for doing so, was to rediscover the creative passion I had for making my own clothes, when I was younger. A passion, I through the years of trying to better myself, somehow had lost. Maybe I just found it again, but in another version?

[14.6.2012]

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All text by Sten Martin, except chapter 4 which is a quote from The  Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark's website. The image is a scan of The Tailor, a manual of the trade from 1801.

How fortunate I am

Today it seems as modern society is supposed to survive on design and storytelling alone, while outsourcing all manufacturing to lesser fortunate people. These people should then be told, that the way out of the gutter is learning how to be super-effective.

I wonder how long it will take them to start designing and storytelling themselves, and producing our products at the same time? Well... they actually already do. And there will be a price to pay. Since we forgot how to manufacture things for ourselves.

How fortunate I am then, to be able to realize my own designs with my own hands. And while doing so, finding new ways to create. That's kind of effective - and that's how craftsmen always worked.

There's so many things a computer can't do. And there's so many ways to make a product. Maybe it's time to learn something new? Maybe it's time to try other solutions? And maybe it's smart to actually know how things are made before blowing your own trumpet?


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(Please feel free to follow my new Depression Crisp series on YouTube.)

Fear of falter

As a tailor, you're constantly living with the fear of falter. As a matter of fact, I think many of us do.

Some of my happiest moments have often been connected with the process of creating things. To see something evolve from the palm of my hand have always given me a feeling of comfort. My father even told me that the best way to conquer the fear of death itself, was to create things. To do. But not only to do - the important thing was to try to do. To be part in a process of a greater whole. But that's now all lost. At least it seems that way.


A ghost called Obsession With Economic Growth is currently sweeping across our continent, killing every creative thought in sight. It tells us to be more efficient. It tells us to produce more while spending less. It even tells us to hurry up while doing something absolutly genius. Illusions shatter. Our lives become stressful.


It seems the whole idea of working now lays firmly in the act of producing products in the shortest time possible, ruling out all quirks and insecurities whatsoever. No time for creative new ideas. No time for individualization. And absolutely no room to falter.


But I have a problem with all this. I have an uttermost urge to repress this narrow-mindedness. I don't subscribe to the idea of efficient creativity. Neither do I agree on wealth necessarily being monetary. So instead of trying to be perfect, I'm going to embrace my fear and allow myself to falter. Accepting that sometimes doing things wrongly, is one of the most important qualities in my creative process - a quality surely to be treasured and cherished. No matter what others say or do.


A new time is dawning, where I will not fear, but still falter. And that's okay.


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Falter. "To be unsteady in purpose or action, as from loss of courage or confidence" - or "to be hesitant, week or unsure". (The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language / Collins English Dictionary)
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Talent is such a good thing!

Talent is a good thing. And when cultivated and trained with ever so much passion, it can even bring you and others the feeling of true happiness and joy. I think we need that - cultivated talent. I do think achievement matters.

I like when someone excel, in whatever level or field. It somehow makes me believe in the future. In a better world to come.

What I do not understand though, is why we all are supposed to be numb "hardworking consumers", not producing anything slightly concrete. That confuses me a lot. While our politicians are trying their best to save money on anything, they tell us to spend and work more. (And ditch the poor.) That's kind of stupidity galore!

Why shouldn't we all save our hard earned money? Why shouldn't we say no to cheep and truly poor products? Why shouldn't we stop buying until our suppliers rise their quality-bar? And instead use our time on bettering ourselves in those talents we are dealt? Or maybe learn some new ones?

I think true talent lays in being able to create something special to improve yours or others personal environment. Like housewifery. Like punk-rock esthetics. Like knitting or writing - or cooking or making your own clothes. Like singing or doing sports. To be really clever at something. Not consuming. But doing.

I think it's time we realized that we all have talent, but it needs to be cultivated to truly bloom. I believe it's time to say no to cheap tricks and loud and lazy behavior. Now is the time to be creative, and to believe in the future. Let's all use our talent and do something worth the while! We owe it to ourselves.


- Posted by Sten Martin
Bespoke tailor. Designer. Academy tutor.

How to drop dry-cleaning chemicals

Hi Sten Martin! Let's just cut to the point. I heard you're an expert in ruining expensive suits...!
If you refer to me doing my laundry at home - yes I do. I wash my suits in my washing machine and let them drip-dry afterwards. Never was a big fan of the dry-cleaner's anyway. But ruin them? No. Absolutely not.

But we all know that suits can't be washed, right? They immediately get ruined!
Well, that's your point of view. Mine is quite different. And none of my suits have been ruined yet. Not by laundering, anyway.

How so?
It's no secret that since I started my "Project 100" exactly 500 days ago, I don't use much of my wardrobe capacity anymore. I only use the clothes I've made myself, and therefore use them quite heavily. That's why it is important for me to be able to wash all of my clothes rather quickly and often, and that's why they finally get torn - simply by wear and tear.

So all your jackets are ruined now...?
Actually no. None of them. A pair of my jeans got ripped. And a shirt...

Let's say I would be persuaded into machine-wash my suits at home, should I do it with my cheaper ones only?
I would say the opposite - do it with the expensive ones! They are probably made in a better quality. But then again, who knows nowadays? Everything seems to be poorer and poorer made... I would try my least used suit first - to perfect my technique - then work my way through the whole wardrobe. The feeling of freshness afterwards, is quite pleasant.

Is there something I should avoid?
I would probably avoid silk satin lapels. If they are by poor and thin quality the crisp look they probably had, can be quite hard to reproduce. Would need some heavy pressing.

And what should I remember?
Four things: 1.The washing-program used should be programmed for wool - i.e. max. 86-90°F (about 30°C) with a lot of water in the container and very little movement. 2. Only use detergent especially made for wool and silk. 3. Do not exceed on spin-drying - max. 1.000 spins pr. min., but probably less. 4. Blow-dry up through the sleeves to shape the sleeves and dry the shoulder pads. Also blow-dry your pockets, if you like a quick result. Just use an ordinary hair-dryer.

Is there a tutorial?
I can make one for you. I like the idea of less people using heavy chemicals.

Thanks! But isn't there chemicals in ordinary detergent?
Maybe some, but I think it's mostly protein-based enzymes, and I use colour- and perfume-free wool detergent. And a small amount of it.

Any last words?
That the hair-dryer can be used as an iron while the jacket's still damp on hanger. It's quite effective! Use it somewhat tilted against the fabric, while holding the fabric taught with your other hand. Don't burn your fingers though.

Ok. Thank you for taking your time!
My pleasure.

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Interview with bespoke tailor Sten Martin Jonsson, 27.09.2011