Andrea Crews, Parisian fashion collective and creative agency, will be the artists in residence at the Pompidou Centre’s Hors Pistes. The event brings together any discipline, from sport to architecture, through projections and performances. Flux asked Maroussia Rebecq to tell us about their plans for Hors Pistes and the label’s philosophy:

 

Just as clothes dictate what becomes of them, so will the performance. I would like the process to occur organically. If they feel like singing along, if they feel like getting up and dancing on stage, or if they simply decide to remain in their seats – anything goes, it’s a creative process and the audience decides in what way to participate. 

 

I believe that creativity is number one, without creative spontaneity, nothing else is honest. Andrea Crews is about creativity, seeing new life in old things that have been discarded or are no longer deemed important. Sustainable development is part of the creative process, its more a lifestyle if I can say!

Art can be anything, just as fashion can be anything, its up to the consumer to decide to look at fashion in a new way. Its not all about the newest, flashiest items, but more about creation. That is what Andrea Crews is about – demonstrating that there is beauty even in those things that are discarded and no longer of value to someone. Its up to everyone to look at their clothes the same way, or at least find a way to reinterpret them. 

Initially Andrea Crews started with second hand clothes. For the new collection we will be working with dead stock from old classic French brands.

The spirit of Andrea Crews is to be connected to people around the world, not to have one set identity, Andrea could be an Italian girl or a german guy, Crews could refer to the crew of a ship or the last name of a person…Andrea Crews doesn’t fit into one category but is a part of many movements…the cousin of tom cruise, the girl friend of Penelloppe…

Its going to be an energetic show ! The theme of the collection is ‘Hors Pistes’ – following the title of the festival that we are participating in at the Pompidou Center the end of February. So there will be a snow storm, naked girls running in gold survival blanket, old black mama singing in paradise…not your usual fashion week show !

The work is mainly sewing and cutting. And this will all take place at the Pompidou Center.

Of course ! Even though the materials used for this collection are from dead stock – the idea of reusing clothes still remains closely tied to everything that is unseen and un-heard. When you think of reused clothes – who was the person that bought them? What did they do for a living? Why did they discard that item? For dead stock it’s the same – the untold story – who initially designed this piece that we are reinventing? Why were they created? Why did it remain in the stock and not make its way onto a shelf? What would have happened to it if we did not use it? What about the factory, where they where manufactured.

 Everything has a story, we are just retelling it in a different way.

A combination of both. There is something playful and ironic about recreating clothes and creating something totally new than was originally intended. But there is something earnest about it – that recreation is also honest. When we recreate something it is based on the original piece – because you are restricted by that piece of clothing and what you can create with it, so from the start you are always sincere to the original piece.

The message is that inspiration comes from anywhere, music, art, fashion, clothes – everything contains a source of inspiration, you just have to look for it. 

 

 

 

Hors Pistes, February 19^th to 28^th 2010 at the Pompidou Centre, Paris, www.centrepompidou.fr