[CEIMOU] Stitching Boundaries, 2024, Seoul

CEIMOU, Seoul, 2024

 

CEIMOU is a fashion studio based in Seoul.

My first collaboration with CEIMOU was in early summer 2023 when I participated in the NO BOUNDARIEZ: LANG exhibition curated by CEIMOU. This exhibition allowed us to continually engage with each other's work, and this ongoing exchange led to our second collaboration this year. Our second project with CEIMOU developed naturally as we discussed our respective works. We discovered commonalities and intriguing differences in our perspectives on clothing, and we deeply explored conversations about the potential roles and new possibilities for garments. In particular, our meetings, often accompanied by delicious food, created an environment where we could freely share fluid and interesting ideas.

CEIMOU resists conventional tools used to describe 'clothes' and focuses on the unique designs that apparel can possess. CEIMOU explores the essence of clothing through new perspectives and approaches, beyond the commonly used methods and concepts in fashion labels. Based on CEIMOU's philosophy of clothing, I reassembled the designs they defined to participate in the collaboration.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In this collaboration, I created five pieces of clothing using garments made within CEIMOU, centred around a patchwork shirt crafted from Madras fabric.

 

Waistcoat (Vest)

Before starting work, the waistcoat had an intriguing feature on its front placket. The curvature of the placket overlapped, creating interesting gaps. These gaps reminded me of the boundary between public and private, which was one of the reasons I transformed the waistcoat into a bralette. The back was made from t-shirt fabric, carefully knitted. This bralette, with its gaps formed by the placket's curvature, might give the wearer a sense of nervous anticipation, wondering if their underwear might peek through.

 

 

 

Skirt

This skirt has a secret. The terry fabric panel attached to the jacquard skirt was crafted by slightly modifying the pattern of sweatshirt sleeves. Essentially, this skirt has sleeves attached at the hem. The undulating movement of the sleeves is anchored by the skirt's waistband, neutralising the inherent elegance of the jacquard fabric. This skirt is an alternative for those who seek comfort without sacrificing elegance.

 

 

Denim Skirt

Transforming jeans into a denim skirt might seem like one of the most clichéd methods of garment alteration. However, the familiar impulse to turn jeans into a skirt is hard to resist. I find satisfaction in uncovering the imperfect traces beneath flawlessly finished garments. When I encountered these machine-stitched jeans, I couldn't help but recall my childhood, sewing fabric scraps to mend my Barbie doll's torn clothes that my parents brought back from Hawaii. I disliked the thread colour of the stitches on that doll's rather stiff fabric, so I coloured over the stitched areas with crayons. The chain stitching on the front and back of this skirt might remind one of those crayon colours.

 

 

 

T-shirt-trousers / trousers-T-shirt

This t-shirt-trousers, or trousers-t-shirt, can literally be worn as both a t-shirt and trousers. The garment connects the t-shirt and trousers through the back pocket of the trousers, but it can also be seen as a t-shirt tucked into the pocket. I wonder if the wearer will perceive it as a t-shirt inside the trousers pocket or trousers with a t-shirt attached to the pocket.

 

 

 

T-shirt (The Missing Sock)

Sehikyo's current project, "The Missing Sock, 2024," involves using garments as a portal to separate a pair of socks. This project is set to be exhibited in Kanazawa, Japan, later. Where could the other sock attached to CEIMOU's t-shirt be? I genuinely hope that whoever wears this garment will serendipitously meet the person wearing the other sock. The romantic aspect of this project is its most significant point.

 

 

You can find the work created with CEIMOU at CEIMOU's website.