Janelle Abbott

01/13/20 • 48 min

Entangling arts and fashion

I got to know Janelle Abbott first as one part of the collaborative duo "Femail". Here she, together with Camilla Carper, creates beautiful and complex fashion, using upcycling. Since Janelle lives in Seattle and Camilla in Los Angeles, they use snail mail, sending back and forth their pieces, until they are ready. I fell in love with their work through an article about upcycling on fashionista.com. Luckily they hosted a workshop in NYC while I was in town - a collective refashioning session - sure that I went there ! The interview is recorded via Skype, because Janelle was already back in Seattle. Janelle and me talk about Femail, but also about her very own work, which includes a beautiful project called "Wardrobe Therapy", about seeing and living live as a Gesamtkunstwerk and why Lady Gaga ended up buying a dress that have been sweatpants of her dad before.

Entangling arts and fashion

Previous Episode

Martina Cox

From art to fashion and vice versa

Martina Cox took a break from art university and opened a second-hand-shop out of her apartment. That`s when she also began to alter garments. Half a year later, she took her new and beloved approach in fashion and went back with it to art school. Her senior thesis exhibition was seen by many and the right people: only one year later she works independently as a fashion maker with a clear artistic touch. I loved Martina ́s honesty and the laugther we shared throughout the whole conversation. We talked about partying in Berlin and her italian grandmother - both sources of her passion for fashion - moreover about the first time she presented fashion in art school (surprising) and her love for detail (inspiring).

Next Episode

Cindy Hulej

Rock ́n`Roll- & Art- Guitars or the power of uniting opulence & humility

"I like the more interesting, kinda crazy stuff". This is Cindy Hulej speaking about her special approach in building and embellishing guitars. She decorates them in many ways, from which one is to use a woodburner. Often she ends up having the bodies fully decked out with the most wonderful detailed drawings, showing portraits of e.g. the Beatles or cathedrals. She learned to built from Rick Kelly, owner of the legendary shop "Carmine Street Guitars" in New York ́s famous Greenwhich Village. A place that feels like old New York as many do agree upon. Old means true creative vibes remained here, but yet fresh as I want to add, to not forget about the relentless dedication and constant transformation you can meet when entering the heart of the store, the workshop, where Cindy and Rick are to meet most likely. Cindy became a luthier eight years ago: She walked into the store wanting to learn from Rick and none other. From the beginning on she learned exactly the way Rick built, but did it under her own brand "Cindy guitars". Synesthetes will definitely agree with me that even before a Cindy guitar is played it screams: Rock ́n`Roll! We talked about her very early discovery of punk, about working in an art friendly restaurant, about costumizing a guitar for a Jim Jarmusch movie and the "mystery of the molecules" which goes into all of what Cindy and Rick are doing and which has to do with the special energy of the wood they use plus the history of the shop...