Text and Interview:Alec Coiro
Video Courtesy of:threeASFOUR
It should be clear to everyone at this point that threeASFOUR will always be an original voice in fashion. No matter how drab or one-note the rest of fashion and the world at large might become, there will always be threeASFOUR. What is, perhaps, less well appreciated is how on the cusp of things modern and technological threeASFOUR remain. You can see this in the formal aspects of the Quantum Vibrations video as explained by the designers below. It’s also evident in their embrace of the modern medium of Instagram as a source for new fresh faces.
Apart from the beautiful fashions that are produced and the life-affirming vibes that are emitted, the thing I like the most about threeASFOUR’s travels in the modern moment and things technological is that it soothes my fear of a cold technological future. In the hands of threeASFOUR something as potentially daunting and dehumanizing as 3D printing becomes a part of something connected to the “primal vibrations of the universe.”
The Spring/Summer collection is gorgeous and the video is a warm missive sent to us from warmer days yet to come. Watch it here. And then read our conversation with the designers.
These visions are physical responses to hidden wavelengths, geometric systems that have existed since the beginning of time.
Before we discuss the video, the collection is beautiful. Can you tell me a little bit about the Spring/Summer 2017 collection and what new approaches you’ve taken for it.
threeASFOUR’s Spring / Summer 2017 collection draws inspiration from
source energies — notably, the sacred, primal vibrations that move through the universe.
The color that we see occurs through a spectrum of vibration: the blue of the ocean, the spots on a leopard. These visions are physical responses to hidden wavelengths, geometric systems that have existed since the beginning of time. Similarly, the sound that we hear emerges from our perception of different frequencies, a sonic response to the same universal sequences.
When last we spoke, you were telling me about threeASFOUR’s work on fractal simulation videos. Is that ongoing and did it have an influence on this video?
threeASFOUR presents a collection that moves in synchronicity with a larger and deeper story, revealing the connective frequencies that join us together. We invited Travis Fitch to create a series of dimensional networks to visualize these elemental geometries. A new 3D-printed dress, produced in collaboration with Stratasys, realizes these patterns as they are complex, interwoven circles of energy, transforming in shape, color and flexibility as they radiate around the body. Together with Fitch, the team also presents a series of enhanced 2D patterns, derived from these simulations, that evoke earthly and universal harmony. A biological approach to color, referencing natural shades and tones of fish, snakes, trees, and flowers, illuminates the different prints.
Can you tell us a little bit about the meaning of the title, “Quantum Vibrations”?
Quantum Vibrations celebrates these invisible phenomena, drawing inspiration from the hidden structures that affect our sensory experience. The human consciousness has long resonated with these fundamental energies, and the collection reveals unmistakable parallels with traditional and primordial motifs around the world. The result is a unified aesthetic, both ancient in origin and transcendent of cultural and geographic distinction.
In the “Quantum Vibrations” video it looks like you actually rotoscoped models from actual runways shows. Is that right? It’s pretty amazing. Can you tell us a little bit about the technical process of creating the video?
The video was taken during the actual runway show, featuring the cast and their personalities
This season we chose to work with people we discovered and cast via Instagram and not the typical models. We were honored to have Meredith Monk contribute to the vocal samples from her album Porch Brian and Justin of Georgia took it to the next level with their own touch for the sound live throughout the show and later in the video.
