SPACE UPDATE no.5 "WEARING, ONCE WORN"
Our Showroom Available by Appointment Until September 29th
Introducing the next evolution of our showroom. A curated multi-designer showroom wherein emerging talent can reach contacts that can provide them a support system and encouragement in order to promote steady growth. Some items are stocked, some are for sale, and some are for educational viewing only. Its a space for garments that would otherwise be hidden in a closet to be on display; for designed objects to speak for themselves, without person, performance, or production.
The showroom is now a part of our 501c3 nonprofit. We take only 20% commission from designers, which all goes back into bolstering the community of emerging talent here in NYC.
This showroom, “Wearing, Once Worn” was curated by Grace Gordon, yours truly. Future curated showrooms will take place on calendar months (September, February) and will be curated by a rotation of emerging creatives.
Below are the showroom notes:
“In curating this showroom, I was searching for designers with a uniquely intentional sensibility. I’ve been interested in the concepts of utility and wear for years.
What does it mean to wear something so much that it erodes over time?
Or to wear something made out of used textiles?
Or to design something soft that the body never wants to part from?
It’s all a form of history. It shapes us in ways we may not know or be aware of. To me, there is something deeply significant and powerful about design work that is pared down and storied. As the age of the internet takes over the creative world, we often see people designing for picture rather than feel, or virality rather than sentimentality. There is a rawness to this collection of work that is unlike most and an intention shared amongst these designers that speaks to a greater cultural intention maybe not yet understood by any of us. “
FEATURED DESIGNERS
There are 7 designers in this showroom:
ALIYA HIDI; HESO; JEROME CHEUNG; JOSEPH MIGLIO; SOUP646; STE11AZ; TERRA
Aliya Hidirlar’s work serves as an ever-growing amalgamation of her identity through notions derived from both her Turkish Ottoman roots, and her upbringing in the suburbs of Southern California. Her world is an in-between, comprised of western construction techniques and Turkish traditional textile developments including the use of angora locks, raw horse hair, and handcrafted metal adornments.
For this showroom we are highlighting Aliya’s “Truck Stop Bacculum Pendant.” An storied object constructed out of 925 Sterling Silver that Aliya may explain the background if you choose to ask her. We have 3 of these pendants in stock, message us to claim or come check them out by making an appointment (email info@dialective.xyz)
HESO acknowledges assimilation as a transformative process and the duality of the need to belong. With a strong Romanian upbringing, preservation of tradition coincides with assimilation through evolution, and this contrast is ingrained deep within garments. Specializing in steel metalwork, leather, and traditional embroidery, conventional perceptions of the materials are challenged by blending traditional Romanian craftmanship with contemporary steel treatments. In essence, a harmonious union of strength and delicacy is created, allowing a seamless coexistence of different cultural spaces.
HESO was founded by Helen Sotropa, who also is a co-founder of DIALECTIVE and the head of DIALECTIVE SPACE. Her work is all available for made-to-order purchases; inclusive of garments and accessories. Email us to place an order or to schedule a time to try on her garments!
Jerome is a designer whose work serves as a time capsule of the current state of the world. Using unconventional and impractical materiality, Jerome weaves narratives from the personal, microscopic level to the geopolitical level, inviting viewers to discourse on the vastness of the human experience. Jerome’s process begins with investigation of the world around him, from journaling new experiences, interviewing strangers, to filming nature. Rooted in an innate sense of exploration and commitment to justice, his designs bridge history with contemporary culture, expressed through garments that present as tangible records of his explorations.
Jerome Cheung is a ‘24 DIALECTIVE Runway alumni and current mentor for the ‘25 students who will be planning a runway to showcase their collections this spring. His garments are available on a custom/ made to order basis. Please forward inquiries our email or via ig dm.
Joseph is a womenswear designer from Chicago, Illinois, whose practice is heavily influenced by his midwestern roots. He draws inspiration from a long standing fascination with military uniforms and a love of vintage sportswear. His work tends to consist of a mix of rugged workwear inspired textiles with elegant tailoring fabrics. Joseph’s interest in the past informs his fabrication choices, utilizing deadstock denim found in a warehouse in his hometown of Chicago and swiss mail bags sourced from a military surplus shop in his thesis collection. Through his work he aims to explore the balance between utility and playfulness.
Joseph’s work is all available for made-to-order purchases; inclusive of garments and accessories. Email us to place an order or to schedule a time to try on his garments!
soup646 creates simple pieces centered around form and texture, aiming to make designs that feel satisfying. Believing that simplicity leads to better function and practicality, each piece is thoughtfully made. Materials from the 1950s to 1990s are sourced from estate sales, warehouses, barns, and flea markets across the East Coast and Midwest. Driven by curiosity, soup646 continues to explore new ideas in design and textiles.
soup646’s work are all one-offs available for purchase! They are also open to customs as well. Email us to place an order or to schedule a time to see their work in person.
Stella Yu Zhang delves into the realm of women’s ready-to-wear with a keen focus on functionality and comfort. Her inspiration is drawn from observations of day to day life in the perspective of a woman and an urbanite. Through knitting and functional construction, she aims to portray figures that live with confidence and ease. Stella’s work encompasses a diverse range of garments tailored to suit the needs of contemporary living. She’s interested in knitwear, casual wear, and functional construction.
STE11AZ garments are available on a custom/ made to order basis. Please forward inquiries our email or via ig dm.
Terra, founded by Chloe Gulsvig, draws upon nature as a narrative for creation; and within her work considering the environment as a space for inner reflection. The word terra, meaning earth, is meant to serve as a symbol to this. Understanding earthly systems serves as inspiration for both the formulaic process and the design aesthetic. Having spent much of her youth hiking in her natural surrounding spaces, she would find herself collecting mementos. Those organic artifacts would evolve into an interest in discovering new ways to think about and engage with the world around her. The joining between herself, the natural space and objects curated into a fascination within the practice of theory. These two interests of nature and theory metamorphosed into the core beliefs within her work, being synthesized through the ecological systems and the ideologies of biomimicry.
TERRA garments are available on a custom/ made to order basis. Please forward inquiries our email or via ig dm.
FEATURED ADDITIONS TO THE SHOWROOM ENVIRONMENT
I. MOSER created a bespoke scent for “WEARING, ONCE WORN” in the form of a reed diffuser as a collaboration with Jet Black Ceramics.
“A delicate and recentering balance of zesty green florals and tender hinoki creates a serene and ethereal space for you to reflect and also look onward.”
Bergamot, May Chang, Jasmine, Fiddlehead Fern, Hinoki Wood, Labdanum
A handmade table by Ella Shubert is also on display, housing one of HESO’s metal belts.
A NOTE ON CURATION AS A DESIGNER
It’s been an important exercise for me to practice curating without any pieces I designed in this showroom. Everything we have always done at DIALECTIVE has been an approach to solve problems that we, as emerging designers, face at each stage in our careers. Hence the thesis runway show when we were thesis students, and the space as a place for communal machine access post-grad. Everything we have done is from the designer’s perspective to display our work amongst others.
It’s been freeing to curate this as one person and pare down the selection so that all work makes sense in a space together- its something that designers tend to find challenging to do with their own work as they are too close to it. I think its important for the emerging designer or aspiring emerging brand to hone these skills. You have to wear many hats as a designer.
My dream would be for other designers to curate showrooms like this going forward according to their own interests at the moment featuring people who’s work they admire. Hopefully we can build a system where emerging talent rotates being eachothers’ showrooms, pr, sales, etc so those skills can be learned and honed by everyone. Designers need encouragement and support from their communities and this is my proposed solution.
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If you have a curatorial itch please reach out to us and we can discuss in further detail! The work we do is very much something we would love to share with the community + include as many emerging creatives as possible.
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