Kottayam based couture designer Joe Ikareth speaks ever so softly about his experimentation with the concept of ‘upcycling'. The trend, championed by designers like him, is giving a new dimension to conservation, recycling and design.
Upcycling, explains Joe, is adding value to a product by redesigning it and transforming it into a totally new product of a higher value. His maiden collection, ‘Things To Carry To Wonderland' is a noteworthy result of the experiment. Here, each piece of couture interestingly transforms into a bag, a back cushion or a comfortable head rest, gaining doubly in value and design.
New identity
“I like the idea of upcycling. You are reducing your waste of dead stock to create a piece with a completely new identity. It gives me new ideas- a new direction,” says Joe, a dedicated conservationist who has always done things differently and trodden the off beat course in lifestyle and ideas.
A simple way to get a clear idea of the concept is to pick a cushion on display and unzip it. And lo! It opens out into a stylish wraparound bias skirt! A stylish jacket folds into a neat little bag with a handle. A narrow cushion, a rest for your tired back, opens into loose pyjamas, right for casual wear. The collars cleverly turn into bag handles and pockets into designer cushions! Embellishments on the garments open up to gather the garment in and fold into a bag!
Traveller's choice
“These are products for the intrepid traveller,” says Joe, elucidating that the collection gets its name from the famous tale, ‘Alice in Wonderland'. When Alice fell down the rabbit hole and her great adventure began, she wished for clothes to suit her journey. That gave him the idea to have clothes that one can travel with, wear to a beach or to a party, and still use it as a bag or cushion while travelling. In this case, “all you need is a cushion,” says Joe.
Being an introductory collection, it is more conceptual in design than commercial. Joe has yet to make a line viable for business, which will come after the initial response towards this interesting venture. Right now each piece is to be tried out individually, pieces that will be a prototype when the line goes commercial.
Signature style
It was three years ago that Joe began experimenting with dead stock and bits of cloth pieces. The first year he used the materials to make an installation. It was only last year that he began thinking on the lines of upscaling. The ingenuity of the clothes makes one wonder about the designer's inputs. “Research is involved. You can't just sketch it out. A lot of experimenting goes on. There is more to design today than before,” he says.
These marvellous makeovers actually move away from trend, if one goes by design, feels Joe, knowing well that upcycling may be a choice of just a conscious few.
Skirts are easier to convert rather than structured outfits, he says. His signature style is the attractive play with pleats and the fine detailing he revels in. The dresses in the collection make for pretty formal wear, which has jackets, tops, skirts and pants. It is on display at his eponymous store at Bazaar Road, Mattancherry.
