Y I N : T H E A R T O F I M B A L A N C E

V e lv i t x C o l o u r b l i n d

P o rta l I

Thi s p orta l wa s c r e at e d by Colo u r bl ind ,

a s pa rt o f t h e V e lv i t x C o l o u r b l i n d

c o l l a b o r at i o n .

v e lv i t va u lt. c o mt h e c o l o u r b l i n d . c o m

Dear reader,

When I sat down to reach out to Jaimie Lake, founder and curator of Velvit, she had in fact already beaten me to it. Having stumbled across each other’s online spaces at the same time and subconsciously hoping for a future collaboration, there was an obvious unwritten something about the other’s work that we found appealing.

Jaimie’s platform Velvit is a concept store and gallery specialising in upcoming style, from fashion to fine art, focused on the colour black. My platform, Colourblind, is one dedicated to the exploration and appreciation of the colour black through the work of upcoming creatives. Although our stories and reasons for setting our platforms up are very different, we’re two that both share a passion for upcoming artists, stylised aesthetics and above all: black.

After multiple talks with Jaimie, she soon told me about YIN. Velvit’s newly launched showcase of the dark feminine spirit consisting of 17 artists, YIN is a beautifully haunting exhibition of fashion focused and built upon the colour black. After more talk, YIN also presented an inevitable opportunity for Velvit and Colourblind to collaborate.

This Portal is the result.

Curated and produced by Colourblind, it’s what I hope will be exactly what it’s set out to be. An interactive document to explore Velvit’s debut Yin exhibition. Featuring interviews with a selection of YIN’s artists, articles and lookbook, it’s a showcase of some of the people we feel matter - for their beautiful work as much as their thought process.

Yours,

Josh WalkerEditor & Creative Director of Colourblind.

W E L C O M E

Interview with Jaimie Lake, Founder and Curator of Velvit

Colourblind: What is Velvit?

Jaimie Lake: Velvit is a curated concept gallery and store for emerging and independent designers of a variety of mediums. Everything is black. No Exceptions.

C: How did Velvit Start? What was it born from?

JL: Velvit started as an idea I shared with my friends. I had a vision of bringing together designers and artists of a similar aesthetic under one umbrella, and showcasing their designs in a way that’s similar to a gallery. I am in support of the slow fashion movement, and fashion should take time and dedication. It’s not something you should just throw on the floor or lose in your box of costume jewellery. Designers, like fine artists, take weeks and sometimes months to fabricate their collections, and they deserve just as much appreciation and respect as fine artists.

As a fine artist myself, I constantly see my world crossover into the realm of fashion, so it was organic move to have fine artists involved with each curated collection of Velvit. The goal is to showcase one to two fine artists each curation who will create small exhibitions within each collection we launch, of course, always in black.

Lastly, Velvit became a response to lending independent designers and artists the break or chance that larger stockists, galleries, and platforms may not always be willing to give to lesser-knowns.

C: Your debut YIN exhibition. Where was this born from?

JL: I wanted to showcase the dark feminine in a cleaner and more experimental way by hanging up all black brimmed hats at the door. The objective has been to focus on the

dark feminine of YIN in a more traditional, Chinese philosophical way by really exploring the mood of what YIN is, and what role it plays in building and nurturing relationships.

On the other hand, I felt it was a fitting theme to be inspired by for the first collection, as Velvit is a fresh creative hub and what we are doing is building the foundation for stronger relationships with each artist we are working with. I see the artists showcased on Velvit as a team, although most are working on their collections independently. Velvit is a way to initiate the conversation and bring relationships together between artists that may have otherwise not had the opportunity to meet before. I see all the artists as Yang: focused, driven, positive energies. I see Velvit as Yin. Together, there is a balance and sense of community.

C: Why is collaboration important to you?

JL: To be honest, I work better alone. I have too many ideas, too many peeves, and personally feel if I want things done right I have to do them myself. Being this way, I have learned that there are a few things that lack when working independently: fresh perspective and editing. There is always a hole in the art world for creations that are experimental and new, and sometimes the best way to find these ideas is to have creative springboards to bounce ideas off. But more importantly, collaboration to me is equivalent to support. It is important to have support, not just in the independent market but just solely as an artist. It’s fascinating to bring together similar aesthetics with different point of views. It almost sounds contradictory. I have seen a lot of innovation and balance come from proper collaboration and an amazing amount of supportive relationships artists maintain even after a creative collaboration is over. Support is everything.

C: What does the colour black mean to you?

JL: Black is relevance. Black is rich. Imagine a world without black. I’d be bored to death. In fact, I’m bored just thinking about it.

Interview with Nicole Marét, Founder of The Ørder

Colourblind: How would you describe The Ørder aesthetic?

Nicole Marét: I’m extremely verbose when it comes to explaining my aesthetic, but my favourite abridged descriptor is glam-goth. I have an insatiable penchant for delicate, raw-edged leather and silk chiffon, and the synthesis of those two materials creates a beautifully enigmatic look with a sophisticated, feminine edge. Dare I say that, if Rick Owens and Ann Demuelemeester had a daughter, she’d be born wearing The Ørder.

C: What are the main inspirations or stories behind your collections?

NM: The line in its entirety is about honouring the unknown and defying expectations, so my design process is highly conceptual. I typically begin by creating a story that furthers that notion, and develop each collection from there based on what the characters in the story would have worn. The first collection, Illa Magus, was inspired by the Magician tarot card. This is the first card in the deck, and represents transformation, uncharted territory and the concept of infinity. The second collection, La Grande Prêtresse, was driven by the origin of fairy tales in the 17th century and the defiant heroines who ruled them.

C: You talk about you and your buyers as people “separating the signal from the noise”. What is the noise, what is the signal, and why are you trying to separate them?

NM: I exude palpable positive energy and I smile all the time, so people are often surprised that I possess a deep fascination with the darker elements of life. I actually love that these things don’t typically coincide, and have curated my life in a way that perpetuates that divergence. The ‘noise’ that I refer to in my bio is the expectation we have of others based on superficial evidence, and our tendency to box others in accordingly. The Ørder is about breaking down the walls of those boxes, and creating a movement powered by the vulnerability left behind. That vulnerability is the ‘signal,’ and I believe that by separating it from the noise we can absorb the freedom and the power to follow what truly drives us and speaks to us, regardless of whether or not it’s expected.

C: You’ve worked within graphic design and costume design in your past. How do they all come together with The Ørder?

NM: The merging of these disciplines has been one of the most rewarding parts about developing The Ørder. The line has given so much meaning to my love for all of them. Graphic design has played a huge role with regards to branding. It keeps things tight, and helps convey an overarching vibe that defines the brand. I design and execute all of my labelling, packaging, print collateral and website, and wouldn’t have it any other way. Costume design has allowed my creativity to flourish in creating garments that don’t exist within a specific category. Several pieces from both collections live in what I call the ‘eccentricity’ set, because they aren’t shirts, or trousers, or dresses, or anything of the like.

C: For you, what makes a good or effective design?

NM: As we know, history repeats itself, and this is true in many ways for fashion as well. Good and effective design challenges this and endeavors to build upon it to create something unexpected both aesthetically and conceptually. This kind of design satisfies more than the eyes alone, and is an intoxicating drug. Once you start, you absolutely must have more.

C: And lastly, what does the colour black mean to you?

NM: Black comes in a multitude of shades and opacities, and is far too powerful to exist as merely a color. To me, black is the elevated unknown that The Ørder represents. It is the limitless shadow that veils the mysterious parts of life we don’t yet understand. The uncharted matters with which we seek deeper relationships. These matters are what drive us to be curious - to seek and to ask questions. The power of the mysterious is an atmosphere of suspended disbelief, and it is within this realm that any manner of enchantment is possible. In the moment that something begins to be questioned, it has already become a reality in the mind. The Ørder seeks to perpetuate this air of wonder, from the inside out and back again. All black, always. It leaves so much to the imagination.

Interview with Agathe Bodineau, Founder of LaLaYeah

Colourblind: How would you describe the LaLaYeah aesthetic?

Agathe Bodineau: The aesthetic of the line is dark, minimal, raw and refined. The works are inspired by visual art, rock’n’roll, extreme adornments and architectural lines. I like contrasts in concepts and materials and like to play on the opposition of the precious versus the mundane, the very sleek against the rugged, the aggressive versus the soft, the minimalism versus the maximalism.

C: What are the main inspirations or stories behind your collections?

AB: One of the first series I shot was inspired by ideas of future and past colliding, the space age and the machine-made and the oldest forms in nature, rocks, minerals and geology. It was called ‘Our future will be either a Space Age or a Stone Age’ from a quote by Arthur Woods and Marco Bernasconi. My latest series, ‘Crystallography’, focuses on crystals, rocks and minerals in a new way, in a very process-based exploration. As much as I used more noble minerals, I also used common rocks, like the ones I can find on the train tracks close to my house. The surfaces of minerals are re-interpreted, recopied, reproduced or re-made in other mediums. As you can see, I am really obsessed with rocks.

C: With your talent, there were so many avenues of design you could have taken. Why jewellery?

AB: I like to say it almost happened as an accident, as I studied painting and drawing and not jewellery. I also worked in art galleries for a long time. I was always drawn to images and I am a very visual person who always liked to work with my hands. The first pieces I made were very 2D, linear and flat. They were closer to drawings. As time passed by, I realised there was more to explore and wanted to try out working with metal. Since I am a self-taught jewellery maker, there was a lot of trial and error but also creative ways of dealing with challenges and finding ways around them to arrive at a result. It’s similar to

the resolution of an enigma, which I really like. I am still missing quite a lot of traditional knowledge but I’m stubborn with that. My jeweller friends sometimes think my methods make no sense but they do to me. Now this is pretty much what my whole life is. I am still very interested in images, photography, design and visual arts.

C: How important is the material and the effect of texture on your designs?

AB: Very important. This question is right on the spot since my practice is mostly articulated around materials and process. I am not so strong on inventing something from scratch, but the materials and the way it works, sets and breaks is almost always the point of departure to my pieces. From there I just play with the elements in front of me. I find there is much more poetry and beauty in texture, construction, irregularities and abstract shapes than in figurative objects.

C: What’s next for you? Do you have a starting point set for your next collection?

AB: Lately, I have been touched beyond words by black and white images taken by spacecraft Rosetta on comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko in November. It seemed to link everything I had been captivated with: space, rocks from the past, technology of the future and the place of humans in between. So I am planning to make a mini-series inspired by Rosetta, opposing very sleek futuristic lines and the raw mineral textures I like to work with.

C: And lastly, what does the colour black mean to you?

AB: 3/4 of my wardrobe! It’s also a colour that is symbolically very strong and rich. Black has class, complexity and simplicity.

Designers: The Ørder // Raw Taste // Ovate

Designers: Sadie Clayton // Hunter Gatherer

Designers: Sadie Clayton // The Ørder // Hunter Gatherer // Raw Taste

Designers: The Ørder // Birds N Bones // Maude Nibelungen // LaLaYeah

Designers: Elle Heavin

Designers: Sadie Clayton

Designers: Maude Nibelungen // Ovate // Birds N Bones

Designers: Eleen Halvorsen // Maude Nibelungen // Hunter Gatherer

Interview with Eleen Halvorsen, Founder of Eleen Halvorsen

Colourblind: Describe the Eleen Halvorsen aesthetic.

Eleen Halvorsen: Futuristic, dark, eccentric and minimalistic.

C: You’re showcasing your [De]Composed collection with Velvit. What’s the story behind the collection?

EV: [De]Composed was all about constructing by de-constructing. I was using old patterns and samples, taking them apart, reassembling them, trying them on backwards, upside down, sideways. It was kind of a reassessment of myself as a brand. I wanted to see how I could grow using what I already have and know and turning it into something unexpected and unknown.

C: You were raised in Norway but studied in New York City. How do the two very different places influence your work?

EV: I think I get a lot of the mood from the mysterious woods and the powerful water from where I grew up in Norway. I also think the Scandinavian minimalism is also imprinted deep in my core. New York has definitely contributed to the all black mindset.

C: You seem interested in contrast. Hard, soft. sculptural, fluid. What is it about contrast you find so fascinating?

EV: Since I don’t work with prints and colours, I like to use contrasting textures and shapes to create interest with the garments. I have an obsession with fabric. I love how different textures change how you feel.

C: I also took a look at your illustrations. How much do they play a part in your creative process.

EV: It’s a natural circle of inspiration. My illustrations inspire garment construction in an unpredictable way. Sometimes it turns into something tangible, other times not. I never really know what form an illustration takes when I start. I kind of let the shapes that appear on the paper lead the way, and that sometimes turns into ideas for unconventional garment construction. C: What’s next for you? Do you have a starting point set for your next collection?

EV: I’m working on a new collection as we speak. I don’t want to reveal more than that there will be a lot of texture going on.

C: And lastly, what does the colour black mean to you?

EV: I love all monochromatic colours but black is the most powerful. It automatically gives authority and style to the wearer.

http://www.velvitvault.com/boschvitus

http://www.velvitvault.com/boschvitus

T H E A R T O F I M B A L A N C E

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Centred upon the basis of balance, Yin and Yang is one of the most paramount concepts in Chinese medicine. Describing the way in which opposing forces work in conjunction to complement and ultimately balance their opponent, a dynamic system is created in which yin and yang intertwine to form a perfect and even balance. A balance in which one cannot exist without the other.

It is also believed that any imbalance of these senses can lead to repercussions for an individual’s physical or mental health.

Along with each aspect of nature, every bodily function is defined as being part of either the yin or the yang. Excess of either of these, theoretically, will create an imbalance of the senses and in turn, an unavoidable state of unease within an individual.

It has also been long said that when the senses are imbalanced in this manner, creativity is often heightened.

As far back as Ancient Greece, many believed that it was mystical, sacred forms of mania which stimulated remarkable creativity in mere mortals

and countless scientific studies have documented the theory that many of the world’s most prominent, artists, poets, musicians and novelists have reported a greater degree of creativity within a mental disorder and turmoil.

There’s no denying that by their very nature, some professions draw upon emotional turmoil whilst others evade it entirely. Undertakings which allow for areas of equivocacy and freedom of expression such as art and design have been proven to compliment individuals with any form of mental imbalance as it enables them to channel volatile energy and to outwardly wrestle with their inner demons. The result is an adding of depth to their work, which could not be achieved in a more restrained state.

And, in contrast, those with more placid temperaments excel in fields such as science - which require a level of balance and control.

In this imbalanced state, the state in which either the yin or the yang overpower each other, a sense of loss of control causes individuals to dismiss

their inhibitions in favour of the detachment of social perimeters.

At this point they are able to express a sense of ‘oneness’ which can be credited with creating deep illusions, and drawing upon heightened sensitivity to build visual imagery.

Throughout history, this creative vision has recurrently established associations with indulging in the opaque depths of delirium whilst at the same time upholding a fair grasp on reality.

Although this idea will no doubt continue to fascinate generations to come, it’s perhaps author and journalist

Arthur Koestler who concludes and outlines this theory best in ‘The Act of Creation’.

“The creative act always involves a regression to earlier, more primitive levels on the mental hierarchy,” he says. “While other processes continue simultaneously on the rational surface.”

By Charlotte Muscat Illustrations by Vivien Chan