The form of trench coat states as the archetype of survival with its military origin. Designed to protect the human being from the very world they were invading. Pure utility of the form created one of the most attractive symbols of power and separation.
I come from south-eastern Poland, not that far from Ukraine. What separates me from being a direct object of the war is only an imaginary border, an edge. This makes me reflect a lot on porosity and instability as a more realistic way of seeing the world: mingling instead of separation.
The piece was created by combining one by one, a single module cut out of discarded leather. It’s a ritual of trying to order the chaos of waste created by human beings. The form born is rather unstable, never fully secured.
I hope to challenge what wants to appear solid, closed, and alienated – and instead reveal its instability and dependence on the outside. There is nowhere to hide, and perhaps that is a good thing.
Material：Discarded natural leather donated by Polish tannery Zadora and Swedish Elmo, Silk organdy.
Supported by: the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage Republic of Poland, Adam Mickiewicz Institute, culture.pl, Polish Institute in Tokyo
Photography by YASUNARI KIKUMA / ©︎ FASHION FRONTIER PROGRAM
Instagram：@alicjakamaj
