This approach I find very similar to how heretics operate in that they do not re-
nounce faith itself, but reject the way faith is controlled and who has the authority
to interpret the holy texts. I will therefore discuss heretic movements and espe-
cially Liberation Theology from the same viewpoint. These movements are only
distantly similar to YOMANGO in their practice, but by intersecting them we
might bring about some new perspectives on how designers could operate in new
ways with fashion.
Or as YOMANGO puts it: You want it? You got it!
What YOMANGO also does is that they highlight the mythical history of clothing
as a tool for self-enhancement and as a ritual tool. Through their lifestyle-approach
their ideology encourages adventurous shoplifting experiences. Instead of buying
a lifestyle simulating adventure, you get the adventure for free, and on top of that a
desired garment. Even though there is an ironic touch in their basic program it is
one of participant self-enhancement, using the powerful mythology of fashion for
a new form of lifestyle.
During the Hackers and Haute Couture Heretics exhibition in Istanbul we also
invited the Swedish artist group SHRWR, an abbreviation for Sharewear, which
mimics the open source term Shareware. Their overall practice is quite similar to
that of YOMANGO, liberating clothes from shops, but they also free the garments
from personal ownership. In their view “ownership is out of fashion”. In the gallery
they provided open source patterns of clothing that the visitors could take and they
handed out their own printed t-shirts with their logo, slogan and other motifs.
Their week was the last of the whole six-week long workshop at the gallery and
visitors came in from the street to participate in the usual workshops. However,
SHRWR produced most of the material themselves, and only few visitors were of-
fered the opportunity to participate in the screen-printing sessions or make gar-
ments from the open source patterns. Many of the visitors were rather indignant at