history in the making
STORYTELLING IS AT THE HEART OF
EMILY BODE’S NEW YORK-BASED LABEL.Can you tell us about your background and journey into fashion?
Growing up, I made clothes from crochet blankets, accessories from
newspaper, and dolls from socks. I’ve always been passionate about
creating a whole lifestyle; studying personal narratives and family
histories; and the portrayal of an intentional aesthetic. In New York,
I learned the technical aspects of making apparel at the Parsons
School of Art and Design, and completed a philosophy degree in
aesthetics. I spent time at Marc Jacobs and Ralph Lauren. New York
offers so much inspiration. It’s not so much about a particular place,
but rather that these clothes become a part of the owner's life and
bring along their own historical narrative of the past.
What’s the story behind this collection? The SS19 collection
is centered on the familial history of my long-time collaborator,
Aaron Aujla. Equipped with a fake passport, his grandfather left
NorthIndia for Canada in the 1920s, leaving behind his young bride
and newborn daughter. He worked in British Columbia for the next
18 years, all while mailing money back to his family. After Indian
independence, the Aujla family were reunited in their new home in
Canada, where their traditional Indian roots melded with their new
British-Canadian surroundings.
Tell us about the fabrics you’ve used. Most of the collection was
sourced in India. I travelled around New Delhi, Jaipur, Kolkata
and Chennai to find various hand-woven cottons and embroidered
fabrics. I wanted to focus on the historical aspect of Khadi and
use the textile heavily. Khadi is a hand-spun natural cotton cloth,
often created inside the home. After Gandhi led the movement to
domestically manufacture cloth and clothing from Indian yarns in
the late 1940s, it quickly became a worldwide symbol of peaceful
resistance and freedom.
And what about the colours? The colour palette evolved throughout
the development of the collection, and was selected based on
historical background and symbolism. We focused largely on
marigolds and golden hues, in the end.
Whereabouts is your studio based, and what’s the neighbourhood
like?We’re based in Chinatown, in Lower Manhattan. Our block
is still primarily Chinese, and is home to some wonderful small
stationery shops and eateries. We eat lunch nearby almost every
day – our go-to is Spicy Village, which has egg pancakes for $1.50!
For you, how important is the story behind an item of clothing?
The story is everything! Storytelling is how I begin each collection,
and I love sharing the history of a textile or inspiration with our
customers. We share the origin of each material, embroidery and
appliqué on our tags and in our stores.
What have you learned from your journey as a designer? It’s a
continuous process, but I’ve learned to trust my instincts – as
clichéd as that sounds. As a young brand and designer, everyone
wants to tell you their opinion and advice for growth and success.
It’s hard to know what’s noise and what’s valuable, especially in this
industry, where brands achieve success in a million ways. Also, your
team is everything; it's your family. The culture we’ve built in and
around Bode is the value of the brand.
Where can we see more of your stuff? Online at bodenewyork.comlooks we like