If we focus too much on the unsuccessful cooperation we however miss the main
potential of similar project. The outcome of the VakkoVamps was not so much a
set of garments or objects as an initial step for exchange and dialogue between two
fields that are usually separate. Instead of using the “normal” channels in fashion
collaborations, which is usually between professionals or upcoming designers with
“street cred” and established brands, we tried to find new interfaces and methods
that would allow more unpredictable results.
In the beginning of the collaboration we could see a set of new action spaces
emerge, which raised another level compared to the shoe-hack project. With Vakko
we did not only tinker with material production but with the whole powerful sys-
tem of fashion production. We however found that Vakko were more conservative
and scared of losing control. It is possible that a more adventurous brand might be
more open to pull off this type of project, and perhaps more formal agreements
should be planned and written so as to guarantee a positive ending of this type of
collaboration. However, the main hope is that the project still showed a direction
to possible ways of creating this type of cooperative venture.
In the end we did not leave empty-handed. We came away with some nice materi-
als, we tried new methods, and we challenged ourselves to make the DIY aspects of
the exhibition even more elegant and elevated. As we sat there working in the gal-
Production process of the “Evil
Eyed Blouse” by Rüdiger Schlömer. The
blouse was manipulated in an almost
imperceptible way. A layer of reflective
fabric was fixed behind two transparent
eye-shaped buttons. These new “eyes” are
activated and stare back in moments of
flashlight attention.