Fold/Unfold - Your Favorite?

Posted on September 07, 2018 by Sabrina Zeng | 0 Comments

Have you ever made any Origami pleats?

Pleating is an ancient haute-couture technique in fashion. Check out this amazing video from BOF visiting Gerard Longon(est 1945), a pleating Maison that is now part of Chanel subsidiary. It creates texture, plays with light and shade. To me, there is a celebration of the beauty found between art, transformation, and play.

Yes, play. I drift back to my childhood when I am designing; To afternoons practicing ink wash painting, spent folding crisp paper into a paper crane; folds, unfolds and refolds...

Nowadays only three pleaters left in the Grand Paris region, and I am lucky to work with one of them. In the age of mass production, I appreciate craftsmanship- more than 80% of our pleats are handmade.

The pleats invoke memories of these folds that I found in the world; New York/Infinity, Tibet/Chiaroscuro (above two images in SS19 colors), and the newest Morocco/freedom (below image). What's your favorite?