Soojin Kang "Dressed" Jewellery and Products
on 7/2/11
The "Knitted Chair" that was featured in The trend Boutique's Autumn Winter 2011-12 "Folk" trend report is the creative work of Soojin Kang. The natural colours and raw textures as well as the character that can only be created through the imperfections of hand-craft sum up the "Craft Folk" direction perfectly.
Soojin Kang, originally from Seoul, South Korea, graduated from Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design, London with a Masters in Textile Futures in 2009. She was also awarded a Samsonite Design Award. Through focusing equally on aesthetics and tactility, Kang seeks to evoke a heightened, intensified state of being in all who interact with her work. She works on creating new identities and strives to tell stories through her designs. As a creative, Kang works on a broad range of projects, though her inspiration always comes from the same place – from materials, colours and the feelings they conjure up.
"Knitted Chair" by Soojin Kang. Photo by Markus Schroder
Soojin is fighting against the mass-production and the disposable fashion, that she says are deeply problematic, with her needles and thread. Dressed Chairs are inspired by traditional crafts and antique raw materials, handmade by herself. Soojin faces the current fast changing trends and low prices that promote consumers to buy more than they need, pushing people to easily throw away their objects, by using antique furniture meaning that each of her pieces are entirely unique. Dressed Chair challenges a new aesthetic statement and crossing the boundaries of art and design.
"Knitted Chair" by Soojin Kang. Photo by Markus Schroder
"I believe that the lack of consciousness with which people easily throw their objects away will increase in the future even more. It is important now therefore that we need to consider our basic needs and what we already possess, and to use these materials wisely and beautifully. Using craft techniques and a combination of antique and raw materials is the logical means by which I work through these issues. The craft traditions convey a considered thought process and have always recognized the value in reusing and repurposing."
"Patched Chair" by Soojin Kang. Photo by Ania Wawrkowicz
The "Dressed Jewellery" collection aims to convey the beauty of traditional crafts and dysfunctional objects and how they challenge traditionally established perceptions in between fashion, design and art. It asks to what extent such boundaries are blurred and how they can be overcome. The collection consists of a range of entirely unique and meaningful, hand-made, jewellery pieces - nothing too fancy just simple designs that stick in the observer's mind. Each item is hand made without patterns and represents permanent experimentation which plays with aesthetics, function and materials. This experimental design process states new emotional aesthetics and avant-garde thinking about the use of antique objects.
"Ring" by Soojin Kang. Photo by Markus Schroder
"Knitted Necklace" by Soojin Kang. Photo by Markus Schroder
