Published 5/30/2017
One of my larger projects this year was also something rather spontaneous. I designed and constructed a jacket for an up-and-coming musician in Germany, Beranger Gras. I was excited to work with Beranger because his music is a mix of classical and grunge sounds. Not only is his style really cool and unique, but his way of mixing and pairing the old with the new is what I try to do with Anagrassia and Ukrainian folkwear/embroidery.
(Check out his work here: WEBSITE, INSTAGRAM, and FACEBOOK. And if you’re lucky enough to hear him in the streets, it sounds amazing live!)
The story begins back in January. There’s another story of how we actually met, but that’s too big a tangent! After we started talking we soon started brainstorming ideas & designs. He had a few structural ideas before we nailed down the final designs. (Some of the concepts were either impossible for me to do with my machines or difficult to do without any fittings with Beranger.)
One of the designs we had planned was a full silk velvet jacket. The full silk velvet jacket would have been firm and padded, that is, not soft like the silk velvet smoking jacket I’ve made in the past. However, just before cutting the final jacket, I stopped by my (very knowledgeable and experienced) drycleaner to see if it would be possible for him to help me with the velvet pressing/fusing. During my visit, my drycleaner warned me about the risks of making a silk velvet jacket. Silk velvet CANNOT get wet. Water would likely leave watermarks and ruin the nap of the velvet. Also, it is nearly impossible to fix silk velvet with a flattened/damaged nap. Because Beranger would be performing outdoors and the jacket would need to be wrapped and shipped to him abroad, Beranger and I decided that it was best not to do a FULL velvet jacket.
After scratching the full velvet jacket design, I was short on time for finding the exact fabric I had in mind, so I crossed my fingers and drove to Fishman’s Fabrics in Chicago in search of fabric and buttons. Fishman’s Fabrics didn’t have what I originally hoped for, but I found an end-of-bolt piece* of black and burgundy wool fabric. The weight of the wool was lighter than I wanted, but I liked the texture and colors of the wool.
(*There was not enough wool to make the back vent we originally hoped to create on the jacket.)
The buttons I found at Fishman’s Fabrics were perfect! Not only did I really like the brass, but the symbolism of the buttons are perfect! I chose the fleur-di-les buttons down the front because Beranger is French and the eagle buttons on the cuff because I am American and eagles represent a kind of free-spirited strength, which pretty much embodies Beranger’s new music. The eagle is also a part of German national symbolism. I think the design brings all these places together and this makes the jacket all the more meaningful given that it will always be a reminder of this present moment in Beranger’s life. Another reason why clothes are so special!
The jacket is lined with a modal cotton, poly lining, and silk/cotton fabric. I originally hoped to line the jacket with silk, but unfortunately I did not have black silk in stock and no time to go back to Fishman’s Fabrics. (The silk may have insulated Beranger’s body better, but hopefully these other fabrics last longer with wear.)
I could go on with more jacket design details, but I’ll spare you and save myself some time to enjoy Memorial weekend!
As soon as I finished the jacket, I shipped it out to Beranger. However after the USPS exchange with DHL (which is the official German postal service) the jacket disappeared for over 2 months. To this day, we still can’t make sense of the tracking on the package and the random addresses where it was sent. After 6 weeks and a filed claim I really thought the jacket was gone for good.
Then as inexplicably as it vanished, one day the jacket just showed up in my mail, one week before I left for my trip to Europe. It was super ironic given that I would be passing through the same city that Beranger was scheduled to play.
So I could just bring it with me!
When Beranger and I first connected earlier this year, neither one of us thought I would hand-deliver his jacket almost 6 months after starting it, and “busk” around Bonn/Cologne, Germany together with the drummer, Todd.
So despite the long wait and crazy circumstances I can’t help but think that the chaos of life can actually make better, more exciting endings to stories along the way. What started as artistic collaboration almost ended in a huge upset, but then took a turn and surprised me in the best way possible: a cold beer and a good laugh in Cologne with new friends!
Beranger Gras and Todd James have great music, but they are even better guys. I hope they make their way to the States soon so everyone here can meet them and hear their music live!
And hopefully you’ll see them wearing better Anagrassia jackets/coats in the future 😉
