Fig Leaf Forward

Look: SEED!

As the hoary ol’ tale goes, Adam and Eve sinned when they ate fruit forbidden to them in their Garden home of Eden … God, none-too-happy with his couldn’t-follow-one-simple-rule first couple, opened their eyes to the fact that they were naked … and awesome overall tans aside, A&E were ashamed by what they saw. Faced with this first-ever fashion dilemma (“I need something to wear!”), they went local and sustainable and covered up with fig leaves. Still, eviction soon followed and they were forced to find ways to dress themselves for less-friendly climes … Since then, A&E’s spawn have covered their nakedness with all manner of materials, some of it natural and plant-derived, some not. It’s interesting, but aside from that first leafy camouflage, actual foliage hasn’t featured prominently in fashion … that is until the six-piece ‘SEED’ collection by Egle Cekanaviciute. Above, one look; a jacket with sleeve detailing that shelters what the designer calls “shooting sprouts”. Declaring in her collection’s manifesto that “any human creation is powerless against the power of nature”, SEED is fashion that grows on you — literally.

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The Lithuanian designer used “raw, organic” materials in the making of her fashions; but unlike A&E, her plant materials were woven by machines into fabric, specifically potato sacks and designer canvas. Designed into spare shapes, her minimalist clothing pieces share a unique function: they’re wearable planters for “random plants that have seeded and been growing carelessly in the various parts of the garment”. Cekanaviciute’s idea is an interesting one but to me not really practical … sitting in a work cubicle would be problematic, not to mention in a movie theater or car … and forget about sharing a seat on crowded public transportation; ugly  public pruning incidents would surely ensue. And, where one would keep loose change and Kleenexes when one’s pockets are spilling with ivy is beyond me  …

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Yes, of course, I get that these fashions are conceptual and in fact not meant for anyone to actually wear … the blazer in the first picture — the one with the arms attached to the body — tipped me off.

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To see more of Ms. Cekanaviciute’s work, go to her website by clicking here. You can view the other looks in her 2011 collection, accompanied by their real-world inspirations (see last photo). Click WATCH and see a video from her 2010 collection titled, ‘IT’S ALL AROUND YOU’. Based on the idea that pouty waifs in back braces and granny panties surround us, lolling in windows and teetering on the kind of shoes people with one tragically short leg wear, this previous foray doesn’t share the same earthy vibe as SEED … Oh, well, if anything, fashion is about change, right? … What fashion forward concept is Cekanaviciute proposing for 2012? Quíen sabe? Am I hoping it will be as goofy-groovy as this one? Unashamedly, yes!

Cracked asphalt + crabgrass = party frock!

All photos this post from Cekanaviciute’s website; click website link above for full credit information.