“The car is the ultimate extension of the human body, a mobile exoskeleton that redefines our relationship to time, space, and flesh.” — David Cronenberg on the making of ‘Crash’ (1996)
Named after Cronenberg's film, the collection Crash embodies a tension between body and machine. Cars have become an extension of the human body and a symbol of progress. In our rush toward modernity - the constant push for more speed, more efficiency - automobile machines have placed our movement, our time, and our sense of self on a track towards an inevitable collision.
The silhouettes of Crash - Hoodies, bomber jackets, and armored denim - are distorted versions of performance automobile clothing and still retain their utility.
Conceptually, Crash confronts the unsustainability within our constant pursuit of technological progress. This idea is translated directly into the collection’s sustainable construction techniques, where automobile waste materials are transformed into new garments. A repurposed car cover becomes a bomber jacket, old sports T-shirts stitched together form a skirt, and rusted gear chains are used as a dye for jersey.
Functionality is enhanced by the use of emerging technologies in the construction of the collection. Laser-cut lace that echoes the quilting of car seats, denim surfaces are dyed and waxed to resemble cracked glass, and seams are bolted together with steel. Construction was informed by the logic of hardware assembly. Fastenings, clips, and repurposed tyres and knee pads act as both structural elements and ornaments.