Our Voice
To me, making clothes is the act of deconstructing them.
Deconstruction
A philosophical term coined by Jacques Derrida during the 60´s. It is a process that invites us to consider our reality from a new dimension to see beyond what is presented as “natural, obvious, or common sense”.
This concept has something subversive that seduces me tremendously because at the end of the process, some kind of transformation may arise.
Getting involved in projects that stimulate transformation is in my DNA. I was trained in Political Sciences, and I have always been concerned about situations that can lead into a fairer, equitable and integrated environment. This has been and still is my main engine of desire and action. On this basis, the world of creativity and aesthetics has served me as a universe to explore change. Cus is born from the confluence of these interests. It’s a fascinating lever from where to develop small steps towards transformation.
Having approached the making of garments from the perspective of Deconstruction, has led me to develop this process considering three ideas: Denaturation, De-identification and Politicization.
DENATURATION
When we approach clothing, we often value it from an aesthetic and economic point of view. We relate to it as if it comes out from nowhere, when, in fact, it is the result of human work. We erase its production traces.
I have always denatured the usual process of approaching a garment. Usually, it’s seen as an object that comes from nowhere, when it fact, it’s the result of human work. We erase all traces of the production process.
But from the moment that we consider a new way of approaching a garment, we become aware that it is an object made by and for us, then it is inevitable to have the impulse of wanting to produce it keeping in mind the people, the materials and the energy involves in the process. Thus, we constantly ask ourselves about the consequences of our activity: the impact has to be positive for all the actors involved, and the planet is among those actors too.
Another dimension from where I like to make an approach to clothes through Denaturation is on the relationship that is stablished between an object of desire and the desiring subject. With denaturation, looking through what is natural and what is constructed, we propose to shorten the distance between the way a design is displayed and the woman or man to whom it is addressed. One more step to bring the person who wears a garment closer to the person who makes it. We like the idea of blurring the hierarchy and excessive fiction that exists in design stories, without giving up the excellence and attractiveness of a garment.
POLITICIZATION
We seek to be consistent with the decisions we make and discard those that do not seem legitimate, ethical or reasonable to us. There is something political on this, and Cus is a professional project that, above all, is personal.
DE-IDENTIFICATION
I have never felt identified with the concept of clothing brand, and I have preferred to develop my project through a process of disidentification from what a brand is intended to be or do. It is more suggestive to build a project on the go without having to follow a preconceived path or having to place myself on any category.
On the other hand, regarding personal identity, De-Identification allows us to invent hybrid and changing identities, and to transform, discard, or preserve parts of our being as we evolve. I believe that the clothing we choose in our day to day has a fundamental role in personal construction.
