PART 1/3 | DESIGNER BLOG

Antoni and Alison

Antoni Burakowski and Alison Roberts, designer duo behind British, print based womenswear collections with titles such as 'Models walking up and down in dresses'. They've been creating for almost three decades having met on a boat party during their first term at CSM, today they have an impressive archive of collections that have been shown at LFW, a number of exhibitions under their belt and two shops, one of which was renovated to incorporate a tea room upstairs.

Triple A's spring/summer 2009 collection amused me; I like their printed garments and I like that at first glance they are somewhat flat looking on simple silhouettes, I like that when you pay more attention you're made aware of the details, the objects that have been used and then the clarity of the printed object, which in contrast gives the garment a livelier, more 3D appearance. Antoni and Alison are good at collaging objects, enlarging particular areas and re-piecing them together before photographing and digitally printing their designs onto silk; their photographs capture shadows and visible fibres which may be why seemingly flat prints trick the eye into thinking that layers or appliqué are present when they most certainly aren't.

 

Often their collage compose of found textures; scraps of fabrics, cellophane, bin bags and even the underneath of a biscuit are juxtaposed against the duo's own felt pen scribbles and more definite items like sequins and decorative trims - which for a textiles designer is v exciting. My favourite pieces from A&A collections are the ones that focus on the giant scribbles and scrawls, mostly S/S 13, they don't evoke any meaning for me but definitely remind me of younger years when you'd pick up a pen in your favourite colour, doodle and let the pen dry up because you didn't care to put the lid back on - that's probably why I like Antoni and Alison, it's not a concept kinda thing, it's a carefree, D.I.Y, kiddy-doodle kinda aesthetic, something I thought about during my print rotation and how I went about completing observational drawings in my weave sketchbook. I think the visuals in their collections are very fitting for the subculture I am researching. Riot grrrls tended to be a young group of people all about collaging, crafting and creating things that don't conform to social norm or style, however, riot grrrl culture is majorly concerned with a deeper context but doesn't particularly give two hoots about what others outside perceive them as. Interestingly, I found an interview between the pair and blogger, Susie Lau of stylebubble.co.uk below is a snipet in which they discuss their inspiration and the type of woman they design for.

Alison: We've always loved that teenage mindset where you can do anything with your life and we've always wanted to capture that.  

Antoni: The girls we think of (when we design) is like how we were as art students.  That memory of girls at college.      

Alison: We followed this teenager around the Tate Modern.  She sort of 'slid' her way around the gallery but she looked so cool  She couldn't be bothered.  

Antoni: Another was a girl on the bus!   

Alison: And interestingly, it's not always a fashion person.  People that don't think they're great are always the best.  

Antoni: Teenagers that are trying are always interesting.  I love that.  

Alison: It's that spirit that isn't jaded by what's going to sell and what trends are what.

As mentioned previously, riot grrrl culture was and today still is popularised by a young following, (not forgetting the original riot gals who were asked to move to the front of the crowd of Bikini Kill gigs or sisters who organised local groups/built networks by way of letter tho, luv ya) similarly Antoni and Alison design with a younger generation in mind, without having read this you could have mustered a guess by looking at their SS/13 collection in particular, I can't help but see a correlation between the harshness of brushstrokes and the 'I don't give a fuck' thought that may have been running through the designers' minds as they painted them.

Something else A&A have in common with riot girl culture: slogans. If you look back at their SS02 collection there's heavy use of nonsense slogans emblazoned on t-shirts sit ironically over coordinating garments. Similarly with riot girls, slogans on t-shirts, the backs of customised jackets and zines were popularised and used to address sexism and empower, slogans like 'revolution girl style now' and 'rebel girl' among others were used by girls who wanted to and made decisions and achieved things independently of men or the social/political movement that this subculture wanted to reject. The term Riot Grrrl came about through a letter from Bratmobile member, Jen Smith to co-member, Allison Wolfe: 'this summer's going to be a girl riot', which was in regards to the Mount Pleasant Race Riots in 1991. Soon after a collaboration began between members of various RG bands; the creation of zine, 'Riot Grrrl' - the letters in girl were replaced with a triple R as a way of taking back the derogatory use of the word, the growl also suggests the anger behind the movement and the term entirely suggests civil unrest.