Last year, I got a call asking me if I could produce some ties on mannequins for Tom Ford’sbondage-inspired fashion collection. I have to admit, the name meant nothing to me but that’s nothing new, I hadn’t heard of any of the great makers and shakers involved with the LOVE shoot either. On the other hand, I don’t suppose any of them have even heard of Akechi Denki.
I have to say, I felt rather conspicuously out of place entering the luxurious reception in my scruffy biker gear, then being ushered through immaculate showrooms, but 2-wheels is the only way in central London. We ended up in a windowless back-room with a gaggle of mannequins, crammed with dress rails and a mood board filled with various bondage pictures. I didn’t get to meet ‘His Fordship’ but here I was briefed by several assistants that the idea was to create some ties on the shop dummies using rope and various other materials.
If you have ever tried to tie a standard shop mannequin or any hard object with rounded sides, you will appreciate how much we rely on ‘give’ in the object to keep rope in place. Hard mannequins are damn slippery. The other challenge was not being able to include arms, as there weren’t any. Keeping rope in place under these conditions is challenging. On reflection, it would have been a whole lot easier to use a real model, not to mention more enjoyable. It was hard to create an aesthetic that pleased me, especially since some of the materials were about as easy to tie with as garden hose.
When several ties had been completed, I was somewhat surprised when one of the seamstresses sewed all the intersections, then painstakingly began to cut the ‘ropes’ off. It was at this stage I discovered that the idea was to allow them to be refitted over clothing using clasps. As you might imagine, this played havoc with tension. My mental picture was of the ties being used as inspiration for cord trim integrated into a dress, rather than an accessory worn over a dress. It appears that only a fairly standard hishi body tie, made using something like an up-market version of bungy cord in black, worked. It has been the only design to surface so far of which I am aware. Sadly, this was my least favourite piece but, hey, it made it into premier league designer wear. Who am I do question Mr Ford’s choice? I’m hardly a dedicated follower of fashion, so entirely unqualified on the subject. Mind you, I have never felt that lack of knowledge should be a hindrance in expressing my opinion. It is certainly never an area in which I would have foreseen myself contributing and I feel honoured, if somewhat bemused, to have done so at this level. These pieces featured in the Paris show of his bondage inspired spring collection.
You can catch a glimpse at 1:17 in this video: