Dear Dust,

In reference to the aforementioned dysfunctionality of dusturbance, I find that kOs as I wanted it to be has also proved to be dysfunctional. For, in short, I have become rather weary of fashion. I am quite content with my own private collection and have finally shed the career which required scrubs as a uniform. And so, when at at the end of the F/W 12 Fashion Weeks I find myself completely underwhelmed (and even outright appalled at the sameness and/or thoughtlessness of some collections), I'm almost not even that bothered. Even when that means I am hard-pressed to find something I feel compelled to post.

But then I remember that there are great indie designers out there that are trying so hard to get a spot on the Fashion Week stage or, forgetting that dream, at least try to keep to the six-month cycle of large labels. That (at least in most cases) is what is heartbreaking, as ideas don't have time to develop, only samples are created, relationships aren't built with potentially life-long customers, and enough money isn't made to afford to continue on long at all. I have the utmost respect for designers like you, and like Lauren Jones, who don't try to deny their conflict of interest with fashion, and that honesty is much more important to the process of designing than anything those sitting in the front row might be able to tell you. Without such honesty, one might not even be able to pinpoint their favorite colour, or wouldn't be able to enjoy a delightful person named Alice.

Dust, I accept your invitation to join you on this (dysfunctional) quest. And, by the way, my favorite colour is green.

Cheers,

Steff

The above is a response to an open letter from Dust of dusturbance, a long-time favorite of kOs. We had previously planned a big collaborative project, but then stuff happened, I kept going to NY, more stuff happened, etc., etc. That thread has been picked up again here, and I'm interested to see where it will go. In addition to pretty dresses, dusturbance has some of the most intriguing ideas I've read concerning fashion, so I think you may be interested to follow along in our quest as well. May I also suggest that you read the other side of the conversation at dusturbance.net so that you don't feel like you're eavesdropping on only one end of a phone call. And, as always, you are more than welcome to join in the conversation via comments and/or emails.

Oh, and the song above is a new tune released today from a local band (i.e. just down the street from me) that just happens to be one of my favorites to see live. The title of the song is also rather fitting for the topic/mood of my letter.