This morning I stumbled upon an interesting website called MUUSE which features a fantastic selection of new fashion grads from various schools around the world, and which allows these emerging designers to sell their designs. I know, not a new idea, as NJAL and ARCADEMI both do that. MUUSE also does a similar thing to FashionStake, where a piece needs a certain amount of votes before it's put into production and available for ordering. Such a design might not even exist as a sample before it gets the go ahead from MUUSE's visitors and potential customers, and may only be a conceptual drawing until that point. However, the thing MUUSE does that is different and, I must admit, a wee bit perplexing is that MUUSE employs their own duo of tailors to both sew and ship (in/from their studio in Copenhagen) every piece that is ordered, meaning that the designer's involvement stops at the design. It may just be that I'm too used to my favorite designers on Etsy who design/market/sew/ship/everything their own designs. And I know that a lot of designers don't have the time or money (and sometimes don't have all the required skills) to be involved in the production aspect of their work. But I can't help but think that it's a bit weird to have the same two tailors recreate (with permission) the works of dozens of different designers, especially when it's not a mass production/sweatshop situation. And, having said that, I have no idea how the fashion world works outside of Etsyland. Thoughts?
Anyway, these are a couple of my favorite pieces that have received enough votes to be available to purchase from MUUSE. The above is a waxed cotton origami coat by London College of Fashion grad Holly Somers. I could see myself wearing this nearly every day (especially since I never got a hold of that blazer by kOs favorite Dori Tomcsanyi). And the below is a wool jacket by Antwerp Fashion Academy grad Nathalie Fordeyn. I quite like the idea of the collection, entitled 'Puppets', though the person-on-a-string look may mean I wouldn't get a lot of wear out of it. Though maybe it would be perfect for the winter, as it definitely has some room for a nice thick scarf in there. Hmm...
