Collection GRAM-À-CAPUCHE
Vilnius College of Design
Supervisor – docent Alevtina Ščepanova
The collection GRAM-À-CAPUCHE aims at reducing the social exclusion of old people by reminding the society of their importance and of the merits of famous Lithuanian artists. The title GRAM-À-CAPUCHE is mixture of English and French slang words, meaning “a granny with a hood” or “a granny in the neighborhood”.
The collection was created exclusively from second-hand clothes and objects. During the thematic analysis the clothing and mannerisms of senior people were observed and documented. The collection’s inspiration draws on silhouettes, style, dimmed colors, accessories and matching with other items of clothing. The collection was inspired by the Vilnius old-timers’ favored formal suit – jacked or pants (often worn together). The suit was deconstructed and combined with other items. The collection’s main accessory – handbags and sacks symbolizing a Lithuanian granny, often seen carrying at least two sacks at a time. Earrings were made from grannies’ hairpins and shawls. White hair shawls serve as an immediate association with a granny. Also, they are used as a printing basis. The collection also features sneakers painted in white – another association with Lithuanian elders and the marvelous contrast of their favored clothing style and shoewear – sneakers.
The collection became a living and walking gallery of the famous Lithuanian photographer Rimantas Dichavičius, whose photographs were printed on fabrics and patched onto clothes, thus alluding to the pre-industrial era when people used to mend and patch clothes multiple times. Artistic patching of a clothing item is a way not only to extend its life-time, but also to increase its value.
Photographer: Enrika Stanulevičiūtė | Models: Diana Makauskienė, Domas Neura
