This interview with Julia Heuer appeared in A&B 9'2020
Julia He uer - an eccentric and bold, uncompromising textile designer who creates prints for fashion houses such as Christian Dior, Comme des Garçons and Calvin Klein. She talks about the creative process, what's important to her in design and design exploration. Julia Heuer was interviewed by Dominika Drozdowska about beauty (pessimistic, though joyful) and an open-minded approach to life, the future of fashion and the planet.
Dominika Drozdowska: In your works you combine the traditional arashi shibori technique with contemporary technologies. How do you combine tradition and modernity?
Julia Heuer: In what way do I do it.... Trick question [laughs]. It's true, my work centers around these aspects. On the one hand, modernity, which inspires me a lot, and on the other hand, traditional techniques and handicrafts, of which I am a real fan. This combination of modernity and tradition came quite naturally. I discovered Japanese arashi shibori during my studies and immediately liked the simplicity and accessibility of the technique. Others require tools to work with: looms, machines and the like, meanwhile arashi shibori can practically be done by yourself at home. I am a believer in this technique because I can translate it into my work. When I became a fabric designer at the Swiss company Jakob Schlaepfer after college, I became involved in graphic design of fabrics, which is mainly done with computer programs. Interestingly, before that, I used to paint fabrics by hand, with a brush on the fabric. At some point, all this - tradition and modernity - naturally merged.
The designer uses the arashi shibori technique
Photo: Julia Heuer
Dominika: So, if I understand correctly, you design prints and patterns by computer and then give pleating using the arashi shibori technique?
Julia: Exactly.
Dominika: The result you get with arashi shibori seems quite unpredictable. With years of experience, are you in full control of the process? Are you a master of this technique?
Julia: I wouldn't say that I am a master. Masters are people who perform arashi shibori every day for a lifetime. The technique also has many different aspects. I have dealt with one of them. Arashi sh ibori is usually used to dye fabric. The fabric needs to be threaded onto a tube, tied with thread, put into the dye, and taken out. Primarily silk or cotton is used. I use this technique in a slightly different way. I am certainly not the only one, but it is not a common approach. I use polyester fabrics, which I use this technique to give a pleated shape. Instead of a vat of dye, I use an oven. The heat fixes the form of the fabric, so it stays in the shape I gave it. Therefore, I actually do not dye the fabric during this process, but use my own patterned fabrics that I have prepared in advance.
Dominika: So you use arashi shibori to give the fabric form, not color.
Julia: Yes. I have more and more experience, so I can imagine what the result will be. While I'm working, I choose different fabric patterns, in a variety of sizes and colors, and then I pleat them and see which ones work best together. I choose the ones that are worth working on further.
the process of creating fabrics
Photo: Julia Heuer
Dominica: Your products look quite unique. Looking at the assortment of online stores that sell your work, most are sold out. How unique is what you make? How big is the collection?
Julia: At the very beginning we only had unique products - the fabrics were hand-painted - which was actually quite unique. Later we started to prepare a prototype collection, as fashion houses do. From such a collection, stores can order what they are interested in. As for the numbers - it depends on the collection. Some pieces are ordered sporadically, others in much larger numbers. At the moment we have a collection with fifty styles and twenty-three stores. Stores usually choose a few pieces from a style, it depends on who the recipient is: a small boutique or our largest Ssense customer.
Dominica: Would you like your brand to expand? Are you considering mass production?
Julia: Well, the first question I ask myself is where does mass production start. Mass production is global companies like Nike, Inditex. We are far from that business model. But mass production can also mean that you have a store in many countries, or at least in big cities. We currently have three or four stores in Europe, so if someone wanted to try on something from my collection, they would have to order it directly from me. And even though we're expanding the network - we currently have twenty-three stores - that's actually very little on a global scale. So I think the potential for growth and development is great. But it's also important to note that this is a handmade product that can't evolve into mass production, because it takes time, energy and attention to produce. So to some extent it must remain exclusive.
Funny Animals collection, arranged by Pastor/Placzek
Photo: Anais Horn
Dominika: You seem to operate at the intersection of different fields. Are you a designer, an artist or a craftsman?
Julia: I try not to answer this question, I have had a lot of unproductive discussions about it. People have a need to define who you are. Are you a designer? An artist? Textile designers design, but they also work in the field of art, so they may have a problem fitting into this imposed framework. In fifteen years of work, I try to avoid this question - I don't have an answer, and I really don't think it's necessary.
Dominika: Perhaps these days being a designer also means being an artist and a craftsman.
Julia: I think the boundaries are really fluid. Some people are more designers than they think they are, and other designers are more artists. But really who decides that? People think they know how to assign these names, but does it matter that much? I think these issues are just not interesting to me.
Dominika: Unlike arashi shibori, which you still find interesting. What's fascinating about this technique that you haven't gotten bored with it since your studies?
Julia: It is simply beautiful. Every time I take the pleated fabric out of the oven, I say "wow, but it's beautiful!" [laughter]. I surprise myself that I haven't gotten bored with it yet. But I'm simply interested in beauty. Something that is beautiful in itself will always amaze. This is something I really want in my work - to create something timeless that will attract with its beauty. It's a bit like painting, it has qualities in it related to meditation. In that moment, when I open the kiln, I can plunge into my thoughts - it's a moment I appreciate and really enjoy.
Dominica: So the best moment in your work is opening the kiln or some other part of the process?
Julia: My favorite moment is when all the patterns and pleats that I have prepared for a collection come back as finished materials. That's when I start gathering the whole universe of the collection, I love the richness of the patterns and colors. It's impossible to visualize it so accurately when designing, it's only when the materials are ready that you can see the real effect and the interplay of the fabrics with each other. And this is my favorite moment.
Funny Animals collection, arranged by Pastor/Placzek
Photo: Anais Horn
Dominika: Looking at what is coming out from under your hand and eye, I have to ask about inspiration. The variety of patterns, colors, spatial forms. Where did this come from? Is it because Paris, where you live, is so vibrant and diverse?
Julia: It's not Paris [laughs]. I just keep collecting images that catch my attention. I have a huge archive that hides various interests. I'm not one to start the whole process and say what specifically will appear in a particular collection. Rather, I let myself take off and leave the door open to what will happen. I need an impulse, something that interests me, then I gather more threads around it and mix everything together. I have a very open moodboard in my head. While working on my last collection - "Funny animals" - I knew I wanted to create something related to animal patterns. So I started by going through the archives and came up with the idea to redesign animal patterns. I leave a lot of room for the development of different ideas. Coincidences also get a lot of space with me.
Funny Animals collection, arranged by Pastor/Placzek
Photo: Anais Horn
Dominika: The patterns you design are rich and interesting - they could look good not only on clothes, but also in interiors. Do you work with designers, interior designers?
Julia: When I worked for Jakob Schlaepfer, I headed the pattern design department for interiors, so I mainly designed wallpapers for various clients and projects around the world. Huge wallpapers - like paintings - were something I specialized in. We also designed other textile interior finishes. So I have a lot of experience in this field.
Dominika: But later on, however, you went into the fashion industry. Is that more interesting?
Julia: I never really planned it. When I started working as a freelancer, I wanted to be able to work with textiles. And when I started doing pleats, the interest in them became so great that it was a natural focus for me. But I never dreamed of being a fashion designer. It happened because of a good product.
Dominika: When talking about the fashion industry these days, you can't escape the question of climate-related changes or depleting resources. Do you and what do you do in your professional work for the good of the planet?
Julia: I think I've always lived, I don't know if that's the right word, in a sustainable way. I've never been a big consumer, someone who buys a lot and fast. As a textile designer, I didn't want to go in the direction of fast fashion. If you know the processes, you have your own business - why look into the lion's mouth? You try to find the right place for yourself. If you have your own brand - where you produce, how you produce, with what raw materials, can be far from fast fashion. Since I work a lot with polyester, I started looking into this recycled material. Nowadays, there are more and more recycled fabrics available on the market, while just a year ago it was not at all easy to find such a material. Suppliers are really trying to push things forward. There is a lot that can be changed in this industry - you need to focus on better recycling, revise production processes, the place of production, check who is working for you and at what rate. The whole system is not easy - but perhaps now is a good time to change.
Funny Animals collection, arranged by Pastor/Placzek
Photo credit: Anais Horn
Dominika: Change will probably take a long time. Are the companies you work with or customers pushing for your products to be more sustainable? Or do you as a designer motivate your suppliers to change?
Julia: Sometimes people think that only a designer can change the world. However, I think it is a bit more complicated than that. I, for example, am a small designer. Of course I have my supply chain, people working for my brand, but I don't dictate prices. In fact, everyone dictates everything to me: stores - conditions, suppliers - prices. I am not in a position to tell others what to do. At this point, some people say what a designer should and can do, and I wonder: how? Because my influence is not so great. Of course, you can make changes, fit in good standards, and you have to do it, but as much as you can. Of course, I tell my suppliers that I would like to buy recycled polyester. So if all the designers make a similar request, the suppliers will fulfill it. However, if one fights alone - it may not work. So we need to have clout, many people need to get involved to make a difference.
Dominica: So maybe it's not designers, but consumers who will save the world.
Julia: I think both. There is a responsibility on the designer, because we are the ones who create things so that they are cool and the market is interested in them. At the same time, the market has a huge impact on prices, so what stores buy. The issue of price is a big problem.
Dominica:The problem is combining business and money with the environment.
Julia: Yes, exactly. I believe in change, but this change needs time. More and more people are involved and aware, so change is possible. It's just that it doesn't happen quickly. What I can do in my own backyard is to educate those closest to me about the processes and the price - the final price, which includes the cost of production, fabric, human labor, and is often underestimated. Consumers are usually not aware of how prices and costs are determined. And if they understand this, they are more likely to make a better choice and not buy another jacket from a chain store.
Dominica: So will the future of fashion move in the right direction?
Julia: I'm such a pessimistically realistic person. I'm not an optimist - that's my problem [laughs]. We talk about it - so we belong to a very small group of people who are aware and can afford it. We also live a rather luxurious life - we can think about it, but most people don't have this privilege or opportunity, they have to struggle to survive. It's hard to predict how things will turn out. The coronavirus has shown that our plans and expectations can change drastically, and in ways that no one predicted. The change we are waiting for, therefore, will not come soon enough.
Dominica: To end at least a little optimistically - I'll ask about your plans and dreams. You have already achieved a lot, your work has been honored with the Swiss Design Prize, you now run your own brand and thousands of people follow you on Instagram. What are your dreams now and what would you still like to achieve?
Julia: Of course, I have many plans and ideas that I am currently working on. In my professional life, I would like to do what I like and be able to make a living from it. Also to have people around me with whom I can work and share joy. Enjoying success and work is not so fun when you do it alone. Building family relationships in business is really great. I would also like to lead a life with a work-life balance, which is not easy at all. To have time for loved ones and friends, to just feel good. To be satisfied. To be aware that when one faces death, one will be able to say that this life was quite good. Something positive at the end [laughs].
interviewed Dominika Drozdowska
Photo: courtesy of Julia Heuer
