Interviews with Industry Experts - Jannike Sommar
Jannike Sommar
WITH THE AMBITION TO CREATE HER OWN QUEER UNIVERSE IN FASHION, OUTSIDE OF THE HETERONORMATIVE APPROACH, JANNIKE MOVED TO BELGIUM AT A YOUNG AGE AND WAS ONE OF THE SIX MASTER STUDENTS WHO GRADUATED FROM THE PRESTIGIOUS ROYAL ACADEMY OF FINE ARTS ANTWERP, IN 2016.
AFTER RECEIVING THE BELMODO AWARD CERTIFICATE OF AMAZINGNESS FOR HER MASTER COLLECTION, JANNIKE KEPT PUSHING HER INSTANTLY-RECOGNIZABLE STYLE DEFINED BY THE USE OF BRIGHT COLORS, EMBROIDERIES AND SIGNATURE PATCHWORK FIGURES.
Questionnaire
PERSONAL
How would you describe your gender identity? SHE
How do you feel about the attitudes towards gender today?
There is still a huge work to be done. The
concepts of gender fluidity are definitely getting more space into mainstream
media but we are way far from reaching equality.
What steps do you think are important for society to take to
become more gender inclusive?
The first step is improving the educational
system so that people learn to be more open for everyone. People are afraid of what they
don´t know and it is easy to get affected by layers of prejudice that was built
throughout generations. From an early age children should have eyes opened to get more
interest in other people, gender identities, and the idea of inclusivity.
BRANDING
On scale of 1 to 10, how inclusive do you feel branding (packaging
design, logos etc.) is in today's western world?
2
Why have you chosen this score?
The brand Jannike Sommar was conceived from the
need of more inclusivity and getting out of normative patterns.
What form of branding would you like to see more of?
I would like to see more branding that focus on
diversity in all aspects: from casting, to collaborations, to the choice of medias, to the
final delivered message.
Do you feel there has been progress towards branding with a more gender
inclusive direction? How?
In fashion we see more and more representation
of gender fluidity nowadays. Non-binary collections are getting more popular,
as well as transgender models and mixed runways. So yes, there has been
progress towards branding with a more gender inclusive direction. However this
progress is not yet reflected on a management level, the biggest fashion groups in the world are
still managed by straight
gender-normative people.
Below are images of different types of branding for skincare
products.
Which appeal to you and why?
I like the BASIK line, which mixes colours on the presentation. I feel it like
a first sign of diversity
from the brand. The design also looks functional and more outside of the box.
FASHION
How would you describe your style?
Androgynous nerd. I mostly dress in androgyn
clothing and I like garments with a nerdy style.
When you dress, what are the main factors that direct your choices
of outfit (eg. comfort)?
Comfort, silhouette and self-confidence.
= Common
answer always comfort
What clothing makes you feel confident?
Blazers with shoulder pads and biker leather
jackets. And the shoes are really important, if I have a great shoe I feel
confident. I need a bigger shoe to get my silhouette right.
On scale of 1 to 10, how inclusive do you feel fashion (clothing,
accessories etc.) is in today's western world?
I would say (2).
Why have you chosen this score?
The whole fashion industry is still based on
binary norms – female and male collections – even if we are starting to see
some progress.
What form of fashion would you like to see more of (such as gender
neutral, more bold colours, more skirts for men and so on)?
The fashion I like the most is when a brand feels genuine, unique and
have strong story. I want to see more personal stories and unique starting
points. When I feel this at a brand it gets my interest.
Do you feel there has been progress towards fashion with a more
gender inclusive direction? How?
Yes I think so. Off course there is more that
needs to be done. But some progress has definitely been made. We see more and
more genderless fashion. And feminine/ masculine fashion is mixing freely
between genders. And we see more transgender models in fashion, but I hope to
se more. And I hope for more gender inclusivity. The more diversity we see the
more inclusive it becomes. And the more knowledge we spread.
I hope for the future of fashion weeks that we don´t need separate men
and women fashion weeks anymore. It feels old to separate into to
genders when there are much more fluidity then 2 genders. I wish we could have genderless
fashion weeks, simple as that, if we even need fashion weeks. I am hoping for a
slower fashion world where we produce less and launch when we feel our work is
ready. That is how I am planning my brand.
USER EXPERIENCE
[ Definition the overall experience of a person using a product such as a
website or computer application, especially in terms of how easy or pleasing it
is to use ]
What has
your experience been with websites and social media platforms when choosing
your gender?
I identify as a woman, and as we know this option is always
available. Even if it´s not necessarily a problem to me, every time I need to
choose a gender on an online form, it feels strange to me. I can´t see the need
for it and I wish we could remove
this step. I think of how hard this step is for gender non-conforming
people and I wish the world was more fluid in this sense. If we need to keep on
choosing our gender, then at least the option “Other” should always be
available.
Do you
feel like social media is gender inclusive?
Social media gives as much
opportunity to inclusive people as it gives to discriminatory people.
It all depends on how we use it, who we follow, which priorities we
take. I try to prioritize, support and follow people and platforms that are
working on gender inclusivity messages.
Do you feel there has been progress towards user experience with a
more gender inclusive direction? How?
I have seen progress in the past years in terms of inclusivity
regarding gender. We certainly see more representation and fluidity on
commercial and institutional websites, as well as online forms and Ad
campaigns.
When filling an online form for instance I see that the titles
“Father” and “Mother” are starting to be replaced by “Parent 1” and “Parent 2”.
I also see that old titles as Mister and Miss are starting to disappear or have
the option “none” added. Nevertheless I still would like to see much more
progress in terms of artistic direction: having gender non-conforming people
more represented on the imagery of the whole user experience.
From
best to worse, how would you compare gender inclusivity in branding, fashion
and user experience?
It seems to me that gender inclusivity is more present in the branding side than in the
user experience side of fashion. We can see some brands doing mixed
runway shows, using trans-people models and carrying and gender fluid marketing
campaigns, while in the same time their e-shops still present “Female” OR
“Male” collections and gender normative imagery.
Which
has progressed the most?
The fashion shows in my opinion.
Which
has the most potential to progress?
The user experience I would say
YOUR PRACTICE
You have
described wanting to create a Queer Universe in fashion, outside of the heteronormative
approach. What is involved in a heteronormative universe of fashion?
The constant representation of exclusively binary gender is involved in a heteronormative approach.
Is there
anything in this heteronormative universe of fashion which particularly angers
or irritates you? Why?
The precise representation of exclusively binary gender disturbs me
in regards to fashion. The separation of Women´s fashion week, Men´s fashion
week, as well as the binary commercial collections. Finally I feel frustrated
seeing the lack of queer people in the direction of fashion groups.
How do you
feel the visual language of your own work interplay with queer design, for
example, your bright colours, embroideries and signature patchwork figures?
Queer design can be so much, it has to be personal, it has to bring
personal stories and feel genuine. That is what I am aiming for. What I create
is very personal. I design for my queer community and I also find my
inspiration there. I live in a queer universe and I am collaborating with queer
people. This is what makes my work queer.
My most important pieces are the kissing pieces. Those are the ones
I designed first for the capsule. I wanted to create a clear and easy statement
queer piece. The vision was to create a queer kiss with inspiration from pop
art. Queer culture and pop art inspiration are the two most important basics in
my work. They truly inspire my visual language.
You
designed your recent sweatshirts as genderless. Is your overall practice gender
inclusive or was this decision made specifically for this line?
It is part of my vision, I will always work genderless but I will
probably execute it in
different ways and from different starting points.
How
would you suggest approaching a gender inclusive garment? Is there anything to
avoid or particularly pursue?
First comes the vision that the garment should fit many different
body types. Making the garments in a straight fit and easy to wear. Another way is to make the
garment in a way that the user
can change it, so the design allows you to change the fit or shape.
= this sense of adaptable is
has consistently popped up when talking to different industry experts, so it’s
great Jannike has mentioned it as well while I’m on the direction towards
patches which are very adaptable to each individual as they can keep their own
style and pick and choose
How do
you see your practice developing in the future? Is there a specific direction
you are following or goal you are aiming to reach?
I want to keep collaborating with queer people and push the
envelope in terms of community engagement. I want my business to be more
socially engaged, forward thinking and political.
Which
other gender inclusive designers do you admire?
Francisco Terra (Neith Nyer), Victor Weinsanto (Weinsanto), Alejandro Gómez Palomo (Palomo Spain).
ANALYSIS + REFLECTION
> Similar responses to others in the beginning section of general gender inclusive questions although there has been mixed responses between whether fashion has progressed the most or needs to progress more
> Lowest ratings compared to others however on each section of how inclusive they are. As expected those who have had difficulty with their gender in society give lower ratings than those who have never faced hardship around the topic (eg. white cis straight male gave 6/10 compared to jannike who is trans women who gives 2/10)
> There is a priority on comfortability when talking about clothing choices by all participants who answered these sets of questions
> The patches idea enables those to wear their own clothes and therefore will be able to prioritise comfortability or whatever feelings they want to have when picking outfits
> The comment on online platforms for brands that produce gender neutral and inclusive clothing being divided into male and female still shows how important it is that throughout the whole brand's ethos and outputs it reflects this inclusive ideology (essential that with the outputs in the branding stage this is done)
GENDER INCLUSIVE DESIGNER RESEARCH
Neith Nyer
You’ve always liked to disrupt the lines, to deconstruct iconic pieces of the classic wardrobe: the perfecto, the jean, the bombers. It’s always like a recarving work from a garment we already know. Can you tell us more about the genesis of your creative process?
As I said my main source of research is thrift
shopping. I like giving a new life to existing pieces and shapes. I don’t
believe in conceptual fashion, I like clothes that can be worn, and nowadays
there is not much to be invented. A dress will always be a dress, so creativity
has to live through detailing.
> This designer's use of thrift shop clothes is very on par with my direction
> Seeing research that consistently aligns with what I'm doing is positive in iterating to me that the decisions made about the patches and using the models clothes is the correct
Weinsanto
Comments
Post a Comment