Part of the collection Origin Assured?, 2015.
This project is not only about the origin of materials, but also about Carl’s origin and Danish heritage, the concept of national costume, and his origin as a person and a designer/maker.Origin Assured? draws inspiration from traditional furrier making techniques, and Greenlandic national costume and the nature of Greenland. It makes use of a wide range of materials from mink, goat and seal fur to elephant and eel skin.
When it comes to the origin of materials, very rarely does the end customer know what tannery the leather comes from, or under which conditions the animals lived before they became the shoes just purchased. This collection highlights that lack of knowledge, and forces people question what they think they know about certain materials like leathers, skins and furs. When talking about materials and sustainability the conversation often becomes very black and white, but what are the grey areas? And what happens to all the black when the light of research and knowledge is turned on? Is the Origin of the materials we use always what we think they are?
Material: sustainable seal fur, mink leather and eel skin gilded with 23,5 K gold.
© Carl Blanche
