A ROLLING SUCCESS
MEET EDEN TAN: THE DESIGNER THAT CONQUERED CSM WITH SIX ROLLS OF UNCUT FABRIC
Just over a month ago, the prestigious Central Saint Martin’s University presented their annual BA Graduate Showcase in Kings Cross, London. A total of 134-graduate collections were put on display to attendees as they watched them walk down one after the other inside the concrete/glass Granary Square campus. The show, renowned for its delivery of drama and innovative fashion talent, did not disappoint this year. Nor did it leave the front row glazed with indifference.
One menswear designer, Eden Tan, shone through the crowd to take home the L’Oréal Professional Young Talent Award with his collection titled, “On Borrowed Fabric”. A tongue-in-cheek name for a collection consisting of six looks that were all attached to a roll of uncut fabric – some of which needed to be carried down the runway by extra pairs of hands behind the models.
Not Just A Label sits down with Eden to discuss life after Central Saint Martins, why he thinks his graduate collection secured him the top prize, and his thoughts on the fashion industry.
All images courtesy of Eden Tan and Central Saint Martins
FIRSTLY, CONGRATULATIONS ON THE L'ORÉAL PROFESSIONAL YOUNG TALENT AWARD. HOW HAS LIFE BEEN SINCE?
It’s been fun and exciting. The work I presented at the show rolled into more work relating to the same topic. Right now, I’m working on a custom piece for a magazine which is a piece attached to a roll of fabric, but the roll goes both ways, so it’s essentially two garments. I’m finding my feet and seeing where I land, but also figuring out what I really want to do.
BEFORE WE JUMP INTO WHAT YOU'VE BEEN UP TO RECENTLY, I WANTED TO ASK SOMETHING ABOUT YOUR EARLY YEARS. WAS FASHION ALWAYS ON YOUR RADAR?
I’m not overly interested in fashion to be honest. I think I’m understanding most people’s way into fashion is by initially being interested in the culture of it, but I’ve never really been interested in that. I’m more into making objects which have a narrative about how they were made, and less into how they are worn or who they’re worn by.
YOUR COLLECTION WAS CALLED 'ON BORROWED FABRIC', EXPLAIN THE MEANING BEHIND THAT NAME?
There’s multiple aspects to it. Firstly, you’ve got the metaphor ‘On Borrowed Time’. Secondly, I had the idea that the fabric I’m using is borrowed from humanity and nature. I didn’t grow or harvest the fabric - so essentially, that fabric belongs to all the people involved. Partly to me because I bought it, but also to everyone. When you’re working with old jackets, for example, you’re limited to whatever the previous pattern cutter decided when they cut that fabric. So for me it was considering how do I preserve this fabric so it can be used again and could pass through me later.
CAN YOU TALK TO ME ABOUT THE TECHNIQUES USED TO CREATE THE COLLECTION?
I’m glad you’ve asked me this because all the techniques I used were basic sewing techniques. It’s all about using the fabric in a considered way. It was about doing as little as I could to the fabric, whilst maintaining the ambition of making people believe the pieces are clothes. I could have just unrolled a roll of fabric out, or I could have cut the fabric up and made clothes – I wanted to find a point in the middle.
I'M CURIOUS TO KNOW AT WHAT POINT DURING YOUR STUDIES DID THE OVERALL IDEA FOR YOUR SHOW HAPPEN?
The original idea at the start of the school year was to have all six looks connected to the same roll of fabric. Five months later the project had evolved so I decided to scrap that and instead for the practical nature of things use different rolls of fabric for each piece. Basically, it was going to go round a runway much easier if everyone’s got their own roll of fabric.
FASHION UNIVERSITIES STIR UP QUITE A REPUTATION. NOW YOU'RE ON THE OTHER SIDE, CAN YOU TELL ME WHAT YOUR EXPERIENCE WAS LIKE?
I was disappointed in Central Saint Martin’s until the last year, I didn’t feel challenged enough a lot of the time. I wanted someone to come in and put a spanner in the works every once in a while. Then, in the last couple of weeks before the show, I realised Central Saint Martins is quite an incredible place. All the people that have come before at this show, it’s kind of this unwritten brief about what it is. It’s going to attract a lot of attention, it’s a lot of ideas in their raw form, you aren’t forced to make something too practical, you don’t have to sell it. The way I looked at it is that this was my last opportunity to do work where it was just experimental before stepping into the real world. This show made me understand Central Saint Martin’s place in things a bit better. If I was at any other university, what happened at the show probably wouldn’t have happened. I feel really lucky about the whole experience.
WE'VE WITNESSED FASHION SHOWS OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS COMBINE ELEMENTS OF PERFORMANCE ART. YOUR COLLECTION REALLY ENCAPSULATED THAT, WAS THAT INTENTIONAL?
Definitely. The reason it ended up being a performance is because as a sustainably minded designer doing a project about waste, and then making something which wasn’t practical, was only going to come out as one thing. A performance. It had to create an emotional effect, otherwise I’d have been better off just not doing it at all. If it wasn’t a performance and I’d just cut the roll of fabric off, they are just boring garments that nobody would look twice at.
THERE WAS SO MUCH ON OFFER FOR US TO LOOK THE NIGHT OF THE SHOW. WHY DO YOU THINK YOUR WORK STOOD OUT AND WON?
I feel like this work ticks a lot of different boxes which are relevant for a lot of different people. Some people enjoy the process of how it’s made, some people enjoyed the rhythm of how it came down the runway, some enjoyed the overall performance, and some just liked how it looked.
ARE YOU PLANNING ON HEADING INTO THE FASHION INDUSTRY?
I have no plans on going into the fashion industry as it is for the moment. I think it’s sometimes easier to make a change from the outside of the industry, than it is inside. Otherwise I think you run the risk of getting stuck in the same cycle behind someone else just making clothes. Maybe by being able to have an influence on sustainable alternatives and making it a viable option, might force a change from the outside in. Maybe.
