Part 7: Art and Products Through a Fashion Lens (1)
Art and Products Through the Lens of Fashion (Part 1)
After the fall of the Berlin Wall, the city became a hub for avant-garde creatives.
Tucked away in an alley off a fashion street in the former East Berlin is the boutique 'Bless'.
Founded in Berlin in 1997 by Ines Kaag (b. 1970) and Desiree Heiss (b. 1971), Bless began its journey.
While rooted in fashion design, their work spans product design, spatial design, and installations, blurring the lines between design and art.
Visible Wiring
Since their debut in '97, Bless's collections have been categorized by concept with sequential numbering. In the summer of 2005, when I visited Berlin, No. 26 had just been released at their shop.
This No. 26 is the cable jewelry I'm introducing today.
They transform various cords—extension cords, LAN cables, phone chargers, USB cables, and more—into "jewelry" by adorning them with lace, fur, beads, and other embellishments. In the Berlin store, these were artfully intertwined, connecting from the back of staff computers to the outlets.
Cable jewelry, primarily extension cords.
Adorned with lace, fur, beads, and more.
This is the author's personal item.
At the time, my own inclinations were shifting away from modernist design principles. The idea of excessive ornamentation, and conversely, highlighting parts that would normally be hidden, was a revelation.
Fueled by this inspiration, I decided to purchase one, but only prototypes were available then, and most were incompatible with Japan's voltage. I had to abandon the idea.
Finally, last year, they were introduced in Japan. Happily, all were adapted for use in Japan. Bless also participated in the installation "EXTRA SMALL" at The National Art Center, Tokyo this summer, garnering significant attention.