Martina Squillace: an Art and Fashion Show
Alice Kantor
The Koyaanisqatsi Exhibition
In this women wear collection, named after the
Hindu term of life out of balance, Martina Squillace insists her style is that
of an artist.
Martina
Squillace, a 24 year-old woman, has introduced her new brand of women’s
clothing at the Gallery ArtPlateform in Paris on October 5th, 2013.
The Italian
designer, fresh out of the French fashion school ESMOD, managed to design and
sew by herself an entire collection of twenty-one outfits, in a one-year
period. Taught by a father who owns his own gloves’ industry in Naples and by
schoolteachers at ESMOD, Martina was proud to start the brand she had dreamt of
her entire life.
The
collection, presented from October 5th to October 15th,
was set strategically in a trendy neighborhood. “I chose “Le Marais”, an area
where new galleries open every day. There, buyers wander around and look for
new talents”. The timeline, also, was meticulously picked. The opening of the
Koyaanisqatsi exhibition is on the same day as the Paris Fashion Week’s first
day. During that week, fashion designers and potential clients come to see
fashion shows from international Couture
brands. “As they were heading for the shows, there was a chance buyers would
see my store window”.
The
strategy was successful. Along friends and family, dozens of potential buyers
visited the gallery in the two-week period and showed great interest in
Martina’s work. Martina mentions she was glad when she realized people
appreciated her style, what she calls her universe.
“This exhibition
is not about money, it is about art.“ In this collection called after the Hindu
term meaning life out of balance, Martina insists that her
intentions are artistic. Inspired by a song from Philippe Glass and
a documentary of his, she tries in her work to represent the inner conflict
between man and nature.
The way
natural catastrophes like volcanoes and earthquakes destroy human beings, the
world, in her opinion, is filled with materials and superficial elements, which
covertly contaminate the human body. Her designs represent the hardship that is
trying to walk down the line of life (literally in her work) without derailing
from a goal. It represents the strength of natural elements, which impact an
environment and lives.
The story
of her work is the story of her life: “You need to find your own dimension,
your own universe, so as to follow your life purpose without going astray”.
The
combination of leather and synthetic fabrics, of volcano stones and linen,
embodies the struggle between violent forces of nature and softness of the
human body. The work done on fabrics
creates a balance between raw materials and sophisticated work of a craftsman.
With an
impressive installation and good advertising, the start of Martina Squillace’s
brand is, like her, explosive and fully creative. For her next collection, she
will tell the story of a robot going through a spiritual crisis. The collection
is expected to appear by the 2014 Spring Season.
Martina
Squillace
Gallery
ArtPlateform
12
Rue de Thorigny, 75003 Paris
Contact:
0033 6 84 25 92 05