ALYX, presents the Man and Woman collection Fall / Winter 2019 , entitled « EX NIHILO » in Paris.
Alyx embraces imagination and agency; interrogating every origin, and evaluating afresh each object for which we take responsibility.
Sustainability and superiority are a unified approach. Environmentalism is not elitist. Alyx seeks to generalise and normalise this ethical responsibility, by integrating recycled, reused and regenerated materials into every stage of our process.
We cannot address contemporary concerns by dredging history, nor can we ever predict the future. This collection looks to the extreme present, to the precise moment of creation when a concept emerges from the ether and takes definite form.
Alyx is just as dedicated to experimenting with technological application as we are to developing advanced technical processes. Mass-production without intent or meaning sucks the soul from garments. Alyx understands every technique as a precise syllable in an emerging language of the contemporary.
This expanding vocabulary includes the familiar and the revolutionary; from a new moulded nylon buckle to an entire language of women’s handbags and accessories, we are finding new ways to speak about life today.
Alyx believes in humility, and the power of a single action to create systemic change. A multitude of shoe styles across both men’s and women’s collections attach to a large rubber crampon sole, transforming the shape into a substantial modern platform. Through this unique addition, the meaning and function of the shoe is transformed, and the individual’s capabilities are broadened. Alyx augments the potential of the existing through new combinations, and initiating new genealogies of object and garment.
EX NIHILO
(Daniel Shea & OK-RM)
This is the first in a new series of artistic projects commissioned by Alyx. “Ex Nihilo” is a collaboration between artist Daniel Shea and OK-RM. It is a work documenting material products, exploring transformative processes and their manifold outcomes. It is a work of fiction, exposing the mysteries of how matter and being appear to emerge from nothing. At times, these artefacts have been formed by a geological aeon. Elsewhere, they are the work of a single person in one day. A landscape has the presence of a built form, while a building is presented with the factual quality of a monolith. The project transcends time, space and scale. It appears in many forms, including a book and an edition (published by InOtherWords), a series of installations and a capsule collection.
ULTRASONIC WELDING
Resonance is the key mechanism of human consciousness. Ultrasonic welding uses high-frequency molecular friction to continuously weld fabrics. It is rapid and reliable for extreme accuracy and visual perfection. It is an environmentally-friendly technology, with low energy consumption and no solvents.
QUANTUM DYE
An effect can occur before its cause. We have developed a novel two-stage dye that includes a top-layer pigment.This amplifies the diversity of tones according to fabric thickness and construction. An unconstrained outcome, the colours cannot be reproduced or named, but communicate fundamental qualities of the garment.
HARDWARE Everything that begins to exist has a cause. We have developed the first moulded nylon version of the Alyx buckle. This high density, but lightweight, adaptation expands our scope for garment application and functional variation. Its existence provokes questions about the meaning of a material and the essential value of matter. Made in Italy.
CAMOUFLAGE PRINT
The soul of the artwork stems from the hand of the artist. We invest heavily in post-fabrication processes. Under instruction from a designer, artisans apply colour with sponges and hand tools. Each piece is thus totally unique.
Photos: ALYX/PrconcultingParis