Andrea Dyes Shows Us the Shape of Things to Come

From the prestigious Rhode Island School of Design to the top fashion houses such as Marc Jacobs and Thom Browne, Andrea Dyes might be the living proof that passion and dedication can bring you far in life. But passion is not enough if not combined with a tension to art and the willingness to challenge stereotypes. Bringing on the catwalk for her final thesis a capsule collection where shapes are shapeless and genders blend, her fashion statement strongly resounds: it is worth the price to make fashion unfashionable yet to “convey a concept and stimulate conversation.”

A version of this exclusive interview first appeared in the pages of the 12th issue of ODDA Magazine.

Fashion is a highly-competitive industry, especially for newly graduates. However, you managed to secure a position in prestigious fashion houses like Thom Browne and Marc Jacobs straight out of college. How did you make that happen?

Well, in all honesty, with a huge stroke of luck. Anyone in the industry can speak to how important timing is. I was in the right place at the right time, but I am also very adamant about being persistent. I was very fortunate to attend a well respected school, Rhode Island School of Design that has built up a great network. Ultimately, it was how I initially was put in touch with both companies.

A dress from the Melancholia collection by Andrea Dyes.

What projects are you currently working on? What are the futures ones?

I just recently finished my first post grad capsule collection, and am really excited to release it soon. I definitely pushed myself to begin the process immediately after graduation in order to maintain momentum. I’m more than happy with the end result and the development I feel that I underwent during the process. Right now, I’m kind of at a crossroads with my own work and have become completely enchanted by the idea of pursuing and mixing various facets of art and design. I’ve been dying to delve into installation work along with video and audio. I’m so excited about all of the potential there is in exploring the intersection of mediums and concentrations, but it’s also very daunting. It can be difficult to allocate time to learn and execute numerous specialities, but I also truly value the exploratory time when we, as artists, feel very uncomfortable. I guess right now, I do feel very uncomfortable, but I think that’s a good thing.

So, what is the way to make it in the fashion industry?

I think we all have our qualms with the fashion industry. Unfortunately, it’s an industry with a heavy superficial nature. If I’m being honest, I’d say it has a lot to do with who you know and how much money you have. If I’m giving advice though, I’d just say to be a wonderful human being to everyone around you, work extremely hard, and never stop pushing yourself to create work that you truly believe in.

A image of a piece designed byAndrea Dyes for the VENUS collection.

What would you say the signature design touch that personalises your creations is?

I’ve always been intrigued by the conversation that begins at the threshold of discomfort. I’m drawn to the emotional response that occurs by taking recognizable colours, shapes, silhouettes, materials, etc. and re-contextualizing them within a foreign and unexpected environment. I love working with dichotomies and also exploring the tension between conflicting ideas. I really push myself to look for inspiration within more unsettling topics. Anything that others or I find ugly, repulsive, disturbing, or abnormal, I’m really intrigued.

Social issues within our society also have become an essential source for inspiration in my work. I want people to have an emotional response to my work that engenders a conversation much deeper than just the aesthetic content.

You have experience in designing apparel as well as shoes. What is the process of designing a dress rather than a pair of shoes? Is the creative process the same? What are the key steps to bring concepts into reality?

Ultimately, I think the process is dependent on whoever is driving the approach. Both clothing and shoes can be approached systematically or non-traditionally. However, what I have realized is that the timeline is very different. Leading up to a show, clothing can be constructed, sewn, and embellished up until the second before the model steps onto the runway. Footwear, however, needs to be mounted and functional way before that. I can confidently say that the footwear team at Marc Jacobs is full of some of the most hardworking and dedicated people I have ever met.

In an interview you stated that you would love to work in Spain or South America, and you also took a gap year to go working with the designer Ani Alvarez Calderon in Peru. Why are you drawn to Spanish/South American culture? Does this passion have any reflection on your designs?

I grew up in the United States, but have Hispanic roots on my mom’s side. Although I still don’t speak it fluently, I’m very much in love with Spanish and have a strong desire to learn more about various Hispanic cultures. Living in Latin America or Spain is a dream of mine that I want to pursue within the next few years, and I would like it to be driven by my career in fashion. In terms of my own work though, the two aren’t really connected.

During your studies and now at work, who has been your greatest inspiration in fashion design?

Undeniably, my greatest inspiration is Rei Kawakubo. She continuously pushes the boundaries and constructs that the fashion industry has acquired, with sculptural, non-traditional clothing, and yet everyone wants to own something by CDG. She is truly a master of both the runway and the commercial market. Aside from her, I love looking at designers that equally challenge our preconceived ideas of what clothing should be, such as Viktor & Rolf, Margiela, Walter Van Beirendonck, and Undercover.

A creation from Andrea Dyes’ Congenital collection.

At RISD Apparel’s annual runway show, you made an impression with your collection “Congenital.” Can you tell us more about it? What impact did it have on your career?

My thesis collection was a HUGE challenge. I was trying to tackle a lot within a small cohesive mens and womenswear collection by addressing how polarized our societal ideals of perfection are regarding gender, both physically and socially.

What a big topic to attempt at even touching upon in only 7 looks. I’m so excited by the conversation we are having regarding gender, and how this conversation has seeped into fashion and blurred the very prominent line between mens and womenswear.

However, my attempt at designing a collection that encompassed all of this was understandably futile. Instead, I redirected the focus to how our societal ideals of perfection have distorted our perception of the genuine human body as blemished and, therefore, it is an inherently-flawed object. It became an exciting- but-dark exploration of materials and silhouettes, on men and women that conveyed how grotesque and perverse we perceive the human body.

Federica Pantana

Federica Pantana is a lawyer, freelance writer and poet based in New York City. She has been writing poetry since the age of eight. Her first collection of poems (in Italian and English) is available on Amazon Kindle. Another collection of her most recent poetry is in the making. In the past few years, she has been contributing to ODDA Magazine and other fashion magazines. In light of her interest for fashion writing and photography, she is currently working on a fashion & art photography magazine that will be released in early 2018.