FADE OUT Label is a unisex line of exclusive clothing and accessories made from deconstructed vintage using handicraft methods, where the patina of used material recombined in a fresh and different way creates new unrepeatable alchemies.
FADE OUT Label embodies a dump-to-hanger ethos and celebrates responsible recycling of materials and innovative designs. The designer Andrea Bonfini do not believe in the timelines of the fashion system but in timeless creativity and in the originality of every single idea and item. He therefore creates permanent collections to which new items are added every season. Comfortable, unisex garments, which due to the use of recycled material become hand-crafted one- offs, repeatable but always different.
All FADE OUT Label items adapt to various occasions and to different personalities due to their simple yet well studied oversized fit. The originality of the idea and the handicraft approach to both the creative process and the production itself outdare the overproduction, conformism and exploitation of present day’s fashion system. FADE OUT Label’s belief in sustainability of both material and actual production leads to a direct relationship to customers, which allows custom- tailoring and made-to- measure garments.
FADE OUT Label 是一个男女皆宜的独家服装和配饰系列，采用手工方法由解构复古制成，旧材料的古色以新鲜和不同的方式重新组合，创造出不可重复的新炼金术。
FADE OUT 标签体现了从垃圾到衣架的理念，并颂扬负责任的材料回收和创新设计。设计师 Andrea Bonfini 不相信时尚系统的时间线，而是相信永恒的创造力以及每一个想法和项目的独创性。因此，他创建了永久收藏品，每个季节都会添加新项目。舒适、男女皆宜的服装，由于使用了回收材料，成为一次性手工制作的服装，可重复但总是不同的。所有
FADE OUT Label 单品均采用简约但经过精心设计的超大尺寸，适合各种场合和不同个性。创意过程和生产本身的创意和手工艺方法的独创性超越了当今时尚系统的过度生产、墨守成规和剥削。 FADE OUT Label 对材料和实际生产可持续性的信念导致与客户的直接关系，从而允许定制和定制服装。
Why ‘Fade Out’? How did you come up with the name of your label and how does it embody your concept?
This is a good question. Deconstructing and unpicking vintage jeans all the time we often found tags specifying the strangest washings. “Fade Out” was one of them. We liked that it indicates something that changes with time, so in a natural way it became the name of our brand. We added “LABEL” and we made it ours. It was the perfect name because we work with recycled, worn, discolored and old materials.
为什么要“淡出”？你是如何想出你的标签名称的，它如何体现你的概念？
这是一个很好的问题。一直在解构和拆解复古牛仔裤时，我们经常会发现标明最奇怪洗涤方式的标签。 “淡出”就是其中之一。我们喜欢它表示随时间变化的东西，所以它自然而然地成为了我们品牌的名称。我们添加了“LABEL”，我们把它变成了我们的。这是一个完美的名字，因为我们使用回收、磨损、变色和旧材料。
You’ve said that ‘You are what you wear’ is your personal philosophy… could you explain this idea to me a little bit more? Do you mean it in terms of identity and aesthetics or does it have more to do with how your clothes are produced and sourced? Or maybe both?
I meant the second option. A few years ago in Paris, in a vegan fashion shop I organized an event to show my brand’s collections. The two owners asked me to design something for the showcases… There were two large showcases and I didn’t have much time to think about an arrangement, so I instinctively painted with white paint on the glass in large letters : ‘YOU ARE WHAT YOU WEAR’. It was a provocation about overproduction and the unsustainability of the fashion industry. It is clearly inspired by the slogan for sustainable food awareness campaigns: ‘you are what you eat’, I simply adapted it to the fashion system. This sentence became my mantra and I started embroidering it over some special garments.
I think that sustainable fashion is above all an act of consciousness. It is necessary to understand that it is the only alternative we have to improve the quality of the world and therefore the quality of our lives in it. The world is saturated with products and does not need more.
We think we all should follow what maestro Vivienne Westwood says: Buy less, buy better.
你说过“你穿什么”是你的个人哲学……你能再给我解释一下这个想法吗？您是指身份和美学方面的意思，还是与您的衣服的生产和采购方式有更多关系？或者两者都有？
我的意思是第二个选项。几年前，在巴黎的一家素食时装店，我组织了一场活动来展示我的品牌系列。两位老板让我为展柜设计一些东西……有两个大展柜，我没有太多时间考虑布置，所以我本能地在玻璃上用大写的白色颜料画：’YOU ARE你穿的是什么’。这是对时装业生产过剩和不可持续性的挑衅。它显然受到可持续食品意识运动口号的启发：“你吃什么”，我只是将它改编成时尚系统。这句话成了我的口头禅，我开始把它绣在一些特殊的衣服上。
我认为可持续时尚首先是一种意识行为。有必要了解，这是我们改善世界质量以及我们生活质量的唯一选择。世界上充斥着产品，不需要更多。
我们认为我们都应该遵循大师 Vivienne Westwood 所说的：少买多买。
What does denim represent for you and why have you chosen it as your signature fabric?
Both Andy Warhol and Yves Saint Laurent are stated saying they regret not having invented it. Denim is an essential ingredient of fashion’s recipes. The solidity and versatility of this fabric renders it easy to use and apply in infinite ways. It is an easy-to-find material and therefore perfect for recycling and it is en plus a unique one for conserving time’s traces in its shades and fadings. It also fits perfectly with our ethos of zero-waste because every single piece, even leftovers, find use in production.
牛仔布对您来说代表什么，为什么选择它作为您的标志性面料？
安迪沃霍尔和伊夫圣洛朗都表示他们后悔没有发明它。牛仔布是时尚食谱的重要组成部分。这种织物的坚固性和多功能性使其易于使用和以无限方式应用。它是一种很容易找到的材料，因此非常适合回收利用，而且它是一种独特的材料，可以在其色调和褪色中保留时间的痕迹。它也完全符合我们零浪费的精神，因为每一件，甚至是剩菜，都可以用于生产。
Do you think fashion should always be genderless? How do you make your own label genderless?
I never believed in gender boundaries and I have never made a distinction in wearing clothes considered to be for women or men. Many young clothing brands use our same Unisex approach, and like FADE OUT LABEL they photograph clothing worn by boys and girls. I mean, if you’re a man and you like wearing a skirt… why shouldn’t you?!
Our Unisex clothing is created for any kind of body. We want to offer the freedom of choice. There are sexual differences in the human body that do not make a huge difference in the clothes, which are the wrapper that covers it. Gender division in fashion is more a factor of culture and aesthetics than one of practicality.
你认为时尚应该永远是无性别的吗？你如何让自己的标签无性别？
我从不相信性别界限，也从不区分男女穿的衣服。许多年轻的服装品牌使用我们同样的男女通用的方法，就像 FADE OUT LABEL 一样，他们拍摄男孩和女孩穿的衣服。我的意思是，如果你是一个男人，你喜欢穿裙子……为什么不呢？！
我们的男女通用服装适合任何类型的身体。我们希望提供选择的自由。人体的性别差异不会对衣服产生巨大的影响，衣服是覆盖它的包装纸。时尚中的性别划分更多是文化和美学因素，而不是实用性。
Why do you think it’s important to get over the seasonal dynamic of fashion?
Why did you decide to make Fade Out a seasonless brand?
Fashion’s problem today is certainly the massive request of newer and newer products that push the fashion system to a faster and faster offer that dulls taste and quality. Moreover, the war of the prices in mass production has intensified the exploitation of developing countries making the small realities of handicraft disappear and filling the consumers’ closets with trash.
Opposed to the fast-paced requirements of the fashion industry we celebrate “timeless creativity” and the originality of every single idea and item, so we have a PERMANENT collection to which new items are added every season or whenever we feel ready to introduce new garments and new ideas.
I believe that a well studied garment that contains many ideas will rest beautiful ever after.
为什么你认为克服时尚的季节性变化很重要？你为什么决定让 Fade Out 成为一个无季节的品牌？
当今时尚界的问题当然是对更新和更新产品的大量需求，这些产品推动时尚系统提供越来越快的产品，从而降低品味和质量。此外，大规模生产中的价格战加剧了对发展中国家的剥削，使手工业的小现实消失，消费者的衣橱里装满了垃圾。
与时尚行业的快节奏要求相反，我们推崇“永恒的创造力”以及每一个想法和项目的独创性，因此我们有一个 PERMANENT 系列，每季或每当我们准备推出新服装时都会添加新项目和新的想法。
我相信一件经过精心研究的包含许多想法的服装将永远保持美丽。
Have you always worked with upcycled and reworked clothes? Tell me a more about your fashion journey before you landed at this patchwork zero waste concept that is your label…
I studied painting at the Academy of Fine Arts in Rome and used to work as a painter and costume designer for theater and the performing arts during my studies and then I got hired for several years in an international fashion company, where I used to work as a fashion designer and graphic designer. During this experience I had the opportunity to see how much textile materials, and overproduction of garments were accumulated in the warehouses.
At the same time I operated two own fashion brands: ‘C.A.2’, a line of graphically laser cut leather accessories which won Premiere Classe’s ‘WHO’S NEXT’ award and ‘DOREAPALAN’, a line of viscose garments with complex graphic prints.
Around 2013 making patchwork t-shirts out of recycled denim for ourselves, my friend Nicola Gomiero (who later left the brand) and I had the idea to create zero-waste garments and accessories and in early 2015 we officially opened our brand Fade Out Label. The question we asked ourselves was: the world is saturated with products and does not need more, therefore, why not reuse existing material?
In addition to the garments, we started to use the smaller pieces of waste fabrics to create small accessories, such as bags and pillows. We then started creating upcycling and zero-waste collections, also because it gave us the opportunity to invest little money but a lot of our time to create conscientious and contemporary clothing.
We can say Zero-waste is a lifestyle, it is a raising of consciousness. Nowadays there is no need for new trends or styles but the need to improve one’s quality of life, slowing down and buying critically and reusing the material we have.
您是否一直在使用经过升级和重新加工的衣服？在你接触到这个拼凑零浪费的概念之前，告诉我更多关于你的时尚之旅，这是你的标签……
我在罗马美术学院学习绘画，在学习期间曾担任戏剧和表演艺术的画家和服装设计师，然后我在一家国际时装公司工作了几年，我曾经在那里工作时装设计师和平面设计师。在这次经历中，我有机会看到仓库中积累了多少纺织材料和服装的过剩生产。
同时，我经营着两个自己的时尚品牌：“C.A.2”，这是一系列获得 Premiere Classe 的“WHO’S NEXT”奖的激光切割皮革配饰系列，以及“DOREAPALAN”，这是一系列带有复杂图形印花的粘胶服装。
2013 年左右，我和我的朋友 Nicola Gomiero（后来离开该品牌）用回收的牛仔布为我们自己制作拼布 T 恤，产生了创造零废弃服装和配饰的想法，并于 2015 年初正式开设了我们的品牌 Fade Out Label .我们问自己的问题是：世界上产品已经饱和，不需要更多，因此，为什么不重复使用现有材料？
除了服装，我们开始使用较小的废织物制作小配件，例如包和枕头。然后我们开始创建升级回收和零浪费系列，也是因为它让我们有机会投资很少的钱，但我们有很多时间来制作认真和现代的服装。
可以说零浪费是一种生活方式，是一种意识的提升。如今，不需要新的趋势或风格，而是需要提高生活质量，放慢脚步，批判性地购买并重复使用我们拥有的材料。
Could you name a few fashion brands or projects that you admire? And designers that have inspired your own designs? Could you tell me a bit about what you like about them?
There is not just one favourite designer but many and for different reasons; it would be difficult to make a list which is why I’ll just name a few. Let me start by saying that I love brands that like us offer handicraft products and have a contemporary and personal style very much.
One of my favorite fashion designers at the moment is Emma Bruschi, material experimentation and craftsmanship are at the heart of her work. Her ‘rural’ clothes seem to be made for contemporary farmers, she uses recycled materials, creates straw weaves and organic fibers and I really like how her creations harmonize perfectly with the natural environment. Her work inspires me, it calms me and gives me a certain nostalgia.
I also really love the colorful sculpture dresses by designer Alexandra Sipa. Her work is ironic and sparkling, full of ruffles and flowers made of intertwined multicoloured cables, collected from electrical waste. To create these e-waste garments, the designer adapted the traditional technique of bobbin lace.
When it comes to clothing I’d like to mention the label of the designer and singer Tatachristiane, with her unmistakable, vivid, excessive, very simply: ‘baroque streetwear’. I love the positive energy of her clothes passed down through their shapes, colours and volumes. It is clothes that live an own life, they do not necessarily need a human body wearing them to communicate their very own beauty.
Among my favourite accessory designers there is the enchanted world of Butcher’s Broom who offers jewellery-like accessories made of crochet, semi-precious stones and metal, characterized by a very refined and at the same time apocalyptic style. Pieces that connect tradition, wisdom and innovation. The Innerraum bags are a good example for us and our enterprise. Accessories designed , planned and handicraft in Italy, they show structures of winsome and revolutionary lines. About shoes brands, my favourite is Helen Kirkum and her upcycled trainers. A collage of colours and shapes that recall the artworks of the neo-Dada artist Robert Rauschenberg.
Obviously all the independent designers who are part of my fashion family in Berlin inspire me a lot, such as: Therapy Recycling Berlin , Lu La Loop , Crazy Leather, Adrian Weiss , Ingratx, and many more.
你能说出一些你欣赏的时尚品牌或项目吗？以及启发了您自己设计的设计师？你能告诉我你喜欢他们什么吗？
最喜欢的设计师不只是一位，而是出于不同的原因。列出一个清单会很困难，这就是为什么我只列举几个的原因。首先我要说，我喜欢像我们这样提供手工艺品并且具有现代和个人风格的品牌。
目前我最喜欢的时装设计师之一是 Emma Bruschi，材料实验和工艺是她工作的核心。她的“乡村”服装似乎是为当代农民制作的，她使用再生材料，制作草编和有机纤维，我真的很喜欢她的创作与自然环境完美融合的方式。她的作品给了我灵感，让我平静下来，让我有一种怀旧的感觉。
我也非常喜欢设计师 Alexandra Sipa 设计的彩色雕塑连衣裙。她的作品具有讽刺意味和闪闪发光，充满荷叶边和花朵，由从废电器中收集的交织在一起的五彩电缆制成。为了制作这些电子垃圾服装，设计师采用了传统的梭织花边技术。
说到服装，我想提一下设计师兼歌手 Tatachristiane 的标签，她明确无误、生动、夸张，非常简单：“巴洛克街头服饰”。我喜欢她的衣服通过它们的形状、颜色和体积传递的积极能量。它是过着自己生活的衣服，它们不一定需要穿着它们的人体来传达它们自己的美丽。
在我最喜欢的配饰设计师中，有一个迷人的 Butcher’s Broom 世界，它提供由钩针编织、半宝石和金属制成的珠宝般的配饰，其特点是非常精致，同时又具有世界末日的风格。连接传统、智慧和创新的作品。 Inerraum 包是我们和我们企业的一个很好的例子。在意大利设计、规划和手工制作的配饰，展示了迷人和革命性的线条结构。关于鞋类品牌，我最喜欢的是 Helen Kirkum 和她的升级版运动鞋。一组颜色和形状的拼贴画，让人想起新达达派艺术家罗伯特·劳森伯格 (Robert Rauschenberg) 的作品。
显然，我在柏林的时尚大家庭中的所有独立设计师都给了我很多启发，例如：Therapy Recycling Berlin、Lu La Loop、Crazy Leather、Adrian Weiss、Ingratx 等等。
Do you think there’s any chance this year could have a positive impact in the way we consume fashion? Why?
Already during the pandemic there was immediately greater interest in “green” brands. The lockdown gave people more time to check their wardrobe and think about their purchases. Honestly, the customers have become much more alert to what they buy compared to a few years ago, people choose products in a more critical and intelligent way, choosing quality over quantity. Sustainable clothing is becoming more and more popular, like it happened for example in the energy and food industries. This is a sign of evolutive progress.
Also among the new designers there is more attention to concept and product than to sales volume. Even if we have to admit that in the official fashion industry, the one of the fashion shows to speak, there is still a long way to go. Ironically, maybe for the first time in the history of costume, revolution comes from below, from young designers and artisanal realities.
您认为今年有可能对我们消费时尚的方式产生积极影响吗？为什么？
在大流行期间，人们立即对“绿色”品牌产生了更大的兴趣。封锁让人们有更多时间检查衣橱并考虑购买的物品。老实说，与几年前相比，客户对他们购买的东西更加敏感，人们以更加挑剔和明智的方式选择产品，选择质量而不是数量。可持续服装正变得越来越流行，例如在能源和食品行业。这是进化进步的标志。
此外，新设计师更注重概念和产品，而不是销量。即使我们不得不承认，在官方时装界，时装秀之一，还有很长的路要走。具有讽刺意味的是，也许是服装史上第一次，革命来自底层，来自年轻的设计师和手工现实。
What are you working on at the moment?
At the moment, in addition to taking care of everything related to my brand , for example, answering all emails, shipping, production, development of new collections, socials, fashion shoots, patterns, relations with customers and stores, etc., etc. . I am dedicating myself to my first passion which is Art and I do it also involving FADE OUT LABEL.
Last month I participated in this amazing competition ‘ARTIVISM’ which was promoted by Fashion Revolution Italy & ‘Citta’ dell’Arte Fondazione Pistoletto’ with an original art installation made of upcycled denim and I even won an artist residency in Italy! And at the same time I made a patchwork denim costume for the new art video of the performer Federica Dauri, filmed in Vienna. I actually really hope there will be more new opportunities and interactions between me, FADE OUT LABEL and the Art world.
你目前在做什么？
目前，除了处理与我的品牌相关的所有事情，例如，回复所有电子邮件、运输、生产、新系列的开发、社交、时尚拍摄、图案、与客户和商店的关系等。 .我致力于我的第一个激情，即艺术，我也参与了 FADE OUT LABEL。上个月，我参加了由意大利时尚革命和“Citta’dell’Arte Fondazione Pistoletto”发起的这个惊人的比赛“ARTIVISM”，使用了由升级改造的牛仔布制成的原创艺术装置，我什至赢得了意大利的艺术家驻地！同时，我为在维也纳拍摄的表演者 Federica Dauri 的新艺术视频制作了拼布牛仔服装。其实我真的很希望我、FADE OUT LABEL和艺术界之间能有更多新的机会和互动。
Is Berlin a good place to work on sustainable avant-garde projects? What do you like about Berlin and where would you like your label to go next?
Yes, I would define Berlin precisely as mentioned: sustainable avant-garde city, it is no coincidence that here I have decided to turn vegan.
I state that Berlin is a ‘born green’ city with over 300 km2 of spaces (and 440,000 trees) dedicated to parks, the lifestyle here is based on respect for the environment. The development of the circular economy, the multiple collective gardens and the endless cycle paths, just to name a few, are historical realities. Just consider that the ‘Reichstag’, in addition to being the seat of the German Parliament and one of the symbols of the city, today the building is powered only by renewable energy (hydroelectric, solar, wind).
All this obviously also influences artists and designers and in addition there are many green initiatives concerning Art and Fashion. Last January, Mercedes Benz Fashion Week was digital for the first time (due to the pandemic) and completely aimed at supporting sustainable brands. Fade Out Label has been invited to present its own fashion-show, completely organized and sponsored by the Berlin Senate, which I still thank for the fabulous opportunity they offered me.
So I can say that it is the perfect capital for sustainable cultural projects. Given these reasons, I appreciate Berlin which is a multicultural, lively city that welcomes everyone without prejudice, and this gives me a great sense of freedom. I ‘m not sure if me and my brand will stay long in this city, I stopped making long-term plans a few years ago, because I realized that they were creating anxiety and stress so I’m trying to face life as it comes day by day… I think this also is very Berlin.
柏林是开展可持续前卫项目的好地方吗？您喜欢柏林的哪些方面？您希望您的品牌下一步走向何方？
是的，我会准确地定义柏林：可持续的前卫城市，在这里我决定成为素食主义者并非巧合。我声明柏林是一个“天生绿色”的城市，拥有超过 300 平方公里的空间（和 440,000 棵树）专门用于公园，这里的生活方式基于对环境的尊重。循环经济的发展，多个集体花园和无尽的自行车道，仅举几例，都是历史现实。想想“国会大厦”，除了是德国议会的所在地和城市的象征之一，今天这座建筑仅由可再生能源（水力发电、太阳能、风能）提供动力。所有这些显然也影响了艺术家和设计师，此外还有许多关于艺术和时尚的绿色倡议。去年 1 月，梅赛德斯奔驰时装周首次实现数字化（由于大流行），完全旨在支持可持续品牌。 Fade Out Label 受邀展示自己的时装秀，完全由柏林参议院组织和赞助，我仍然感谢他们为我提供的绝佳机会。
所以我可以说它是可持续文化项目的完美资本。鉴于这些原因，我很欣赏柏林，这座多元文化、充满活力的城市，欢迎所有人，没有偏见，这给了我很大的自由感。我不确定我和我的品牌是否会在这个城市长期存在，几年前我停止制定长期计划，因为我意识到他们正在制造焦虑和压力，所以我正在努力面对生活一天一天……我觉得这也很柏林。
What would you tell young fashion designers that are just starting their way into the fashion industry?
I don’t think I’m the best person to give advice, because I’ve never followed the advice others gave me in the past; maybe because I’m an aries aries rising, but I quickly learned to trust my instincts. This is also why I don’t believe in business plans, because I think the creative instinct is stronger. So maybe my only advice is: listen to your creative instinct!
您有什么话想对刚步入时尚界的年轻时装设计师说？
我不认为我是提供建议的最佳人选，因为我从来没有听从过别人给我的建议；也许是因为我是上升白羊座，但我很快就学会了相信自己的直觉。这也是我不相信商业计划书的原因，因为我认为创意本能更强。所以也许我唯一的建议是：听从你的创作本能！
Interview 作者: Beca Montenegro
Translation 翻译: Emi
Photos照片: Keyi Studio
[ www.keyi.eu ]
Model时装模特: Til represented by
Izaio Modelmanagment
