It’s a hard line to walk sometimes between keeping true to a craft, fulfilling personal creative demands and well, making the rent. As much as we wish we had the time to do all of the above, our growling stomachs can be distracting if we focus too much attention on diving into our imagination and not coming up for air. That’s why when we met Erik Hart, the mastermind behind the line Factory, we not only appreciated his craftsmanship and stimulating approach to fashion, we loved his simultaneous fusion of multiple artistic directions.
Beginning as a visual artist and musician, Erik realized his appreciation for performance at the green age of sixteen. “Music allowed me to combine my passion for the physicality of performance and the creation of mood and imagery. It’s always been a combination of all these elements, which interest me.” Erik reflects on his burgeoning talents and discoveries. When it comes to fashion, Erik possesses a refreshingly cyclical and comprehensive view on design. Instead of looking to pieces that will necessarily be popular to buyers, he considers “the garment, the person wearing the garment, the space which creates a context for that piece, the sound and scent encompassing that space, the specific aesthetics of the given space.” This is not to say that his clothes are not totally wearable and great for a variety of closets (trust us, we’ve been eying plenty of his latest collection).
This might perhaps have to do with the fact that Erik did not attend traditional fashion design school. Do not be misled though, this does not mean that he doesn’t have a fully formed perspective (and skill set) on the industry and the intensive paths young inspiring students are expected to follow to accomplish a great portion of success these days. “What I think is the most important is to develop your eye and have a clear vision of what you want to communicate. It’s also important to understand that this is an exercise in both art and commerce. For the most part, [the] ones who work within fashion are dependent on an audience, and it’s important to have a continuous and cohesive dialogue with them.” We couldn’t have said it better ourselves.
Click through the slideshow to gain some insight into this insane artist/designer hybrid’s collection and how it’s interconnected with an upcoming art project, which “play[s] with the idea of reflection — another occurring theme in my work. They are photographs of photographs and you can see a bit of my reflection and the surroundings on the glass of the monitor from which I shot them.” One word: whoa.
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