RING of FORE
With major collaborations with impactful local designers and a new showroom in Makati, The Fore is leading the seismic shift to a more culturally aware, environmentally transparent fashion industry
The Ring of Fire, also known as Rim of Fire or the Circum-Pacific belt is a string of volcanoes and a geological zone prone to earthquakes. Home to more than 75% of the most active volcanoes in the world and 90% of the strongest earthquakes ever recorded in human history, it’s mostly an effect of plate tectonics and pulsating collisions only Mother Nature can explain.
But why are we suddenly brushing up on our geological knowledge? When Kim Jones launched her brainchild The Fore a year and a half ago, it caused a ripple effect on everyone involved in the art of creation. In an interview with The Art Report, Jones says: “Collaboration at The Fore opens up a constructive space for focused conflict and differences in opinion. It’s about working together and finding solutions.” The beauty of starting out as a small business is being able to operate in a way where you can still connect with your consumers on both a personal and interdisciplinary level and be aware of the extensive process your product goes through. With biologist turned designer Ken Samudio as the main collaborator, the brand gained momentum as it progressed, leading to partnerships with local brand EAIRTH— known for their natural plant dyes and TELASTORY, an environmentally conscious manufacturer committed to pushing proper labor rights and using alternative zero-waste materials. This sensitivity towards community empowerment disrupted the industry, unconsciously imprinting on brands big and small to take the necessary steps and more ethical practices. With the constant shifting of uncontrollable circumstances and the collective effort to save the earth, one can definitely say that The Fore is the burgeoning contrivance at the epicenter of it all.