BEYOND THE HORIZON
The Design Museum, London has announced its shortlist for the ‘Beazley Designs of the Year,’ which is the museum’s annual celebration of the most original and exciting design ideas from the previous year. This year, the collection of menswear, Horizon Infinity, created by Marisa Gnanaraj with textile designer for BAREFOOT Marie Gnanaraj, has been nominated for the award in the category of ‘fashion’. Nominated in the company of design ideas such as Burberry Rainbow Check by Burberry, the Nigeria National Football Team: National Team Collection by Nike, Black Panther Costume Design, and TELFAR Fall-winter 2018 Collection by TELFAR, Horizon Infinity places Sri Lanka on the Beazley Design world map.
The prestigious Beazley Designs of the Year is an annual, and one of the most looked-forward-to international design awards and curated exhibitions hosted by The Design Museum. Hundreds of design experts, practitioners and academics from across the world are invited by the Design Museum to nominate potential projects.the museum then shortlists the most innovative and exciting design concepts, products and designers who have had the biggest global impact in the preceding year across six categories – architecture, digital, fashion, product, graphics, and transport.
From more than 500 nominated projects submitted by international design experts, 87 shortlisted projects are showcased in this edition of the exhibition. And, it is among this shortlist that Sri Lankan independent designer Marisa Gnanaraj features with her Horizon Infinity.
“I feel honoured,” says Marisa Gnanaraj, “especially looking at the company we have been shortlisted alongside. The fact that the work is exhibited at the Design Museum for the next four months in adesign context is extremely flattering. We have been consistently working on being authentic to the place where we live, and to the fabric we work with, so being recognised for this on an international level is encouraging.”
In keeping with her sense of being and philosophy as a designer, Horizon Infinity is rooted in a philosophy and a process born of questioning and curiosities linked to the authenticity of concept, fabric and context. Inspired by a love for vibrant colour and handmade fabric Horizon Infinity is a collection designed in collaboration with her mother, textile designer for BAREFOOT, Marie Gnanaraj, under the independent designer label founded by Marisa Gnanaraj – M FACT.
The exhibition showcasing the complete shortlist for the Beazley Designs of the Year is presently showing at The Design Museum in London. Having opened on 12 September 2018, the work will be on show until 6 January 2019. The overall winner, and the winners of each design category will be selected by a specially appointed jury.
WHAT WOULD YOU SAY IS YOUR DESIGN PHILOSOPHY?
MG: I like to refer to myself as a clothing designer, doing what I want to do simply because I love the art of making clothes. I like to make garments that are both aesthetically beautiful and functional that have an enduring wearability.
My aesthetic direction for my Label M FACT is about using this amazing hand-woven BAREFOOT fabric to create clothes with complex designs, made using the simplest tools. I’m trying to stay true to the foundations of BAREFOOT thinking of garments constructed from simple geometric sections of cloth, but trying to push the boundaries and reduce the gap between casual and formal wear.
HOW DO YOU APPROACH COLLABORATION? WHAT IS YOUR WORKING PRACTICE WITH MARIE, AND BAREFOOT?
MG: OUR first collaborative project happened while I was doing my degree in design. I was working on a collection I called ‘Juxta-op’, and I wanted some fabric that was vibrant and colourful. BAREFOOT fabric is just that, so I sent Marie a brief of what I wanted to do and she said she could design the fabric. When it was done, she sent it over, and we decided on the aspects of cutting and sewing. Then BAREFOOT saw what I did and invited me to design for them.
We have been collaborating for the past six years. I work on a concept and do the research for the collection. I then tell Marie what it is about, and what the silhouettes are like. She works out colour, proportion and textures, and ensures that each fabric design is unique which makes the shirts extra special. every fabric is specifically designed and woven for the garment and individually cut and detailed by me.
WHAT INSPIRED HORIZON INFINITY?
Mg: horizon Infinity was a challenge to myself: to create a menswear collection. Its starting point was Sting’s song – “Desert Rose”, which got me thinking about desert landscapes. For us, when we go to the beach, our horizon is when the sea’s surface hits sky, but in the desert it’s the opposite. The textile design reflects this with colours moving through orange and blue: we were thinking about how the desert landscape would be at different points of the day. I wanted to make a few pieces that were unisex. And, I enjoyed making one of a kind detailing to the garment.