Simplicity is clarity, but it is not the absence of complexity. Our starting point this time was not a book, a film, or a song—it was purely a question: “what is useful?” Clearly defining the parameters of design grants us the space to create highly detailed products in which experiments can take place. In order to prevent typical overembellishment (where useless details are created in order to look useful) as well as to avoid creating something boring altogether, we always find ourselves coming back to the original guiding question.
Despite its clean aesthetic, this capsule is highly specific in terms of technicality, material and purpose, explaining why the creative process has been more arduous than before. Particularly, we pay special attention toward areas that are still much overlooked in clothing: its interior. As a result, the inside of this collection becomes as, if not more, interesting as what is seen from the outside. Contrast-coloured stitching, piping, and lining will not only prove a satisfying sight to see, but will also prove handy. Monochromatic lovers will also find grey-on-grey and black-on- black colour combinations for this release. Within such visual cues lie many seamless, easily accessible details. Unobtrusive hang loops, discrete pockets, coin compartments are just a few details the wearer will be able to enjoy discovering and using.
It is here that See You At One introduces new materials to its vocabulary, namely corduroy and nylon. Using these fabrics alone have presented many challenges, hence why we allocated more time for development. For example, the amount of wales and thickness of the corduroy fabric affects the machinery used for stitching, and creating a seamless look for nylon requires special attention to avoid unnecessary perforations. In addition to technical issues, our constant difficulty as a small business is working around supply chains and large minimum order quantities. Overcoming such issues trickles down to our branding, where we have replaced normal care tags with custom Tyvek labels, prioritized reusable packaging for all products, reduced the use of plastic during production, and designated a different woven label for shirts. Again, we ask “what is useful?”
See You At One is committed to the transparency of its creative process and production, sharing behind-the-scenes and making-of footage for its consumers to get a better understanding of what we produce and what we are trying to achieve on its social media platforms and its website. As there are lots of details in the products, the priority became to simply showcase what has taken so long to create. The campaign, shot by photographer Shawn Paul Tan, was done in a matter-of-fact manner, with emphasis on the garments being shot close up.