Defining Details In Canada there seems to be a lot going on in design, but who are the people behind the things we see around us? What are the inspirations and intentions behind their work? Over the next little while I’m going to do a series of interviews with Canadian designers of various disciplines to see what I can dig up.
A Glimpse Into JUMA's Bubble Last week I met with Jamil Juma, the brother, of the brother and sister team who started the ready to wear line Juma. I wasn’t too familiar with Juma, so I decided to drop by their studio to see what’s coming up for Spring 2010, talk to Jamil about their ideas, and maybe learn a little bit about the people behind the clothes. While I'm at it, I'm always looking for clothes you can just throw on and go about your day, do whatever you want, eat whatever you want, not feel self-conscious and look pulled together, while not feeling restricted. Not easy, but let's see what I can find at Juma.
Do you usually design your clothing with a specific person or customer in mind?
JAMIL: Essentially we design a collection that is very wearable, comfortable, but has a very directional sort of vibe to it. The key is to have clothing that is wearable. We want people to be able to wear it to the office and wear out at night afterwards, but it has to be unique as well and not something that is readily available everywhere else. Generally the people who wear our clothes are in the creative industry – advertising, fashion, music. That’s what we’re finding. That’s sort of our audience at the moment. I mean we wear our own clothing, so if we want to wear it, then we know we’re going in the right direction.
You say being directional is important to the brand. What is your definition of directional? What other brands do you consider to be directional and identify with?
JAMIL: Directional means to explore new territory or redefine it. For fashion, that is what Juma is known for and what our customers have come to enjoy from us. We create new silhouettes and mix genres of design to come up with our line.
Where does the inspiration for your designs come from?
JAMIL: Our inspiration really comes from our friends. We actually work with a lot of people in the creative industry so we feed off them essentially. I have friends who are graphic designers, stylists and we kind of all live and work in this creative bubble. That’s really where we get our ideas from.
Who are some of your friends in this bubble, and what are some specific things you find inspiring?
JAMIL: We have a friend who is a vintage furniture collector that has outfitted his bar as well as a few stores on Queen West. His eclectic industrial vibe has influenced our stuff. Justin Borbely’s raw approach to photography and Shingo Shimizu's illustrations feed our creativity at the moment.
What do you like to wear on a usual day?
JAMIL: I like to dress nicely . . . I mean I’m obviously not doing that today (laughing) . . . I’m asking because I find it interesting that many fashion designers don’t generally put a lot of effort into what they wear because they’re too busy working on things for other people to wear. I’m actually the exact same way. I don’t spend time everyday when I’m going to work getting ready, because I couldn’t be bothered. I do that at work. I do enjoy dressing up, but I guess that would be for special occasions. Otherwise I look like a bum pretty much.
What are your interests outside of fashion?Or what do you like to do when you’re not working?
JAMIL: Spending time with friends and family. And . . . movies . . .
Any favourites?
JAMIL: I like The Party, which is an interesting comedy. I like Buffalo Soldier, Martin Scorsese’s Casino, Monsieur Ibrahim . . .
In fashion, designers have to keep up with a cycle of creating a new line every six months, which dictates how you work and pushes for constant change. Do you prefer to make clothes that people will keep wearing over time or do you prefer to move on to new ideas every season?
JAMIL: Basically we are designing clothes that have longevity. I mean they’re not season specific per se. You could probably wear most of our clothing nine, ten months of the year. We’re not the type of brand that’s moving with the market. We’re developing things that have sort of a seasonless, timeless appeal, but we are generating new ideas each season too. If you pick anything off our rack, first of all, you could really wear it any season and I don’t see why you couldn’t wear it two, three years from now because we’re not really following a specific trend. Once you follow a trend then you get really tired of it. We’re not really doing that so it has longevity.
If given the choice would you choose to stick to this schedule or change it?
JAMIL: Do we like the six month cycle? It’s actually changing. It’s actually becoming a 4 season cycle. There are resort and holiday collections . . . As for the schedule, I don’t know if it’s a bad thing or a good thing, because it’s just what I’m used to. It’s just how we’ve been doing it so we’re just used to it I guess. I wouldn’t mind having a day off once a week, but it’s fun to develop new collections too, so it works both ways.
Lately a few large chain stores have been in the news for destroying unsold merchandise from past seasons. There is so much product out there with such a short shelf life. What are your thoughts on this? How do you think this problem could be solved or at least minimized?
JAMIL: We do smaller runs and like I said some of our clothes we’ll carry into the next season. By then it’s usually sold out, or we have sample sales and by then it’s sold out. If there’s anything left over it goes to friends essentially, so you should become my friend if you want some free clothes. That’s the benefit. That’s why I have so many friends. I think it would be nice if they could potentially send it off to Africa or India or something you know? Give it away . . .
Don’t companies usually take orders from buyers before they manufacture the clothing?
JAMIL: We do that, but I mean we do over cut as well. You can’t really gauge inventory especially with the recession. No one anticipated spending to stop so people were stuck with tons and tons of merchandise. It’s hard because you don’t want to sell yourself at a discount, but at the same time, throwing it away, I don’t think that’s such a good idea either. But you should do something with it. Maybe if you don’t want people to know you could remove the tag and donate it. Donate it to markets that you don’t sell to. That would probably be my solution.
What do you think would happen if fashion ended?If design and production just came to a stop the world over and it was decided there has been enough clothing produced for everyone forever?Of course things would be less fun for a lot of people, but what do you think the world would be like? I sometimes like to imagine everyone having to make their own clothes. You couldn't buy it. You couldn't sell it. Everyone wore only what they could make themselves. I think in some ways that could be amazing.
JAMIL: People might move on to other forms of self expression such as writing, art or acting perhaps. There is always a need for creative outlets. If people designed for themselves, it would be a good thing as people would be more free to express themselves instead of being confined to what is available.
full interview: http://www.dx.org/index.cfm?pagePath=DX_BLOG/Page_1&id=19333
All images from Juma Spring 2010 www.juma.ca
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