JACOB BIRGE: FREEDOM IS EVERYTHING FOR ME. THIS IS THE ONLY VALUE I WOULD BE ABLE TO KILL FOR

People is a new category in my blog. This place is dedicated to different "shades" of people, most of them from fashion business, with own and distinctive sense of style, but most of all strong personalities and individualism. The whole concept is based on a Q&A made in two parts. The first part named "Personal"  is made by more personal, some more intimate questions to get a closer, inner image of the person. The second part named "Work" is dedicated to the work (mostly last work), professional side of the presentee.

PERSONAL

It´s an honour for me to start this new project of te-dore.com  with Jacob Birge, a creative force working in territory of fashion, music and design. He constantly pushes and ruins the boundaries of mixed miedia.

After having graduated from the Edinburgh College of Fashion in 2012, his graduate collection was shown in Slang Magazine, Vogue, Not Just a Label, I Heart and Trendland.
Birge´s creative point of view has been made by his mixed education: at the beginning, before moving to Edinburgh he studied at Teko Design College in Denmark (he gained a secondary degree) and an MA in Chemistry at the University of Science and Technology in Cracov year 2008.

This knowledge base influenced designer´s work to became more intellectual in his work compared to other student´s graduate collections and post graduation.

Let´s discover what a raising star in the fashion system (and not only), a hard worker and multi talented Jacob Birge has revealed to me...

- Who is Jacob Birge?

Jacob Birge is a fashion designer, music producer, and film and visual installation maker based in the UK. His style is characterized by dark mood, and futuristic climate of his vision. Birge within his brand combines fashion with technology by using hi- tech fabrics, modern silhouettes, and using new media in order to present his point of view.

 - What is your current state of mind?

The world is a rotten place where, everybody trying to survive and people are able doing everything to achieve that. Sad but this is how I see things now.

- What is your motto?

Contradictions do not exist. Whenever you think you are facing a contradiction, check your premises. You will find that one of them is wrong. Ayn Rand

- What is your obsession?

My work and my company.

- Your last dream (during sleeping :) )?

 I was flying around the desert - I still remember the feeling I had then.

- What is your best quality and what is your biggest weakness?

My best quality is to deliver no matter what circumstances are on my way, as well I think I can see the “whole picture” instead of stuck with small problems. Biggest weakness - Sometimes I am an ignorant in a grammar - I prefer the situation, more than a description of the situation.

- Which talent would you most like to have?

I would like to think more positively about things - I never fulfill and satisfied - which sometimes is a good thing.

- What would you change about yourself?

Few bits which I inherited from my parents - and I would like to look like (Brad Pitt) and be like Tyler Durden from Fighclub.  

- What the word freedom means to you?

Everything - this is the only value I would be able to kill for.

- In what occasion do you lie?

I lie when I have to reach my goal - when I judge the lie will not have a significant impact on anybody and It will let me do my work. But I have a strong moral spine – I believe being an ambitious adult you cannot be a spotlessly clean– but the most important thing is to be aware that you lie - this is still very moral - the rotten part is when you lie and you believe you do not.

- What turns you into become a fashion designer?

In a first stage I wanted to be different that my peers and impressed girls, but afterwards I discover the depth in it – they're not a better feeling in the world – when you imagine something , then you extract it and make it live and people show positive feelings about your work without any external factors. That adds value to the world and make myself a better person. Początek formularza

- What inspires you and what distracts you (turn you off) creatively?

I can be inspired by many things, but I believe in combination of ideas and research - a lot of inspirations going from modern fashion. But it is always about a human, about strong, competent, beautiful human with dignity and awareness - unfortunately I have not met them too often.

 What distract me from creativity - LOVE .

- A best and the worst part of your work process?

The best as I mentioned before - when from the picture in your head things starts to be real - you can touch them, you can feel them, you can wear them. The worst bit - dealing with a legal stuff, business side of the company. I can do that but it is hard to enjoy.

- What do you think of the fashion system?

This is not a sport - not the best one wins - somebody will win  and sometimes the real reason of this winning is not fair. But I still believe the good will win in the end, that’s makes me drive

- Top 3 designers?
Phoebe Philo, Nicolas Ghesquière, Proenza Schouler.

- What about new way of communication, like blogging?
This is a sign of our time - people find ways of communicating and this is great. The dark side of the freedom we were giving is fact that is too much everything

- Do you follow any blog?
No particulary one - I am follow fashion - so style.com and vogue.com - the biggest blogs in the world.

- Top 3 magazines?
Self Service, Vogue, Purple.

- What is your personal style and who do you mostly wear?

My personal style I called modern classic - simple, fit, with a personal twist - mostly black . I usually  wear Jacob Birge Vision - older men’s collection - I love clothes, and I try to express my statement through them - so wearing your own creations make the sharpest picture.  

- Best movie, track, album, exhibition or event?

Movie : Fighclub,  Track : Arch Carrier (Autechre), Event: Autechre live, Exibition: TATE Modern –everything they showcase.

WORK

Jacob Birge Vision is a forward thinking fashion brand, specializing in the high-end, modern womenswear and accessories. Established in September 2012.
What makes the brand innovative is the fact, that it combines not only fashion, but also multidiscipline media such as sound design, visual installations, fashion films and an unconventional use of hi-tech fabrics ana materials, in order to present a clear and personal vision.

They think about the women abd her needs in an ultramodern way.

- How would you describe your aesthetic as a designer?

Modern classic - our clothes consist only necessary element in order to create our women - bold colours displayed on a black or white canvas. Chic, sexy, bold, brave, ULTRAMODERN.  Hard vs Soft, Light vs Dark, Soft vs Harsh, Long vs Soft, Oversize vs Tight, Femininity vs Muscularity - as a brand we like to conflict the extremes.

- Does "Jacob Birge Vision" has a signature look? And if yes, could you please describe it? What makes your brand, aesthetic unique?

I believe my signature is a certain  mood - quite dark, like a visual representation of the music which I compose - glitch, IDM, dark ambient. Also my signature is a certain sequence of colours - where very strong colours are layered on monochrome shades. As a signature within the particular outfit I have to point the oversized dropped shoulder  jacket - very  masculine and strong. Jacob Birge Vision is focused on technology and hi-tech fabrics and materials, fashion together with a fashion movie and sound design makes the brand unique .

- You are known, that you like combine fashion with multidiscipline media. Why is that? Is this a substitution for a runway show? Tell me more about it.

The combination of multidiscipline media has its roots in my general interest - I am quite geeky in terms of computers - my mum is an IT programmer, so computers were always around me. When I was young I wanted to be a musician - but I was not gifted to play any instruments. Eventually I learned how to write music on computer - using it as a multi orchestral instrument - with endless opportunities. Similar story happened to making movies -I just have learned some editing programs - and self studying about footage recording and stuff. Also I know graphic programs, so the whole branding is created by me in person. As well our website is designed and executed by me.  So different medias which allowed  to express and communicate our vision are naturally brought as a significant part of our DNA. Our AW 2013 was presented as a cinema screening, which was a part of our show in London during  LFW in February 2013. We consider to use similar medium to showcased our work in the future.

- Tell me about your last collection, Resort 2014? What is the red line of the collection?

Jacob Birge Vision Resort 2014 collection is monochrome  - transition between black A/W 2013 and white S/S 2014. Our continuous research within technology lead us to get inspiration from a microchip  and a computer integrated circuit. The structure and patterns from the microchip were translated into a fashion collection displayed on the monochrome clothes. The collection contains leather tight fit dresses, tops, skirts as well digitally printed patterns on the silk. The silhouettes refer to a woman’s body shape - tight and sexy with an open back or front. The collection reflects a core element of Jacob Birge Vision DNA - structure, extremes and beauty. The Resort 2014 girl is a modern Rock chic with a sports twist.  / see the moodboard (first photo below) /

- Your favorite piece from that collection?

I guess the white leather dress with a handmade hole pattern - it is sexy, well fitted with a personal touch. 

/ click on the each image of the Resort 2014 collection to see it in bigger version /

- Any project to do a menswear too?

I used to do menswear when I started - I was doing men’s clothes for years - mostly for myself. I have designed 2 Mens collection - one of them won a fashion contest called fashion in 2008, which opens for me a door to a fashion world in a way. So yeah I will definitely will do menswear in the future – at the moment men’s body does not really inspire me and it is not about me anymore - but yeah definitely in the future. My clothes are quite masculine anyway.

- What´s next for "Jacob Birge Vision"?

I am going to  Paris to Who is Next trade show to see the industry from inside. Currently I am working on the SS 2014 for September - I know more or less how it is going to looks like, but I have to develop it more.  So yeah, we will see what live brings, but I will keep  adding value to the world – I hope that means something not only for me. 

Take a look on Resort 2014 campaign photos:

Credits:

Creative vision, ideas and post-processing: Jacob Birge
Photography: Wojtek Kutyla
Models: Numba Pinkerton, Model Team Meg Johannessen
Make- up : Ksenia Ksenia Milek
Hair : Ryan Mccreadie, Medusa