ILANIO Future Fashion

artPLAY FASHION…LET’S START PLAYING….

ILANIO is San Francisco based and inspired, limited-edition-only label and a project that unites like minded creators and designers. It has a unique approach of breaking the barriers between art and fashion, concept and life; it is a project created for a community that is multidimensional and for people who search self expression and free thinking.

The founder of the label Ilan Reuben, spoke exclusively to artPLAY about the original concept, how not be a copy of a copy of a copy and many other things.

https://www.ilanio.com

@ilanioproject

artPLAY: How did you come up with this highly artistic, conceptual and futuristic project?

ILANIO: I was running a clubwear clothing business in the mid-aughts. By 2009, I had had enough of spandex hot pants and faux fur boleros and closed the business. Around that time, I stumbled on a show of “soundsuits” by Nick Cave (the dancer & artist, not the musician) at the Yerba Buena Center here in San Francisco. Seeing what could be done in this space between fashion and art was inspirational, and I decided on the spot not to give up on the part of fashion that I loved — the art, the part that challenges our thoughts about our bodies, and that touches on so many social, sexual, political, and spiritual questions. I also think that show imprinted on me a connection to performance and dance as a way to access and talk about the body.

The idea of collaboration was also very important to my vision for ILANIO. In previous artistic stints, I labored under that old idea of the lone, struggling artist. That wasn’t what I wanted for this project. I wanted to collaborate. To bring in as many different voices and skills and mindsets as I could to help create something bigger and deeper than I could do on my own.

artPLAY: What are the aesthetics and ideas behind the ILANIO label?

ILANIO: The ideas all come back to the human body: what is like to be in a body? That is a universal human experience; it is an entry point into reality and an exit point from this waking dream we all live in, the world of thoughts and ideas and desires and aversions. From there we ask about the expanded notion of clothing — all the ways we hide, protect, cover, augment, and attach things to our bodies: What is the function? Why has fashion chosen one way to perform this function over another? What is the message we are sending to others when we make this choice? How might an alien culture on another planet perform this function differently? What does gender really mean? Is there something that is universally “female” or “male”? It’s these sorts of questions that comprise the content of ILANIO.

The form (the aesthetics) is an incarnation of this content in the physical world — just as the body is one for the mind or soul. The materials we focus on (silicone, rubber, acrylic, resins) are synthetic analogs of the body, and the forms they take could be said to represent an alternate or external representation of the body: an idealized, minimalist counterpoint to the intricate, delicate, messy organics of natural life.

All these layers of meaning are infused into the limited-edition designs we offer. Though that connection may not be immediately legible, the pieces connect with the aesthetics of the art work, and the aesthetics connect back to the content. That’s why we created the ILANIO label: to give people a chance to connect with all of what we’re doing on a direct, physical level instead of just a quick swipe on Instagram.

artPLAY: In the world of mass production, high street brands and “copy of a copy of a copy” kind of mentality, how do you develop and maintain a project based on the idea of limited edition and uniqueness?

ILANIO: In the last 30-40 years, capitalism has made great inroads into areas that were traditionally sheltered from its destructive embrace. Look no further than the elevation of Jeff Koons and all his cynical descendants, whose entire oeuvre is a winking celebration of the luxury market that is the modern art world. Look at the visionary designers driven to self-destruction by the withering production schedules of the fashion houses that own them. Look at the shameless touting of “box office gross” as a valid objective measure of a movie’s worth. In all these ways, the domain of “art” has been pushed into the margins, into the small dark places that capital has yet to spill into, where there is still freedom to engage in extravagance and provocation.

ILANIO exists in this margin, this no-man’s land between art and fashion. We try to stay true to our ideals and vision, and to allow our audience to experience our work in a deep and intimate way.

artPLAY: During these months where freedoms are limited and the spirits are low, what is the creative advice you would like to share with us?

ILANIO: Creativity often comes from a place of chaos and restriction, and we seem to have plenty of both right now. Harvest the chaos in your heart, use the restriction — whatever tools and materials you have at your disposal — to shape your expression. You may never get another chance like this!