Laundry List: Andrew Coimbra x East Dane
Laundry List: Andrew Coimbra x East Dane
Toronto is a one degree of separation town. Andrew Coimbra and I had circled one another for some time before we formally met (mutual Facebook friends nearing one hundred), but he’s also one of those people you can just pick right up with and seems like we’ve been buddies for years. And here you have our March menswear Laundry List for East Dane.
His design approach is street and yet polished enough to bring uptown. I love the duality and how it also feels like a line for everyone, not so definitively gendered. Having just launched his second collection we thought it just about time to get together and talk fashion over some bubbly of course.
Tell me how you got your start.
I studied at OCADU for 2 years in the Material Art & Design program with a focus on textile, before attending the Fashion Studies program at George Brown College. I paired that with a year long internship at Philip Sparks, which turned into a two year part-time employment. It was a good experience and helped me make sense of what I was learning in school. I capped this off with a 3-month internship in New York at Proenza Schouler. It was a really formative experience, and definitely helped me streamline my process and filter all of the information I had learned until then into a something legible.
What made you start your own label?
It has always been my goal to start my own label, I was just waiting for the perfect moment. When I was encouraged to apply for the Emerging Menswear Designer Awards last year, I thought “why not”, and used it as a launching pad.
Thoughts on men’s fashion scene big picture?
I think the big picture of the men’s fashion scene is really interesting. There are all of these elements that are converging to both maintain and deconstruct the concept of menswear, and it’s great to be an observer in the battle. The classic suit and concept of masculinity will most likely always live on, but seeing this exploration of gender boundaries is encouraging, from a developmental perspective.
How do you think men’s fashion has changed in the past ten years?
Fashion relies so heavily on technology and lifestyle, whether or not we realize it. With all the technological developments within the last 10 years that we rely on to shape and guide our interactions came a need to peacock significantly more, and to up the pace of outward self change to keep the interest level high, a la #ootd and the like. It’s funny how much we want the approval of others, and how much that is highlighted by the social media apps brought to us by technology.
Hand-in-hand with this technological development is a sort of renaissance for men, where—because of the vast amount of information constantly circulating and constantly accessible—opinions are developed and enriched in ways that they might not have before; the concept of masculinity and what is acceptable is challenged.
Do you find some menswear designers, maybe yourself too, moving away from gender and designing more androgynously?
Yes. I love the idea of keeping core traditional ideas of gender, but not being restricted by them.
Who do you design for?
I design for someone who knows their boundaries, and when to step out of them.
What inspired this season’s collection?
This season’s collection was inspired by my time living in New York City. It was funny to me having people assume I was originally from New York or LA, based on the way I spoke, and once I said “No, I’m Canadian—from Toronto” people would instantly start pointing out the differences: “about”, “sorry”, “pop” (instead of “soda”), etc. There was this obsession with Canada being this permanently cold place.
I wanted to expand on the Spring 2015 collection concept of Canadian Identity (using Canadian art as a platform), but this time use Canada’s identity in an international context, where I used the stereotypes to build something that was anything but “typically” Canadian. I used isallobars—a weather mapping element—to influence one of my prints, the aerial view of ice bergs to influence another, and the word “sorry” as ways of unapologetic reflection.
Where can we buy you?
An online shopping platform via my website is currently in development. I’m hoping it will be live to sell the Spring 2015 collection by the end of March 2015.
What informs your design (inspiration)?
I’m inspired by art, music, the way people wear their clothing.
What’s the hardest part about running your own business?
At the moment, the hardest part is finding time. I never seem to have enough of it!
Which designers do you aspire to/follow?
I want to be the Canadian Alexander Wang. I like that he has created a culture around his name that expands outside of garments, but doesn’t yet feel like a Wal-Mart sized takeover, in a fashion context.
Can you tell us what’s next for AC?
I’ve been in the research phase for the Spring 2016 collection for a couple of months now, and am now able to dive into it fully, so I’m excited to get that going. The online store going live at the end of the month will be really exciting – I have a lot of people internationally contacting me about buying an item or two, and that is really humbling.
Can’t wait to see what’s next Andrew, thank you!
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Laundry List(s) Archives:
Grant Van Gameren
Parambir Singh Keila
Joseph of Mercury
Martin Aldorsson
Jesse Mermuys
Brian A. Richards
Daniel Faria
Eric The Tutor
Johnny Simeonakis
