Copy of an Imitation

Back in college, one of my professors said ‘good designers appropriate, great designers steal.’ Of course in the fashion industry, people are very protective of their work, and stealing design is a rather serious issue. Although, the very notion of stealing can is somewhat questionable in some cases, as one can never really steal, as no matter how many designer knock offs Steve Madden does, their shoes are always impossible to walk in. No matter how many dress designs forever21 steals, you will only ever be able to wear the damn thing once or twice if you take real good care of it. And no matter how many red carpet gowns ABS replicates, no regular person will ever be able to afford the real thing, and no Hollywood starlet would ever appear at the Oscars in something from the Macy’s sale rack (though, I would LOVE to see that!).

Ann Kathrin Rohr and Saskia Hammen took inspiration from the notion of copying in the fashion industry. Their collection Copy of an Imitation, as their need to copy because there is nothing new out there. “Especially in fashion there are an awful lot of copies. We have tried to copy a positive influence in the work, “says Saskia. The tongue-in-cheek approach, made for an it-bag transformed to a dress and a tote bag with an it bag printed on it. However, like true designers, even with copied elements, they’ve managed to create something completely unique, making the whole notion of copying a paradox, there’s nothing new, yet nothing will ever be the same.