BLESS part #2 and the Shop Concept: read and repeat.
Here some more pics of the presentation I visited in Paris and some BLESS history taken from their website and from contemporaryfashion.net Bless was founded in 1997 by Desiree Heiss and Ines Kaag. Paris-based Austrian Desiree Heiss studied at the University of Applied Arts in Vienna; and lives in Paris. Berlin-based German Ines Kaag graduated from the academy of art and design in Hannover. Bless is a conceptual fashion label. Their creations are somewhat a mix between product and fashion design; new solutions for day-to-day life, which – depending on the product – come out in limited editions of 20 to 2000 pieces of one particular design. Allready the first of their editions – Bless N°00 – was picked up by Belgian avantgarde designer Martin Margiela, who showed the furwigs at his Autumn/Winter collection 1997/98 in Paris. Twenty designs have followed; among them “Bootsocks” – a mixture between boots and socks, “Bags” that can be worn in seperate pieces or “Living Room Conquerors” chair covers for interior decorating purposes. Unobtrusive basic design is what marks Bless’ collections since Bless N°18: clothing apparell that turns comfort rather inside than out and combines various forms of accessoiries. For instance, the special Electronics product line within the N°18 edition is in line with the Bless tradition: creating special products as in leather covered radios, tape recorders, ghetto blaster and bicycle locks that can be worn as belts. The first permanent Bless Shop was launched in Berlin in 2003. Initiated and created by long term Bless supporter and collector Yasmine Gauster, one important reason to open a Bless Shop was certainly to be able to show as complete as possible the whole Bless product and project range, as this is impossible in a multibrand shop. The Shop mainly functions as an institution, a big Bless window on the world. Sold out products can be seen, former and recent products can be bought. The original spatial and furniture concept was elaborated by Yasmine Gauster. The shop interior is everchanging and was seen so far in many different forms: almost overgrown by all kind of plants, emptied and populated only by “BLESS N°22 perpetual home motion machines“, useed as a service tearoom for restless berlin fashion fare guests, etc. It´s dimensions are elastic, the Shop expands temporarily, occupying every once in a while a multibrand store on the other side of the street, or other empty locations in the same street. Mainly due to this phenomen, the whole street came into movement and benefits from this animation in attracting more and more Shops to open. Another reason to build the shop was to give the nomad project ”BLESS N°11 BLESS SHOPS“ a temporary home. As a reaction on various invitations on interesting art and design shows, Bless came up in 2000 with the temporary Bless Shop concept. Adapted each time to local room situations and circumstances the shops shows a whole retrospective on existing Bless items. The 20st stop of BLESS N°11 took place at Ludlow 38, in New York City. Travelling parts of Bless Shop #20 NYC are currently shown at Amerigan Rag Cie, Los Angeles, until the end of the month. The Shop will continue to change due to actual circumstances and will be even closer and directly linked to all Bless activities. It will follow each new Bless centre of gravity and emphasize more on the unique products that can’t be found elsewhere. The shop in Paris inaugurated in 2006 during Bless défilée for collection N°30 and 10th anniversary street party, Bless Shop Paris provides items of current and ancient collections as well as a wide choice of the accessories and design products. Sharing the space with the Bless Paris office and atelier, the shop is a flexible space, constantly remodeled: sometimes showroom, sometimes shop, it always stays a meeting place. During Bless N°36 Nothingneath show and showroom, Bless Shop Paris discretely extends to the next door, first floor private apartment, and welcomed Bless fans in an easy and quiet atmoshere. julikafrombudapest
