It started this spring, in San Francisco. I had packed my suitcase full of warm clothes trusting in the weather forecast, which predicted chilly week in California. It was not chilly at all - on the contrary, it was as hot as it can get during the best summer period in Finland. As I needed desperately some summer clothes, I went shopping in San Francisco. Or at least that was my intention.
But before I knew anything a mysterious shop stop had sneaked into my veins. Despite of my efforts, I could not purchase anything. No, not a thing!!
I went to get some help – first from my spouse, then a female colleague traveling with me. No good: I still didn’t get interested in anything. Instead, I got frustrated and behaved impolitely to the shop assistants. Every time I tried to approach the counter with a garment in my hand, a mysterious disgust struck me.
The second time I experienced similar symptoms was later in this fall in the beautiful Andalucia. There, I was absolutely stunned by the rich exposure of the Sevillian escaparates on the narrow, labyrinth-like alleys, the color splendour of the Andalucian textiles, and the glory of the Spanish femininity. Still, as to buying an outfit for myself – impossible. This time I started to doubt that my shop stop was a sign of something else, a larger issue taking shape in my head.
It's not that I have lost my interest in design and fashion, quite the contrary. Different materials, fabrics, textures, and production techniques seem to offer a totally facinating route for better understanding ourselves as social beings! Indeed, it is my view of fashion and design that has changed. An interest in purchasing has transformed into an interest in creating.
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