KISS THE PAST

Kiss the Past is inspired by the new underground subculture scene which developed in the past few years in the suburban districts all around Czechia, but mostly in Prague. Being raised both in Prague, Czech Republic and in Munich, Germany, these cultural opposites reflected on the designer herself and on her style which is elegant but always mixed with street style and clubwear. Being in Prague she stayed in a suburban district filled with same-looking socialist apartment buildings in which young people are still growing up in the present from the time when communism ruled in Czechia. These buildings are part of the architectural inspiration in the designs as well as the metro stations´ design in Prague. The other inspiration behind the design comes from the post-communism culture in Prague. The youth who was raised there has hope for a better future in comparison to the older generations who lost their hopes a long time ago and are not fighting for a better life anymore. The allover style is streetwear mixed with a touch of elegance, which has to be seen as the same cultural mixture of the designer as she was raised in Prague, a post-communist city, and in Munich, one of the richest cities in Germany. Having the elegance as one of the brand´s style aspects this has to be seen as contrary to the sadness and anger the youth in Prague had to grow up with. I have had this idea and inspiration for a long time before even beginning with my final work. So I did not have to think twice about what my project would be about. While working on this project I was doing a lot of research about the new subcultures and what life, in general, is like in suburban areas around the city center of Prague for a young person to grow up in and what kind of hopes and dreams this person has. To answer my question I had a lot of interesting conversations with young people who have not reached adulthood yet living in these areas. Through these researches, my general work aesthetic became sadder and got more value to me personally. As I was not able to get to Prague to make the shooting for my lookbook I tried to get the same aesthetic into the still-life photos. What I have learned along the way working on this project is not to judge people by the first look but to get to know them and learn about their personal lives and dreams. I want people to think about their dreams again they maybe have lost or they do not believe in anymore. I want people to know they can change the world through the decisions they make in their everyday life. Also, I learned to improvise and to make the best out of any given situation that comes on the way. As it is not possible to keep all clothes fully recyclable organic fabrics will be used instead to reduce the amount of water consumption, e.g. recycled polyester, organic cotton, cork. In the choice of fabric and manufacture, the quality stays in focus, not the quantity. With these sustainability solutions, the problem within the streetwear fashion industry might get solved as there is a major sustainability problem because there are only very few brands with a similar philosophy on the market and most of the sustainable brands are having rather a basic chic style.