With a new flagship store in Larchmont Village in LA and a growing celebrity following, Fluxus is becoming a brand that has taken the idea of basics to an artistic edge adding texture to the yarns and unveiling new innovative fit with each collection. Lynn Furge spoke with creator Martin Paquette about how art and fashion all come together to create a simple comfy litte “t” that is rapidly becoming on of the coveted items for Holiday 2009.
Lynn Furge: With an quote of “There is life, there is art and in between is fashion,” by founder Martin Paquette, there is a lot to live up to in terms of originality and vision. Please explain the inception of the brand Fluxus? (see press release)
Martin Paquette: Art is prestige, and I always look for a way to express art -- art of the contrary. Fashion is an underground way of delivering a message, not unlike a message in a bottle.” I was inspired by the 1960s art movement, also called Fluxus, which in turn inspired some of the brightest minds of the era, including Yoko Ono, Dick Higgins and Allan Kaprow. I also want to add that fashion is a form of art just like painting or photography are. It is the closest art there is to people. Wearing clothes has become an art, something very organic and physical. By wearing certain clothes, people express themselves, their opinions and thoughts, just like with any form of art.
LF: What makes you choose your textiles?
MP: I developed ideas from my travels. I went to Peru to look for the best fabrics. I wasn’t particularly looking for the rarest or most expensive yarns. I wanted to find textiles that would fit into our formula: good price, to make clothing that people would want to wear every day, textiles that would be sustainable, soft, flattering and comfortable.
LF: How do you feel your garments echo the sentiment of the 1960”s Fluxus art movement?
MP: Fluxus is a blend of classic fashion with modern flair. We always try to get some vintage inspiration in what we do. We try to embody the philosophy of the Fluxus movement in our garments by blending all artistic genres. Our design team always has music, dance, painting and photography in mind when designing a new collection. Our next collection for instance, features wax terry pieces…to us, it felt like painting fabric. We’ve been in contact with a couple of Fluxus artists that have explained the philosophy to us. We have read a lot about it…the story of Fluxus now has become a part of our story.
LF: What was your inspiration for the Fall/Holiday 2009 collection?
MP: The Mod Sixties inspired silhouettes illustrate the fashion movement of that time, breaking away from tradition and highlighting the advancement of self-expression and exclusivity. With a modern rock accent, the collection featuring cropped jackets and pencil skirts include bright contrasted colors, pop prints and graphics. On the other hand, the luxurious, flowy Bohemian Rhapsody silhouettes are executed in earth tones with ultra bright accents including soft ruffles, floating vests and draping for a modish, laid-back look.
LF: People use the word “basics” to describe your type of monochromatic knitwear. Can you speak to why Fluxus goes beyond “basic”?
MP: People don’t even want basics with a twist anymore. The market’s moved up. This year has been really interesting for the apparel industry. I’ve been in this business for a while and it’s the first time I see people wanting something that is different, spicy, people don’t want to be conformist anymore. Their clothes have to project something whether it be happiness, charisma, etc. in these dark economic times. Their clothing has become their smile. Basic doesn’t work in this economic climate. Fluxus spring collection will definitely reflect that with more couture pieces. But it still is wearable (everyday), adaptable to all sorts of body shapes, and budgets, just like Fluxus has always been.
LF: Are you involved in any Eco or Sustainable fabrics or practices?
MP: Everything at Fluxus is produced in Los Angeles. What kind of carbon footprint, as a brand, do you leave when your clothes are made in China and then flown over to the US? We’re eco-friendly in that sense: we focus on the local and our garments are sweatshop free. Between outsourcing the production of an organic line to a different country, where the labor force might be exploited and underpaid, and producing a non-organic line in the US and helping the local economy, we made our choice. We have plans to launch an organic line made in Los Angeles in the near future.
LF: Fluxus is carried at many major retailers throughout the US from Saks and Fred Seagal to Nordstrom, why do you still consider yourself an “indie” fashion brand?
MP: Honestly we don’t even consider ourselves an indie fashion brand. We’re not super commercial but we’re not “underground” either, we’re right in the middle. We don’t need to have one store in a tiny street in the middle of nowhere to feel true to our roots. We don’t need to be in all the big retailers over the world either. We are very much like the Fluxus art movement in that sense. It was not very publicized but a lot of people knew about it. We like word-of-mouth rather than big marketing campaigns. We are carried at many major retailers, but we also have our own flagship stores, that are in “villages” or small cities within the city (Larchmont, Brentwood). We like getting involved with the local communities. We’re very “glocal”.
LF: Any plans for international development as far as retail goes?
MP: We want to be in the all the big cities but within smaller communities just like with Larchmont and Brentwood. My vision is to extend in the West, then the East Coast then the world. Hopefully we’ll open about 10 stores by the end of 2010.
LF: What five words best describe Fluxus?
MP: Avant-garde, inspiring, versatile, marginal, cosmopolitan
LF: Fit, form or fashion… what do you consider first when designing a new collection?
MP: Fit is really important. It’s what makes the garment at the end of the day. Then it has to be fashionable. We don’t really follow fashion trends at Fluxus, we have our own fashion sense, we make our own conclusions from general trends (social, economic, fashion). We’re marginal, we’re anti-conformist so we don’t really like following trends. Trends come and go anyway. I have my own fashion sense: I feel the trends and translate them into my vision, I have an instinct for this.
