Cargo Cult : Autumn/Winter 2009
In the Solomon islands of the southeastern Pacific and other islands in Melanesia, religious sects known as cargo cults have sprung up intermittently among the islanders, especially in the period immediately following World War II. Islanders became obsessed with the idea that the luxury goods and technological marvels that were uncrated from cargo ships and, later, taken from airplanes or dropped by parachute were gifts for them from the spirits of their ancestors, and that Japanese and U.S. servicemen had apportioned these goods for themselves either by malice or by accident.When the airfields were abandoned, and cargo no longer came, islanders build airstrips of their own, lit by torches, carved wooden headsets, bamboo antennas, and fetish airplanes of sticks and reeds. Looking up to the sky, cultists waited for their ancestors to send again their planes, and rich cargo. They waited a long time. On the island of Vanuatu, some still wait.
These Pacific islanders are not alone in their wonderment and faith. For years we too have been waiting, with the sense that the luxuries of our desires are brought to our island by the undeserving and shared only hesitatingly. And now the ports of entry for our most covetable goods are weedy and abandoned. Last month, at the Chelsea Hotel in lower Manhattan, we discovered a cult of women who had shut themselves up in a large suite, strewn with cargo crates, forgotten luxury items, romance novels, archery paraphernalia, and junk food of an indeterminate age.
We walked in on this modern-day cargo cult performing strange torchlit rituals, waiting, yearning for something they had lost. But secretly, we thought, as we saw their suede and leather adornments, their metal plated jewelery, the silk dresses, and leather pouches, perhaps these cultists already had the luxuries they professed to be waiting for. The Hayden-Harnett Autumn/Winter 2009 collection was born...
Simple silhouettes, heavily grounded in a palette of dark neutrals, balanced with colors of ethereal mist and fog ... Cutout details offer a glimpse into the mysterious while hardware and woven accents evoke artisan craftsmanship. Totemic patchwork is created in textural suede and rich silks featuring our hand-drawn prints.
Our collection is a gift from the deities for hunters and gatherers of the unique. See pictures from the Chelsea Hotel Presentation.
Coverage, review, & other links: Behind the scenes: Working Class Magazine. Hanging Out with Hayden-Harnett: Fashionista. Love at First Sight: Hayden-Harnett Envelope Clutch: Style File Blog. Chelsea Girls: Chelsea Now. Cargo Cult: public personae. HAYDEN HARNETT F/W 09 PRESENTATION Victorians, cults, and chocolate malt balls inspire our voyeuristic tendencies: the Fashion Spot. Hayden-Harnett RTW Fall 2009: WWD. Points for Showmanship Chicago Mag. Get a Room with Hayden-Harnett DailyCandy Dossier.
Labels: apparel, fall, fashion, hayden harnett, inspiration, NYC fashion week, presentation, preview
posted by Ben at 1:11 PM
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