Articulated Anatomy

Following on from the anatomically explorative foundation set by Aitor Throup's first collaborative offering with Stone Island (Modular Anatomy - AW08), the second installment of the on-going collaboration shifts its focus from the intricately laborious construction of last season, to a structural inquiry into the articulation of the human body, and its direct relationship with clothing.

The concept behind Articulated Anatomy is based on creating garments which directly mirror the range of movement of the body itself. The pieces morph and move, extend and contract, as the body does. The industrialisation of the clothing has inevitably resulted in an ever-growing standardisation of all stages of garment development and construction.

For example, it is now standard for the generally accepted 'every-day' garment to be constructed as a two-sided box with perfectly straight (or near straight) sleeves. In reality, however, our 'every-day' bodies are rarely in such rigid pose. Our bodies move and articulate, and this is something that clothing should be responsible enough to acknowledge.

When the articulated Anatomy pieces are worn, their engineered articulations are antagonistically activated, tackling common place clothing problems such as excess fabric build up when legs or arms are bent, or the back of the waistband on a pair of trousers staying close to the waist, rather than slipping down, when sitting.

In-keeping with his usual approach to conceptual functionalism, Aitor Throup has again explored and challenged standardised garment construction, by designing clothing with as much focus on the process as on the product, giving the work a narrative.

Articulated Anatomy establishes a growing explorative process between Stone Island and Aitor Throup in a continuing series exploring new solutions in the field of clothing the human body.

The Anatomy series intends to explore and experiment with one specific concept each season.