“Nothing” Brings “Infinity”

Daniela Gregis

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“Quando non ce n’è più ce n’è sempre”意大利文意思是「當一切都用盡時,總會有些東西留下來。」同事Signora Giovanna的外母Nonna Chiara常言道。

這也是創作首領Daniela Gregis的個人哲學 —— 盡量不扔掉、不浪費。出於這個原因,Daniela每個新系列中,往往能從物料上找到以前作品的延續。「我們所有系列總是相互牽連的,這樣我們就可以不斷地改變和改善我們不滿意的地方,事實上,最好的意念往往來自錯誤。」

“Quando non ce n’è più ce n’è sempre.” A wise saying in Italian by my colleague Signora Giovanna’s mother-in-law Chiara (Nonna Chiara). The phrase means, “When there is nothing left, there is always something left.”

Someone who shares the same worldview as Nonna Chiara is the Italian designer Daniela Gregis. Daniela is all for zero waste. In her collections, you can often find bits and pieces from the previous seasons. “There is always continuity between different seasons and collections; in a way that we can constantly change and improve upon what we are not satisfied with. As a matter of fact, the best ideas often come from mistakes.”

2011/12春夏至2021/22秋冬的作品,看不出時代,卻像設計生命的拼圖。
Collections from SS 2011/12 to AW 2021/22. Timeless pieces that are akin to the mosaic of life.

Daniela還未懂寫字已跟一位年長的親戚學習鉤編,小小的她還學會了棍針編織,為自己做衣物,每一件都是手織的。長大後生了小孩,她媽媽會買布給她來車衣服給孩子們,剩下大大小小的布碎,Daniela就收集起來創作拼布;她很喜歡拼成雙面布袋來包禮物,後來被一位女士看中了,更一口氣訂了1000個。後來因為建築雜誌Abitare的報道而受到關注,1997年她就在貝加莫(Bergamo)的韋基亞廣場(Piazza Vecchia)開了第一間店,並於 1999年推出了她的第一個系列。

踏入我的再生時尚旅程的第十個年頭,有一天驚喜地收到他們的電郵,邀請我在線上即時觀看她在米蘭時裝週2023/24年秋冬季的發佈會,更向我詳細解說他們的timeless(不受時間限制)和circular(可循環)的設計理念和運作。

Even before she knew how to write, Daniela started picking up crocheting from an elder relative. It wasn’t long after that she learned about knitting and started knitting clothes for herself. After she became a mother, her mum would buy her fabric to make clothes for the kids. Those leftover pieces and scraps were gathered and saved for quilting. Daniela loves to wrap gifts with her double-faced patchwork bags which eventually caught the attention of a random stranger who ordered one thousand pieces of them. Later on the story was reported by Abitare, a design and architecture magazine, earning Daniela a much bigger crowd of followers. In 1997, Daniela opened her first store front in Piazza Vecchia in Bergamo and subsequently launched her first collection in 1999.

Going into the 10th anniversary of embarking on this upcycled fashion journey, one day I was pleasantly surprised by an email inviting me to virtually attend the real time online show of Daniela presenting her Autumn Winter 2023/24 collection at Milan Fashion Week. The email also included a detailed explanation on Daniela’s design concept that centers on “timeless” and “circular”, and how these ideas are manifested in her work.

2023/24(前者)和2017/18(後者)的秋冬季外套設計,同是用上用剩的羊毛物料做夾裡填充物。
The coats designed for AW 2023/24 (former) and 2017/18 (latter) both use leftover wool material as filling.

位於中世紀上游小鎮貝加莫,也是Daniela出生的地方,工作室慢慢地成長至現在約40人的團隊。「我們都堅守尊重物資、盡量減少剩料和改造它們的原則;我們全程一起製作,從面料設計、剪裁、縫紉、編織、鉤編、手工整理⋯⋯我們會花大量時間收集和分類剩餘的面料和紗線,並以不同的方式將它們轉化成新的產品,例如鉤針編織袋、填充物、拼布設計等等。我們不同部門包括品質管理、貨運、甚至清潔的同事,有時會交換角色來互相幫助,我們所有人都懂得鉤編或做一些手工藝,換言之,大家都以某種方式參與設計過程。」有些布料他們會自己編織,也會和意大利最好的紡織廠一起設計和硏發。

Bergamo, a beautiful medieval town in Italy, is where Daniela was born, founded her label, and started her studio which has slowly grown to a team of about 40 people. “We try our best to be respectful of natural resources, to minimize waste, and to upcycle as much as possible. Our whole team works closely together: from fabric design to cutting, sewing, knitting, crocheting, and hand finishing. We spend a lot of time collecting and sorting leftover fabrics and yarns, and then transforming them into something new, such as the crochet bags, fillings, and other patchwork designs. Sometimes, members from different teams, including the quality control team, shipping team, and even cleaning team, swap roles to help each other. We all know how to crochet or do some handicrafts. Everyone of us participates in the design process in some way.” The team also weave some of their fabrics, and sometimes work together with the best factories in Italy to develop new garments.

「我們不隱藏布邊,也從不使用襯裡 —— 我們將衣服的面料視為第二層皮膚。」以雙面設計來達至衣物的最大可能性,也是Daniela的設計特色之一。
“We don’t hem the edge nor put lining in our designs because we consider the fabric an extra layer of skin.” Being one of the key elements in Daniela’s designs, the double-faced and reversible features maximize the possibilities and versatility that clothings can bring.

利用剩布條手鉤袋是Daniela的標誌性作品之一,此外也會編織帽子甚至發佈會的背景裝置。
The hand-crocheted bag with leftover fabric straps is one of Daniela’s signature pieces. Other crochet work, such as hats and fashion show installations can be frequently spotted.

Daniela喜歡和職人合作,以傳統工藝來做設計,甚至跑到西班牙的馬約卡島(Majorca Island)買下原住民的房屋Finca,並邀請他們留下居住,一起把擁抱自然的生活智慧和手藝傳承下去。

她深信:「能夠以親手製作的東西把我們和『無限』聯繫起來,並在自然界的時機中,在某種程度上,它將我們變成了神靈。」

Daniela loves working with artisans and weaving their traditional craftsmanship into her designs. Her love for craftsmanship is clearly evident by the fact that she once went to Majorca in Spain to start a project in a traditional Finca, a housing originally resided by farmers, and invited them to continue staying and living there, with a hope to share their wisdom of life and traditional craftsmanship to the future generations.

She believes that, “Being able to make things with our own hands connects us to the infinity, and with the timing and waiting that there is in Nature: in a way it turns us into gods.”

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