噠噠噠、噠噠噠⋯⋯在2023年9月柏林的Positions Art Fair展場裡，瀰漫在空中、隱隱約約盤旋在耳邊，並引領我到HUMAN TOUCH的位置，就是Juliet Seger和Christina Albrecht把縫紉機帶到現場，滿手沾上顔料表演縫紉，透過印在每件衣服上的指紋，展露不被看見的人力，如裁縫師、製衣工人、機械工程師⋯⋯等等。
Juliet 説:「時尚界有個很有趣的生態：設計本是藝術，但傳統上預算著數量的擴大，這被認為是理所當然，並被視為成功的指標。然而，這通常是透過外判製作，並從這種『廉價、低技能的勞動力』中取利來實現的。在HUMAN TOUCH中，我們希望研究出這種常見商業模式的替代方案，因此我們堅持由我們的團隊進行製造，不僅因為我們很享受，而且也是作為一種從實踐中研究如何以不同方式來做事的意圖。」
In September of 2023, while strolling through the Positions Art Fair in Berlin, the rhythmic humming of a sewing machine caught my attention, drawing me towards the exhibit titled, HUMAN TOUCH. It was there that Juliet Seger and Christina Albrecht graced the scene, demonstrating the technique of paint-sewing. With hands covered with paint, they sew with dedication. Each garment they crafted bore the imprints of their fingerprints, unveiling the hidden narrative of the human touch entwined within the realm of craftsmanship—the skilled artisans, garment workers, and mechanical engineers, among others whose contributions often go unnoticed.
“It’s an interesting dynamic in the fashion industry: The designs are pieces of art, but one is also – traditionally – expected to scale quantities. This is taken for granted and seen as a metric of success. However, it is usually made possible through outsourcing the manufacturing and taking a margin on this ‘cheap, low-skilled labour’. Within HUMAN TOUCH we want to investigate an alternative to this common business model. Manufacturing in-house and by our immediate team is therefore something we want to hold on to, not just because we enjoy it but also as a means of research-through-practice of how things can be done differently.” Juliet said.
Juliet是工業裁縫師，並在永續設計碩士期間專注於時尚產業的研究，HUMAN TOUCH是她多年來的項目，而Christina是專業的裁縫師、設計師和美術指導，2023年8月她們開始走在一起，進一步發展這個概念，將它打造成一個時尚品牌，繼續推動HUMAN TOUCH的理念 —— 透過手印縫紉技術，讓服裝製造中不可或缺的人力，在服裝上變得清晰可見。
「雖然人類社會正在被資訊科技改造，但當代縫紉技術的功能其實與十八世紀末相同，包括對人類靈巧性和觸覺的根本依賴。雖然成熟的數位技術試圖簡化許多行業中以人為主導的製造流程，但服裝生產的獨特之處 —— 款式多變、利潤率低和紡織材料鬆軟不一，使得完全自動化不太可行，在可預見的未來幾乎是不可能。 簡而言之：在今天和可預見的未來，全球每件衣服的製作都將繼續涉及人手縫製。」
Juliet is an industrial tailor who has focused on research in the fashion industry throughout her sustainable design master’s program. HUMAN TOUCH has been her long-standing project, nurtured over the years. Christina, on the other hand, is a professional tailor, designer, and art director. In August of 2023, they joined forces to expand and evolve this concept into a fashion brand, carrying forward the profound ideals of HUMAN TOUCH. Through their unique paint-sewing technique, they hope to make the indispensable yet invisible human touch in the production process visible on the garment itself.
“While human society is being transformed by information technology, contemporary sewing technology is based on the same functionality as in the late 18th century, including the fundamental dependency on human dexterity and tactility. While established digital technologies seek to streamline the human-led manufacturing process in many industries, the unique characteristics of clothing production with its high fluctuation of styles, low margins and floppy textile material make full automation unviable and in the foreseeable future perhaps even infeasible. In short: Today, and for the foreseeable future, every garment is and will involve sewing by human hands.”
HUMAN TOUCH 就是在這種較樂觀的心態下運作的，Christina和Juliet 對於如何將HUMAN TOUCH表達成時尚品牌並擴大她們的行動主義潛力有很多想法，Juliet認為:「在過去十年，大品牌銷售有機棉和試用創新面料已成『新常態』，現在甚至被視為品牌所能做到的最低限度，接下來是整個供應鏈的責任和可追溯性；HUMAN TOUCH旨在形象化經常被忽視或「只被視為可憐／可惜」的服裝工人群體，我們想表明縫紉並不是一項『低技能』的工作 —— 它的意義遠不止於此，正因為對人力的依賴以及全球縫紉人員數量之驚人，縫紉技術應該被視為一種社會技術，作為檢測和評估如何創建更好的時尚系統的槓桿，是至關重要的。」
HUMAN TOUCH operates out of this more optimistic state of mind. Christina and Juliet have many ideas for how to express HUMAN TOUCH as a fashion brand but also expand the activist potential. Juliet believed,“Throughout the last decade it has become a ‘new normal’ that big brands sell organic cotton and trial innovative fabrics. It has become so normal that it’s now seen as the bare minimum a brand can do. Responsibility for and traceability through the whole supply chain are next. HUMAN TOUCH aims to visualize the often overlooked or ‘merely pitied’ group of garment workers. We want to show that sewing is not a ‘low-skilled’ task – it is so much more. With its dependency on human agency and the incredibly large amount of people sewing globally, sewing technology should be recognized as a social technology, one that is vital in examining and valuing as a lever in creating a better fashion system.”
有時候我們也會對快時尚的壞影響感到無能為力，但Juliet反説:「在過去的十年，快時尚仍在穩步上升，但同時，更多的永續和創新的想法也發展了一定的空間和可信度，並且得到了更認真的對待。在尋找替代方案的過程中，小規模的概念都被看見，也不會即時被駁回『它們無論如何都行不通！』
隨著大家對可持續時尚的敏感度日益增加，讓我們可以說『我沒有所有的答案，但我因為Y而相信X的想法，並且會嘗試一下。』」
There was a time where it felt like nothing could be done about the negative sides of fashion. However, Juliet said “In the last decade, fast fashion has still been on the rise, but also more sustainable and innovative ideas have been given some space, credibility, and were approached with more seriousness. In the search for alternatives, small-scale concepts are heard and not immediately dismissed as ‘they won’t work anyways’.
An increased sensibility for the ambivalences of sustainability in fashion allow us to say ‘I don’t have all the answers, but I believe in idea X because of Y and will give it a go’.”
