Joe Tang_01

The Walking Diary

Joe Tang

3-3-2017收到,
16-10-2020開操,
一年裡穿了280天。

室內設計師 Joe Tang 説:「牛仔褲是自我療癒的一個心靈寄托。」

一邊摩擦著大腿上的牛仔褲,一邊説:「我從來都很喜歡牛仔布的質感,這可算是我的觸感癖好,而且我喜愛牛仔衣物是因為我可以很放心,不用特別照顧它們,越污糟越殘舊就越美。」

Received on 3-3-2017
Embarked on 16-10-2020
Worn for 280 days over a year

Interior designer Joe Tang said, “Denim jeans give refuge to the heart to heal itself.”

Rubbing the pair of jeans on his lap, he said, “I have always loved the texture of denim, it’s kind of a sensual obsession of mine. I also love denim clothes because I can be very laid-back with them, without having to give them special care, for the dirtier and the more ragged they are, the more beautiful.”

Joe Tang_02

1947年代的復刻版
1947 Replica 

Joe由五年前從網絡上看到日本人的操牛分享,受到感染,終於明白為什麼他們操出的牛仔褲質感和現成買回來的有這麼大的分別,於是開始「操牛」—— 第一步是先要退漿,因為剛出廠的牛仔褲上會有層厚漿,以保持其硬度,退漿後再縮水,才會更合身。然後為牛仔褲的摺痕定型,保持「多著少洗」的原則,磨出褲上明顯的蜂巢、貓鬚和水波紋。

12月是開始操牛的最佳時間,經歷五、六個月的定型階段後,便可進入夏天的色落階段。因為汗水與牛仔布料的融合會令牛仔褲變硬,經磨擦後會加速色落,變化速度比冬天快得多。

從原色到色落,再到膝後的蜂巢、因日常坐姿而形成的貓鬚、腳踭靴位的水波紋等,慢慢形成,每種紋理,都能看出主人的職業、生活軌跡和習慣,原原本本地反映在褲上,猶如一本行走中的日記。

Joe熱愛實驗牛仔,他甚至會冬天時每天穿著兩條褲和兩件褸,對反面貼面來睡覺,去海灘實驗sea wash,有一條下海自然有一條上山做對比。

「行山露營時,衣物和沙石泥土磨擦出的痕跡比下海豐富,但也不及日常生活所産生的。」

Five years ago, Joe read some online sharing by the Japanese about denim shaping and, under their influence, came to understand why the denim that they had shaped and the store-bought ones were so different, hence began his “denim shaping” too – the first step is to wash it, as jeans fresh out of the factory have a layer of thick substance that keeps their sturdiness. Only after washing it away and letting the jeans shrink do they become more form-fitting. Then, you fix up the creases on the jeans and keep to the principle of “wear more wash less”, to rub clear patterns of honeycombs, whiskers and stacks onto the jeans.

December is the best time to start shaping denim. Having gone past the five to six months of the form setting phase, the fading phase may commence in the summer. This is because the mix of sweat and denim fabric causes the denim jeans to harden, and when they are rubbed against, it speeds up the fading. The change is considerably faster than in winter.

From the original colour to its fading out, to honeycombs on the back of the knees, or whiskers that come from the everyday sitting posture, or stacks near the ankles, gradually they take shape. Every pattern is a look into the wearer’s occupation, traces of living and habits, all reflected in both inside out and surface, like a walking diary.

Joe is passionate about denim experimentation. He would even wear two pairs of jeans and two jackets, surface to surface, as pyjamas every day during winter. He would also visit the beaches to experiment with sea wash. A pair of jeans that has undergone sea wash naturally calls for another pair to be tried by the hills for comparison. “When hiking and camping, patterns produced from friction between clothes, sand, stones and soil are richer than those produced from sea wash, but still they don’t compare to those produced through everyday life.”

「我不會刻意粗暴來加速痕跡的形成,因為我想寫的是日記,不是小說,要真實地面對自己。」

「對我來說操牛是一種修行。人大了在懶散時會問自己:『你還想不想進步呀?』而意志力和行動力是非常重要的,所以我想在日常生活中訂立一些目標給自己,每天要提醒自己去做一件事。」於是Joe就藉著「養牛一年」的比賽鍛鍊堅持。

「因為工作關係,有時會到地盤幫忙,褲袋裡的小工具、錢包等,很快便磨出了破洞和擦痕,為了延續生命,其間要內外加固縫補,還要給它休息,吹風曬太陽消消毒,等乾爽後再繼續,而膝位的破裂位在賽後就要立即找師傅修復,否則便會斷開。」

“I won’t treat it harshly to speed up the forming of the patterns, because I want to write a diary, not a novel. I have to face myself truthfully.”

“To me, denim distressing is an ascetic practice. Now that I’m older, when I’m feeling lazy, I ask myself, ‘Do you still want to progress?’ But will power and actions are both very weighty. So I wanted to set up some goals for myself in my everyday life, to remind myself each day to do one thing.” Thus, Joe took to the “Rigid Denim Challenge” competition to practise resilience.

“Because of work, sometimes I help out at construction sites. Small tools, purses and other things in my jeans pockets would soon tear through ragged holes or leave scratch marks in the pockets. To extend their longevity, I would have to enhance and fix the jeans from within and without. I would also have to let them rest, and disinfect them under the breeze and the sun. Once it’s dry, we carry on. But torn parts on the knees must be fixed by a tailor at once after the competition, or else they break apart.

「這件是美國最後一家『555』工厰生産的古著Type One牛仔褸,是1940年代的款型,因為袖口破開了,要加針步縫補,我故意做出粗線不規則的效果,加點個人化的點綴。我會收起改褲後的布料,閒時想想有什麼好玩的,也會為小朋友的牛仔衫褲加點裝飾,前提當然要是永恆不易過時。」

“This is a vintage Type One denim jacket made by America’s last ‘555’ factory, 1940s edition. Its sleeve openings were torn open and needed stitching. I deliberately used coarse threads to create an irregular effect, to add a personal touch. I would keep fabrics left over from trouser alterations, and in my free time I would muse about how I could play with them. I also make decorations for kids’ denim clothes, provided of course that they are lasting and timeless.”

「小時候會自己簡單修補衣物,有時會問嫲嫲,她過身後就到處看看來自學,做童軍時會為制服縫上布章,加點個人化。有些人會覺得針黹是女孩子才做的,男生做總是怪怪的,但我覺得其實只要有興趣,男女都可以做,不應是女生的專利。」

「我希望人們可保持一份尊重和欣賞的心去看待衣物,有破損就修復;我也想我的衣物能世代相傳,『這件是爸爸留下來的』這樣不是很酷嗎?」

“When I was small I would do simple repairs on clothes, consulting grandma at times. After she had passed away, I learned on my own by making observations wherever I went. When I was a scout, I would sew patches on the uniform to add some personality to it. Some people think that only girls stitch, that when boys do it it’s weird somehow, but I feel that as long as one is interested, a boy or a girl both could do it, it shouldn’t be the sole right of girls only.”

“I hope that people would remain respectful and appreciative towards their clothes, fix it if it’s broken; I also want my clothes to pass on through generations, ‘This was passed down by Father’, wouldn’t that be cool?”

Joe Tang_13

這天我和Joe一起做針黹,這畫面看似old school,卻是我們對未來的願景。

Today, as I stitched with Joe, the scene looked rather old-school, but therein lies our hopes for the future.

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