Camilla Carper
Whether its a bowl cut, a bias - cut or a cut to the chase, Camilla Carper’s Got It All Figured Out.
I met you through your clothing line Femail, your main jam, right? Before we go into your own personal project for 2018, can you tell us a bit about Femail Forever? Then tell us about your personal challenge for the year - and maybe how the two are related?
I am so glad FEMAIL brought us together and yes FEMAIL is my main squeeze. FEMAIL is a collaborative clothing and art project between my friend Janelle and I. We build and destroy clothing together by passing items back and forth through the USPS. It's our way of keeping creatively in touch and connected to each other.
I am super interested in seeing how clothing can form organically from circumstance. I like to gently steer objects in a direction slowly over time. Both projects approach clothing as an open ended process. Femail is never complete with a garment - We just keep mailing it back and forth until someone takes the garment away from us. Our clothing is alive, always growing and changing… I am interested in celebrating that journey.
““Our clothing is alive, always growing and changing… I am interested in celebrating that journey.””
Why are you doing this challenge?
A long time ago, I did a less controlled version of this project (with lots of different kinds of fabric) for a month while I was traveling around Europe. That month completely changed the way I look at and make clothing. Ever since then, I have wondered what would happen if the project spanned through all 4 seasons….What would happen if I had to outfit my real life instead of my traveling kid vacation life.
I had to do the project NOW. A lot of people I love died last year and I feel a sense of urgency. I am really committed to finding creative practices for self reflection. It's really easy to ignore how you feel and to keep pushing through busy days. The clothes I make and wear are a tool, forcing me to really examine how I live. The process helps me to see clearly what it is that I need and to begin to understand what exactly I want.
““I am super interested in seeing how clothing can form organically from circumstance. I like to gently steer objects in a direction slowly over time.””
Where did you go to school and what did you study?
I went to Parsons School of Design in NYC and I studied Integrated Fashion - I got to make my own major combining Studio Art and Fashion Design.
You are somewhat of a shape shifter - how many hair colors and cuts have you had in your lifetime?
Am I really a shape shifter? I have had 5 hair colors technically, but that's only because I got a rainbow dye job once. Brown comes out of my head on the regular. I had really long beautiful hair when I was a teen and always wore it parted on the side. Then one day in class I asked my friend to give me hair cut. We went to the bathroom and she gave me short hair. I have been hacking at it ever since. I currently have a bowl cut but I might switch it up soon.
How long have you been roaming the earth and What part of earth do you most frequently roam?
I've been roaming for awhile now… Mostly on the West Coast. South to North, North to South, constantly…but recently I got a solid spot in Los Angeles so I am going to be down here for awhile!
So far, has this challenge been harder or easier than you thought?
The challenge has been a lot easier than I thought. I have been surprisingly ok with wearing a uniform. I thought I’d want to switch it up more but I have been wearing the same 5 clothing items for the past 3 weeks.
Where did you source the fabric for your project and how many outfits do you figure you will be able squeeze out of it?
I bought my linen from a dead stock fabric warehouse in Los Angeles. It was pretty easy to find. My main concern was that it was untreated, wide, and natural colored. I am planning on going to New York in February, so I think that's going to wipe out my stash. I will probably have around 10 solid clothing items. Eventually I am going to start reconstructing those 10 pieces so the possibilities are endless!
Images courtesy of CAMILLA CARPER
interview ASHLEY MUNNS
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