Neonatal groove
text by Emanuela Neagu
Neonatal refers to the beginning of a child’s journey, being a period that starts immediately after the birth of the baby. Thus, neonatal embodies the purest moments that we experience as beings throughout our lifetime, such as love, joy, and happiness. Moreover, the outer shell of the word, hence the spelling, conveys a clue to our collection: a neon ray of colors.
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Throughout our collection, we seek to innovate and reinterpret social constructs, blending daring motifs: The simplicity of Wabi-Sabi and the vibrant ’80s.
The 80's are known for daring colors, and optical illusion, and thus, for the spread of neon colors.
Wabi-Sabi: Finding ourselves through simplicity and uniqueness
We are all familiar with the fact that Japan is a cultural oasis where the hectic lifestyle co-exists with calmness and serenity. Today, Japanese minimalism and zen philosophy inspire us to search for truthfulness beyond our immediate reality, and thus it enables us to find a middle way between the hassle of everyday life and perpetual peace of mind.
Hence, we have explored the incredible concept of Wabi-Sabi.
What is Wabi-Sabi?
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First of all, let’s look at what the 2 terms mean:
Wabi represents loneliness that is so profound that individuals could only find it in nature. While Sabi represents peace, calmness, and tranquillity.
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Together, the two expand their meaning forming what we now call Wabi-Sabi.
The philosophy originates back to the Japanese tea ceremony when a cultural and ideological shift was taking place.
If tea used to be a luxurious element of people’s existence, in the 16th century everything changed. The tea ceremony became an act of simplicity and quietness where the lavish teapots were replaced with rustic ones. More often than not, the decorations gave the impression that they were old due to the faded colors, frequently inspired by nature. (Path of Cha, 2019)
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Therefore, Wabi-Sabi represents a kind of greatness that can only be found in the small details of life which we often overlook. It represents finding ourselves and accepting our imperfections as means to see our perfection. There is no pure and absolute virtue but rather a series of exceptional features that define ourselves.
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Wabi-Sabi manifests itself as modesty, simplicity, and naturalness. Everything is meant to live and perish and common taste is nothing but a matter of temporality. Everything that surrounds us should be simple and functional, designed to benefit our well-being.
When looking at our collection, take the time to enjoy not only the overall attire but the small unique designs that make up our clothing line.
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Every day, you may find something new to enjoy about our clothes, whether it’s about simple neutral colors, the comfort of wearing clothes made with natural seersucker, or the subtle colorful thread. We chose to play with the color white because not only that it allows us to reproduce some of the core elements of Wabi-Sabi ( simplicity, indifference, and minimalism) but it also allows you to play with your imagination.
White has the quality of being neutral, giving us different vibes depending on its use. It can look old or new, it can be used in a simple attire or it can be combined to embody something complex. White is fresh and quiet but elegant. (Art Nomura, 2021)
For us, white is synonymous with Wabi-Sabi and the beginning of a new journey.
From nothingness to neon
-none vs. neon-
It is believed that the effect of neon color spreading takes place due to the incapability of the brain to process visual stimulus. (Stephen Grossberg and Arash Yazdanbakhsh, 2005) In our collective memory, the ‘80s represent a rainbow of colorful imagery.
The Madonna craze with a "street urchin" look, pop culture, and funky style represent some of the most iconic figures of this funky period.
In our collection, we replicated the empowering fashion that emerged in the early ‘80s by adding glowing fabrics and creating clothes that appeal to everyone's wild side.
The subtle game between the timid white of the Wabi-Sabi look and raw, neon colors represent a perfect state of balance. It appeals not only to the shy who prefer faint nuances but also to the untamed spirits that carry the legacy of the ‘80s. Perhaps, at the end of the day, we are all a mixture of both trends.
We hope that our soft and light clothes will enable the breeze to cool you off during these hot summer days that are about to come!
Starting today our collection is available in store! Follow up for the launch of the premium items at the Sibiu Fashion Days in July.
Bibliography: Cha, Path Of. “Wabi-Sabi And The Japanese Tea Ceremony.” Path Of Cha, 4 Sept. 2019, pathofcha.com/blogs/all-about-tea/wabi-sabi-and-the-japanese-tea-ceremony.
“Wabi and Sabi / Japanese Aesthetic Sense - ART NOMURA -.” ART NOMURA, 14 Mar. 2021, nomurakakejiku.com/lesson_lineup/wabi-and-sabi.
Stephen Grossberg and Arash Yazdanbakhsh (June 2005). "Laminar cortical dynamics of 3D surface perception: Stratification, transparency, and neon color spreading". Vision Research. 45 (13), pp. 1725–1743.
“Neonatal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/neonatal. Accessed 18 Jun. 2021.
