WEARING STORIES

I mucked about with all kinds of materials for my "button together clothes". I ordered lovely denims and bright whites from Organic Cotton in the United Kingdom. I bought gorgeous organic or in any case high quality yarn from various producers like Lana Grossa and ggh, from loops, the wool shop around the corner from us in the Wörther Str. I became obsessed with the long and rich tradition and history behind yarn names like Schachenmayr, originally a German company which now belongs to Britain's Coats, and Lang Yarns, a Swiss manufacturer.

I began researching like mad and had lots of fun discovering a world I only knew on the surface. Once a journalist, always a journalist. The Internet was my playground. I became a professional Googler. I wikipedia-ed tirelessly. I read numerous blogs. I went through the history and background of countless companies in the textile and clothes manufacturing industry from arund the world, especially those in the children's segment.

Where do the raw materials come from? What is organic really? What does sustainable mean? Which countries produce what and under what circumstances? Who are the people behind all these products? Handmade versus machine made. What are the traditions and culture behind the clothes? What inventions have led to these? This list is endless.

At the same time I was re-teaching myself many of the techniques of sewing, knitting and crocheting which I had learned as a child, much of this from my mother. I learnt many, many new things too. For this I would like to thank the many contributors on YouTube and eHow for being my instructurs.

By 2011, maiin-maiin had developed into modular customised self-assemble children's clothes that can directly communicate the stories behind them. The clothes would serve as the interface to online audiovisual content. Each element, like a strap or a pocket, is linked to a set of short narrative content, ranging from children's rhymes and songs that touches on the colour, form and texture of that particular element to documentary footage on the companies behind it. Once a videomaker, always a videomaker.