Jesse Thomas is a skateboarder who also likes to make things. Complicated things usually. He decided to make slashed sweat pants, hoodies and tailored jackets inspired previous experiences with Origami (more details about that below). We arranged to photograph the clothes in Bristol and, whilst out on the street, bumped into Anetta Nalinska who then also got involved. The 'pursuit' narrative of the project was created there on the street and was completed in the studio later once all the photographs had been processed and sequenced. A small number of hand bound A5 zines have been made with a ribbon binding that mimics the shape of the origami folds in the photograph of the sweat pants on the opening spread.
"Origami was something that was close to me as a teenager. As I advanced in the practice and observed more interesting techniques from the likes of Akira Yoshizawa and Éric Joisel, my understanding of how folds within a two-dimensional plane can behave changed drastically. It opened my eyes to the notion that if rigid geometry can mimic life, it can move with life and complement it as well.
I began incorporating folds into clothing patterns.
One of the first completed sets, captured here by James Hudson in his 'Pur Suit Curve' zine, features a tracksuit combo that accentuates the folds and the movement they take on, with iridescent piping layered on the pleating. Along with a more rigid, tailored suit that uses pleating to suggest movement and excitement where there was none before."
Jesse Thomas, Nov 2024