When I think about all the ways that fashion has moved throughout the years, I often see trends emerge with little variation on the original design of yesteryear. So it is a breath of fresh air to see clothing that can be inspired by trends and design features of the past and create something new. One of the ways inspiration can be sought out to keep the game moving forwards is with clothing archives. But, when I came across The Cube Archives I was introduced to a whole new way of representing fashion from the past, and quite specifically denim. TheCube Archive is an exclusive menswear vintage fashion archive for research, inspiration, and rental, located in Tuscany, Italy.
I was fortunate enough to attend a panel discussion at Premiere Vision: Denim, where the founders were speaking on the value of denim and all its possibilities for the future of fashion, amongst other topics. Listening to Marius, a cofounder of TheCube Archive speak at the panel was inspiring. He said in this lively discussion “When people think about an archive, they think about a room with dusty books.” I literally laughed out loud, because I love a room filled with dusty books, a room of definition and reference - maybe it is the scientist in me.
So what is the TheCube Archive? TheCube Archive is a hub, aimed at enhancing the importance of research in the creative process. TheCube is a dynamic archive, based on the concept of inspirational installations that will constantly evolve and change according to the season, moods, and trends, not only of the moment but of the future.
The library is a collection of clothing and accessories with over 15,000 available items for rental and use for inspiration. When I think inspiration, I usually think it must come in the guise of a human muse, or what the trend analytics teams deem the next best thing - they are neither.
To conclude, what I learned from TheCube Archive is that inspiration can come in many forms, and they are spreading the word, one zip fly at a time how the past can inspire the future with a plethora of possibilities.
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