ZWEI FAMILIENALBUM (TWO FAMILY ALBUM) is the name of the second collection of howitzweissbach. a collection that is dedicated wholeheartedly to memory. childhood vacations at the Baltic sea. usedom, hiddensee, fischland darß. looking for sea shells, paddling on the Baltic in a folder boat, zeesen boat regattas, fishing in the small side arms of the bodden. blazing heat, beach balls, beach walks, using father as an open sea diving board, sand, reed-thatched cottages behind dunes, riding a bike through lopsided pine forests, faded memories of grandparents dragging big beach bags filled with the sundries of summer across the sand-covered concrete walkways towards the water. the sun slipping into the sea and the subsequent midge bites of dusk.
these lines conjure images which are beautiful, but also dangerously kitsch. we, howitzweissbach, have decided to face this danger. always in pursuit of these images, but also of their disruption. we are looking for moods and do not want to simply adapt one-dimensional set pieces. howitzweissbach at the beach. that's something else. it's about creating a mood without using quote after quote. how do we experience the sea as children. how can memories be transmitted into clothing. how can we create this particular feeling of a summer at the German Baltic sea, despite working in abstraction. can this mood be conjured in the observer without resorting to bluntness.
Howitzweissbach create one-of-a-kind items. our cuts are distinctive. we are concerned with the graphic form of cut. we fold forms, establish ground rules and move, for the most part, in a very clear canon of shapes. the dress stripe, for example, consists simply of six parallel block stripes. these go through a process of folding to become the dress. the jacket baukasten was created by a random combination of five basic geometric shapes. our interest in cuts is spelled reduction. the less parts the more thrilling the process.
ZWEI FAMILIENALBUM consists, on the material level, of matt silk, a wonderfully light quality of Italian cotton, a more firm, even powdery, cotton fabric, reminiscent of sailcloth and magnificently soft, dyed lamb nappa leather.
to make the collection pieces absolutely unique, we have painted. like children who dab, brush and dye themselves a world of their own. every piece is hand-coloured. every piece has become a very individual member of the howitzweissbach family. every piece bears its own name and a personal stripe. largely applied when still in single parts but with some pieces even, with a lot of courage, after they had been assembled. thus even shoes and socks become little individual personalities.
Ahoi
Eva and Frieder
It is freezing. Snow everywhere. The woods are right outside the door of the hut.
Hot chai drunk from a metal cup. The mountain awaits. We start the march. The sledge behind us. Food in our backpacks. The sky clears. Our feet in thick socks. Snow crystals in our coats. Pine forests deep in snow. A small beaten track for walking. Freshly hewn wood. The scent of resin and the mountains before us. Like a painting. Large, looming, mighty, beckoning. The ascent begins. First easy then more and more steeply. We are slowly rising. Ski runs cross our track. Follow the yellow markers then follow the red. Down in the valley snow, children, sledges, smoking chimneys. White is everywhere. A short rest in the robbers den. Each has a Krakauer and a chunk of caraway bread. Then onward. Snow turns to ice. Panting. The tree line. Ravens circle above us. It has grown late. The sun is red and ominously low. The ridge. Racing clouds. At last the summit. The wind blows through the beards. A view without limit. Vastness. Dusk. Homely lights in the valley. Let's get back there. Crossing the mainline, following the yellow markers. Towards the warm fireplace. Euphoric exhaustion. A pipe on the wooden bench. Tomorrows summit already in view.
drag the pieces to assemble your own design. rotate with the space bar. esc to reset the game.
