Founders and Followers
Tell us a little bit about the concept behind Actually Existing
The AE project evolved through the desire to create objects, by hand, from scratch; be they already existing objects that we edit to give another life, or original hand crafted pieces that we make to exceptional quality. Either way our concept is to fight the consumer throw away mentality and bring back the desire and appreciation for quality.
We like that crafting by hand sets a kind of natural limit; you can only actually complete a finite number of pieces. It’s a slow process that we thoroughly enjoy and will continue to practice as Actually Existing grows. It’s important for us to only make what is necessary, rather than hold stock, so we never have unwanted excess. We prefer to use remnant materials to create our pieces, and in so doing, reimagine what would have otherwise been considered waste. As well as being interested in the ‘actually existing’ we often find ourselves drawn to the inverse thought that something exists which is not actual, not current or concrete or material. And that opens up the space of the unconscious, of fantasy, the imaginary and the symbolic; all of which we explore in our work.
You both moved abroad to study the art of shoemaking - How has travel and living abroad influenced your work?
Travel is very important to us. We like to be taken out of our comfort zone and exposed to different cultures, people, traditions and craft skills. It helps us to open up our minds and get perspective on our own practice. Online study is one thing, but getting to meet people from all walks of life and have hands on teaching is a far more rewarding life experience.
I guess it has influenced the way we think, given us confidence and broadened our skill base; this in turn has influenced the way we approach our work. We design and construct in the workshop without limits or restraints. It is important for us to let our minds wander and not to be afraid of the possible wild results. There is never a thought about the commercial value of our pieces, it’s more about the function, beauty and quality. I guess you could compare our practice more to sculpture than fashion. The more we practice, the more skills we gain and the more freedom we have to execute our ideas well.
The way Actually Existing portrays the notion of ‘repurpose’ for design is very inspiring. What is the most abstract or difficult material you have worked with in your collection?
We have used a lot of different abstract materials in our shoe sketches: toothpaste, glass and one off sculptural shoes using natural latex. The most difficult material we have used in production was polymer film coated with a thin layer of aluminium, which we used when developing our upcycled water bags. It proved to be a difficult material to work with as it would slip in our sewing machines and was not as strong as we had hoped.
How would you describe Actually Existing’s approach to sustainability and the amalgamation of traditional crafts(wo)manship with innovation?
I guess, as we said earlier, our approach is first and foremost to create pieces that are of the highest quality and have longevity; we do not believe in producing excess. We were both educated in traditional methods of shoe making and leather craft, our thinking was that we should understand the old methods that have been tried and tested before venturing into the current or contemporary world of craft and design. Where possible, our approach is to apply traditional methods to contemporary materials and designs. And with certain old methods, hand sewing and heat burnishing for instance, not only are they aesthetically pleasing they are in most cases the most durable and long lasting method of construction and finishing.
The use of waste materials has often led us in directions we would have otherwise not ventured. You are forced to innovate and use the traditional skills in ways you wouldn’t have originally thought possible. For example, experimenting with materials other than leather has challenged us and tested our skills immensely. We've had to explore new ways of construction and finishing and in turn learned a great deal about textiles, textile production and we are now excited about exploring the future of textiles and the use of waste in the production of new materials.
The materials used in your projects are quite diverse ranging from rubber to canvas and from bamboo to vegetable tanned leather. With the emergence of biomaterials for circular economy are there any particular industries or potential collaborations you have been keen to work with?
Yes, definitely! There is a list of incredible textile companies creating biomaterials we would like to work with. Thankfully this movement of biomaterials is becoming more and more popular and technologies are improving rapidly, so there is a lot more choice than say 10 years ago. Like Suzanne Lee of Modern Meadows mentions, we are now in the 'Biofabrication Age'.
Two organisations we’re particularly interested in are ‘Ecovative’ and ‘Modern Meadow’ who are both pioneers in the biofabrication of materials. Ecovative is developing a foam alternative for footwear called Mycelium foam that is created from 100% pure mycelium structure, which is a great alternative for the soles of shoes, where in the past EVA (plastic) would have been the only available option. A collaboration with them to create a range of footwear using this material would be great. We’re also excited about the release of a new biofabricated material by Modern Meadow called ZOA, created with a designed collagen protein. We’re hopeful this could be a quality replacement for leather.
What do you enjoy most about working together?
That we fully understand each other, both creatively and personally. We flow nicely when we work together, we take a project that the other has started and finish it with confidence. I enjoy the laughs we have every day, laughing at our mistakes, and our ideas.
Describe a typical day in the studio, what is your usual vibe to achieve a productive day?
Morning meeting over coffee near the studio, we chat about the plan for the day and then hit our space with a clear direction. We will get emails out of the way first then hit the work bench and sewing machines, we will allocate styles between us and just go for it. The majority of the hours in our day are spent constructing, the design process is a part of this construction process, we tend to sketch our ideas out in a three dimensional way, so all sorts of new ideas evolve throughout the day. We will bring our lunch from home and sit at our small office desk to do some on-line research or check our emails again, then the afternoon is filled with more making, there are many cups of herbal tea and good tunes to keep the momentum and good vibes going. To finish the day, we usually re-cap where we are at and then jump on our bikes home.
What's next for Actually Existing?
To hopefully grow our team, it is just the two of us at the moment, we would love to pass on our skills to others.
