The origins of our idea that we can layer together aspects of Where I Come From, Where I Belong and Where I Hope to Go within our individual self expression all started here – with the historical legend of a secret society of tailors who may have believed this all along.
The narrative is premised on the possibility that a secret guild of tailors was active during the industrial revolution whose activities included symbolic rituals and the advancement of design and craft standards. Since the story first emerged in 2004, it has been referenced in books, magazines and online. The story went on to inspire a community of contemporary creatives from the UK, Europe, Africa, Japan, and the USA who came to regard themselves as modern members of the guild and could be found behind the labels, Art Comes First, A Child of the Jago, The Brooklyn Circus, Norwegian Rain, and others. Over time, they expanded the narrative beyond the ethics of garment making to a broader exploration of what it means to represent oneself rooted to questions of “Where I Come From”, “Where I Belong” and “Where I Hope to Go”.
These 3 simple questions were posed to each of the designers and creatives who have been linked to this story. They were asked where they came from, their personal histories but sometimes also their ancestry and culture. They talked about where they felt like they belonged today, where they experienced their flow-state in the here and now. And they shared their ambitions for the future and where they hoped to go.
Their experiences and hard-earned perspectives on creativity, craft, identity and self-expression dramatically deepened our understanding of how we might approach menswear creation. Each of the principles we’ve tried to embed within LM.RT tie back directly to the lessons shared with us by the people in this unique community. From Quality as Meaning to 64,00 Degrees of Touch and from Invention as Narrative to Identity is Layered, It all started here.
