“Nest”, the first line of clothing from Angela Bacskocky’s eponymous fashion design company, is a bit hard to define. Launched last spring, this local start-up is a brave statement. It is also a collaborative effort between Bacskocky and the models who served as her muses, and at heart, it is the unlikely meeting of sticks and stones with a collection of impeccably tailored womenswear. No stranger to making art, Bacskocky spent her late teens and early 20s in an experimental psychedelic rock band. She moved on to a real corporate job which drove her crazy, effectively funneling her straight into art school. Taking classes at VCU and Central St. Martin’s in London, she studied almost every medium of the visual arts. These diverse experiences ultimately provided the backdrop for a collective concept like “Nest” to be born.
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Using all natural fabrics, Bacskocky and a team of local artists created the first line in what will be an ongoing narrative. This narrative, she hopes, will provide an intimate exposure of the emotional subtleties that fall between the cracks when most of us try to describe human existence. “Nest” focuses on isolation and hibernation, and aims to confidently expose our vulnerabilities. The most instinctual and intimate urges are often the hardest for people to put into words. Like her hero, French avant-garde artist Sophie Calle, Bacskocky finds a way to translate those urges into a visual format the rest of us can (attempt to) digest.
Historically, many conceptual high fashion lines, such as Alexander McQueen’s, have been called art. Bacskocky spent time working at McQueen’s world-renowned fashion house, an experience that strongly influenced her creative process and the making of her own line. The clothing she creates is inseparable from the underlying themes of her concept, and it seems impossible to deem the multimedia performance with which Bacskocky debuted “Nest” last spring, in which her models built a humanly proportioned nest at Candela Gallery, as unworthy of being called art. I wanted to find out more about Bacskocky’s self-proclaimed aim to “merge the lines between fashion and art.” How would she define and separate the two? She and I spent a lot of time talking about this subject, as well as the experiences that shaped her, and what it’s like to design clothes in Richmond.
Who are your favorite fashion designers?
At the end of the day I’m really classic and tailored and minimal, and those are who I respect: classic French designers who use the colors I like and the really minimal tailored lines that I like. Alexander McQueen was obviously my favorite but he’s the rock star. It’s not the same. Chloe, Celine, and Burberry are what I like for wearability, then McQueen and Victor and Rolfe for the art of it. I’d rather be compared to Sophie Calle or other conceptual artists than to designers, that gets me more excited. My real hero is Sophie Calle, who intimately exposes herself through her work. But Chloe, etc, those are clothes I would like to wear.
So you would rather be compared to conceptual artists than to fashion designers? Do you consider what you did with “Nest” to be performance art?
The performance was one aspect of it, but I would consider it a group piece, as opposed to just a fashion line. With the things I wanted to do with it, the clothing ends up being a costume, a byproduct--which I think is a really exciting marketable byproduct. I’m not above that at all! Going through art school, that was something I always struggled with. I took fine arts classes and design classes. There is such a battle between those two worlds. In critiques, other students might say, “This looks like something you could buy at the store,” and I would say, “What’s wrong with that? That sounds good! I’m going to make money.”
That doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate a good thought-out concept. It gets me excited and keeps me going. But I love functional design and art. I love furniture and dishes, and the things we use in our home every day, and knowing that [it] comes from a greater concept.
Whether items traditionally crafted by women, quilts, for example, are considered art is an age-old debate. A lot of these items are what you termed functional design. Do you consider them art?
People would argue that it’s craft, and that’s the struggle. There are those stupid rules about art. For example, someone can be a great sculptor, but if they’re sculpting portraits or very specific things, it’s considered craft. He’s still making something! There’s still a concept behind it. If the purpose is utilitarian, how can it be cool too? It’s considered craft. I realized more recently I want to be a skilled craftsman. I get excited when I read articles about people who are the best in their field. Why be mediocre? I like the idea of being really skilled at this one specific thing, even if it’s not “fine art.”
So what did you study in college?
I studied art at VCU. I had all these extra spaces to take fine arts classes so I took a lot of photography and film. That’s really important in all the stuff I do, for the lookbooks. I did study abroad, [once] in Glasgow where we studied architecture, and [once] in London where I took more photography classes, weird textile stuff. The whole time I tried to broaden as much as I could. I would always say I was a designer because I’m proud of it, and I have to remember that.
I read that “Nest” is “an attempt to merge lines between fashion and art.” How and why would you distinguish between the two? Is it based partially on what you’ve said about your peers in art school?
Definitely. That’s been my trick the whole time. I wanted to get friends involved who make “legitimate” art. There is no separation. I’m making it so everyone walks away kind of confused as to what they saw. That’s great. I think when we did the “Nest” show at Candela Gallery, we totally accomplished that. It was confusing and odd. We gave no expectation as to what was going to happen. Everyone said they didn’t expect what they saw, which was really good. I feel it was full on performance installation. To me, it looked like a fashion show, but to people who aren’t fashion savvy, it was cool, and that’s what’s important.
I think it’s funny you had to explain to your art school friends that fashion and design are art. In the world we live in, you can say almost anything is art.
Right. And some designers just draw the pretty clothes they like. The projects I’m working on fall into a story. Nothing I make gets made just because I like it. That’s how you know it’s different--it’s not just me wanting to make a pretty sweater. What happened needed to happen to be part of the dialogue, the story. It all flows, once you know it really well. You can’t bullshit it. I think that’s also why I was able to get such a positive response, because I believed in it so much.
Are you selling your clothes anywhere outside of Richmond?
No. I’d like to. I went to New York, had lots of meetings and tried to get picked up by showrooms there. Oddly, I was met with such a business perspective. They said my stuff wasn’t made for mass production, a bit too individual and handmade. I’ve boxed myself in by making it too conceptual. They said I could come back when I’m going to be more like them. That was a real shock. I thought I was playing by the big boy rules, but all I’ve done is make a niche for myself and I’m not really sure where it fits. I’m lucky that Need is really into it. I’m going to have to be a boutique person for a while, find someone who’s into it that doesn’t have to answer to a corporate buyer. I’m lucky that my stuff is somewhat on trend.
What role, if any, do trends play for you?
It’s always funny when you think you’re coming up with something original and you realize everyone else is doing it too. At least then you know you’re on the right path. The colors I chose, the neutral palettes and oxblood, are what’s in right now anyways. We’ll see if I end up doing same thing for spring and next fall, but it usually just happens that way. Trends are based on popular culture, so it makes sense that many designers’ clothes end up having those trends in common, as they’re all responding to the same general cultural trends.
Why Richmond?
I am here. I have a house here. I bought [it] when I moved here in 2005 to go to school. I thought when I bought the house that I’d be able to sell it and start a business. Then the housing market changed drastically in about 2009. I had a terrible breakup, got really depressed. I worked at Anthropologie doing the visual stuff for about a year, got complacent, and that’s where I went crazy. That’s when i came up with the whole “Nest” idea. Now I’ve sort of established myself, and I do like it. I have this great warehouse space in Scott’s Addition that i can be creative in. It’s massive, and I wouldn’t be able to have [it] in New York. I’m living cheaply while I’m doing my startup. Also I can get a nice little following here.
I’m getting more and more comfortable in Richmond. I never thought I’d be here this long. There’s something nice and cozy and homey about it. I do want to branch out to other markets, but I see no reason to leave my studio space right now. Plus there are so many artists here who want to help me out. People contact me all the time wanting to be involved. Also there are all of these beautiful people, so I never have a hard time finding models. And there are tons of awesome photographers.
One of the notable things about your background is that you spent time interning at McQueen, one of the biggest names in fashion. Tell me more about that.
It was awesome! I went to London and wanted to go to Central St. Martins because that’s where McQueen went. So I went to McQueen just obsessed with him. I applied right away and didn’t get [the job] because I was in school and they wanted me to be working full time. Eventually I dropped out of Central St. Martins, mostly because I ran out of money and I just hated it at the time. The second I dropped out they hired me right away. It was grueling--13 hour days, 7 days a week. I learned later [that] you could just say no and not come in, but none of the other kids did.
At first I was in the textile and print design department. We were on the top floor in this big warehouse space. They spared no expense. You could take about two weeks and work on something and if it didn’t work out, oh well! I’m not sure there’s anywhere in New York, or maybe anywhere else at all, that’s creative like the atmosphere of McQueen. That’s probably why I’m doing what I’m doing now. I got really lucky and wasn’t working in the most commercial fashion house. Those are all just trying to make money. McQueen wasn’t even trying to make money [laughs]. He was trying to do what he wanted. There was no pressure, no rush.
So how many people worked on Nest?
Six or seven, and for “Ghost,” the next collection, it’s a different six or seven. At McQueen we had all this artistic freedom, but he essentially had the veto power and came up with the larger concept. That’s what I try to do as well. I send out frantic, long emails with a lot of links and images and say, “This is my concept, what do you think? You come up with something and tell me what you want to do with this.” I give them freedom. I like more collaboration. Usually at crunch time I give them more tasks, but I want them to come up with their own thoughts. I want more people on the random creative side, and I definitely am working with painters and sculptors, people who don’t think design-wise, to see what they come up with for the concept. I just help hone in the story.
Your website says, “The female form is followed closely, being hugged and protected by her garments, with gentle folds of fabric allowing generous space for her to hide away.” So the inspiration for “Nest” seems very feminine and very primal. Tell me more about that.
I never think of it that way but I’m glad that you do. It is feminine. Even the way I typically use the word nest makes it feminine. I’ll often say women are always building their own nests, as opposed to men. Next fall gender issues are going to be hugely explored, so femininity is something I’m thinking about a lot lately. I often think there’s a crossover with gender stuff.
And yeah, it’s super primal. Isolation. I can’t stress that word enough. It’s genderless in that I think everybody has the tendency to feel good about what’s going on when they keep to themselves, maybe to an unhealthy level. It’s easier than getting hurt. I would say that sometimes I hide because I feel like the predator. I feel like I’m actually being hurtful if I’m out there talking to people, so it’s better if I’m just hiding.
For “Nest” you only made womenswear. Do you plan to only make clothes for women?
No. When I was in London for that year, I worked for a tailor and studied menswear. It’s more challenging than to me than women’s. After that I came back here worn out and wanted to make dresses. You don’t realize how much you want to until you’ve only done menswear for awhile. It’s easier for me to focus on concept and just do pretty clothes for girls. I really want to get back to menswear. I know so many guys that would be all about it. It’s always gotten me excited to dress men. I like looking at men’s clothes. So, for next fall the idea is to do a unisex line. It will be more about ambiguous dressing.
Do you think Richmond has a burgeoning fashion scene?
I don’t think it necessarily does currently. There is one on the rise. I’m really excited about other friends of mine who are doing and making things here. I think it’s great that Britt Sebastian is doing production here, that Ledbury is doing production here. There’s definitely a lot of jewelry and smaller accessories designers here. So there’s no reason it can’t be an emerging scene, but we definitely need to all come together. Same thing I always say with music--no one band has a movement on their own. In the art world you can’t have a movement without a couple of people doing it. If we don’t band together, it’s not going to happen, and I’m all about collaboration. So I’m going to keep on that and see if we can make Richmond cool. Otherwise we’ll just be individuals in this pond.
So what’s next?
Next season will be called “Ghost.” It will be more vulnerable. I want to concentrate on sentiment and obsession in human relationships. This line will be soft and feminine and frail. My collections are an ongoing revolving story, a continuous cycle of emotions that fluctuate from passive to aggressive with the seasons. The details will change, but the same characters are battling the same demons again and again.
Look for pieces from Bacskocky’s collection at Need Supply Co., and at the Bizarre Market at Chop Suey around Christmas time. She also does special orders and sells limited accessories on Etsy.