The “romance writer” rocks the Rose Mock Casaquin Jacket, while our “romance reader” prefers The Hedgecutter Jacket.
Both garments are by Unknown Apparel.
Photos, project Statement and Fashion by Elektra Oliveira
Art by Maressa Axtmann
The Hedge Cutter Jacket
Made from the scraps of one of my dear friends, Amelia Statler’s senior college collection. I cut the scraps into strips then I sewed them together making a Napoleon pallet stripe fabric.
I matched this with a soft cotton to keep it in the ‘farmer’s daughter’ realm. The inspiration behind this is very Marie Antoinette, blah blah blah, but more importantly it is inspired by a painting called The Hedge Cutter.
In this portrait a garden worker, otherwise known as the Hedge Cutter is wearing a taupe leather jacket that has been obviously passed down through the years and patched up several times.
I believe it is the largest portrait still surviving of a ‘servant’. I can only imagine what this person must have meant to the family who commissioned and saved this piece.
This is how people used to treat their clothes, built and constructed with design and thought, invaluable, repairable and handed down. A one time fashionable garment was conserved through a few generations.
In my imagination, this jacket was a hand-me-down from Marie Antoinette and one of the gardeners from the petite Trianon went back and snagged it during the invasion. Through a dramatic blaze, they threw it on and ran to Luxembourg.
And now it’s here, in my hands.
About the Author / Designer
Elektra Oliveira is the designer behind Unknown Apparel, a blossoming fashion endeavor inspired by industry workers, indie filmmaking, historic tropes and over sights and simply put, punk rock. This journey stems from the mind and lifestyle of Elektra Oliveira, a Bay Area native who started sewing at the age of 8 as a way to keep busy.This opened the door to art and her passions for constructing a story through an array of mediums like toner loner zines, bedroom 4 track tunes, messy screen prints, teary eyed writing and hairy film photography.Unknown began in Philly while Elektra was waiting tables. One day a two tone striped pair of overalls with hella pockets was born and named the Classique. After a year of making customs of the classique for co workers and regulars and designing 4 more styles, she opened her site in 2019. Since then she’s expanded to jewelry, accessories and one of a kind pieces in addition to making her 400th Classique jumpsuit this year.
About the Illustrator
Maresa Axtmann is a German artist who works primarily is collage. She is a member of the Cream Scene Team, working in The Art Department.
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