INTERVIEW: TEN C
Ten C believe that by applying the true values of craftsmanship and creating garments that are conceived to last all your life, they can in some way help, and this comes from the bible of real environmentalists, in the elimination of waste. They are talking about caring and quality. We sat down with Paul Harvey, one half of the design team behind Ten C and C.P. Company, Ten to discuss origins and balancing function and design /
What was the catalyst for starting Ten c?
Alessandro [Pungetti] and I wanted to have our own label. After 12 years with Stone Island I wanted to do something more direct, something without all the ties and compromises of a big label, something virgin that started from zero. I was also interested in the rest of the business, that beyond design. Alessandro had just finished eight years with CP Company and was looking for a new challenge. The catalyst was the fabric we are still using, the OJJ (Original Japanese Jersey). Alessandro had tried to use it at CP but it was rejected because it was simply too risky and difficult to use, and there were cheaper, easier alternatives. We just knew it was the ideal fabric for what we had in mind.
What is the meaning behind the name?
The name Ten c is very simple. It is ‘The Emperor’s New Clothes’ – T E N C. I was concerned at the time about how important advertising in all its forms had become and how it seemed many people had lost any sense of criticism. People were no longer wearing clothes because they were good or beautiful, they were simply adopting things they had been ‘told’ were right. The Emperor’s New Clothes, the story by Hans Christian Andersen, seemed to address this point.
What is the main concept of the label?
The concept of the label is very simple: we make beautiful clothes with no visible branding and no advertising. We let people judge for themselves. There is a second layer of thought, too. I had just finished reading Cradle to Cradle, one of the most important books ever written about the environment and, more precisely, about recycling. It covers two fundamental ideas: design products so they can be recycled properly, not the ‘downcycling’ we do today, or build things so well that they last a lifetime and don’t get thrown away. My Rolex Explorer 2 is a perfect example of this. It is a beautiful classic design that has never gone ‘out of fashion,’ and it is made so well that it never breaks – and even if it does, the pieces can be changed. I have worn it 24-hours a day for 38 years. It is part of me now.
We apply this very Cradle to Cradle idea to our clothes. We choose iconic styles that do not go out of fashion (this is easier in menswear than women’s), make them a little bit more suitable to everyday life and make them as best we can in the best fabric we can find. They are not designed to be thrown away. They change and wear but only get better and become more personal – more yours. This concept is still the basis of Ten c.
“When you manage to do the owner part properly it changes your perspective totally as a designer, which is good”
What are the standout pieces from the Autumn/Winter 2017 collection?
For A/W 2017 we have remained faithful as ever to our philosophy but have moved it on slightly, opening the range of models a little, looking at different ways to make things and adding other clothing families, like knitwear and jerseys, but always with that same idea of making something that lasts. There are two new jackets, the Tempest Anorak and the Cyclone Parka, and we have done a new, improved, more comfortable version of our non-sewn pieces. For these, we use thermo adhesives instead of needle and thread to construct the jackets. There is also a new range of double-skinned lighter weight Ten c parkas and anoraks. We have also slightly grown the fully fashioned knitwear range and the cut and sew jersey range.
How are you finding the dual role of designer/owner?
Maybe the most difficult thing about Ten c is being both owner and designer, and I am afraid Alessandro and I are not very good at this. It is incredibly difficult to take off the designer hat and put on the owner hat, but it’s also very, very interesting and challenging. When you manage to do the owner part properly it changes your perspective totally as a designer, which is good.
How well do you work alongside Alessandro?
Working together is fine. I think Alessandro has a more practical approach whereas I am more of an extremist – an idealist (in the case of Ten c). Obviously there are ‘discussions,’ and that’s where the owner/designer roles get mixed up in a big way, but in the end, the ticking of the clock means that we find a solution.
“you just have to feel a Ten c garment and you know. It is the same as when you pick up a Rolex, or a pair of Church’s, and you just know it’s right. It’s about understanding”
Can you describe your creation process, from conception through to realisation?
The process of creating? Big question. I think the starting point is fundamental. Neither Alessandro or I believe we are ‘creators.’ We both have a wonderful job as designers, but it is a job. It is a job we love doing, a job we put much passion into, a job that is very rarely boring and changes every day, a job you never leave in the office. But it is a job with timelines, deadlines, production minimums and price points. We know what we have to come up with and at the same time, with all our experience, we know how and where it can be produced. We also know about price structures, production difficulties, minimum quantities and what happens to elastic when you dye it at 130 degrees. And a million other things. Our creative process is also a balancing of all these things, and that is what makes it so fascinating.
How do you balance function with conceptual design?
Function and conceptual design – another big question. With Ten c I really don’t think we have this dilemma. I think any concept we have is based on function. I, at least, am always asking why are we doing this and does it work. We tend to think that any conceptual idea should lead to an interesting design or production solution. For example, ‘Can these pieces be constructed without sewing, using only using adhesives and presses?’ ‘Yes they can, but we have to change the way the pockets are made, how the liners are attached and replace set-in-sleeves with raglan sleeves.’ The way function and production combine with concept is an area of constant innovation and, for me, probably the most interesting.
Where do you look for inspiration?
With regards Ten c, a lot of the inspiration is very personal. As designers – for good or bad – we feel the changes in moods quite instinctively and sometimes without realising it. You get up in the morning and just want to wear that Levi’s jacket that has been stuck in the wardrobe for a while, or that original MA1, but you find the the sleeves are just too enormous, so you source out a jacket of a certain length. With Ten c we try to run with these intuitions, which is not always that simple.
Where do you think Ten c fits into the market? As a highly technical label, some may consider it sportswear with a price tag befitting a mode label – what are your thoughts on this?
Okay. Ten c is not a ‘highly technical label.’ This ‘technical label’ idea is a myth, a fashion idea – something we have never said. For me, a technical label is Dainese, or Sail Racing when they do the clothing for Oracle in the Americas Cup. If Ten c is highly technical, what are Sail Racing doing? Ten c is not ‘highly technical.’
The production process – controlling shrinkage, protecting zips, getting the right colour straight away without needing damaging corrections – is highly technical, but the finished garments aren’t. We are very proud of the fact that the finished fabric is just about as waterproof as you need, but ‘highly technical’ is another story. We believe totally that garments should perform and Ten c garments do. I don’t even put Gore-Tex in the ‘highly technical’ class.
I don’t see the highly technical-sportswear-price connection. You can find many ‘highly waterproof’ (technical) brands at very competitive prices that have nothing to do with sportswear. Our pieces sit alongside many ‘mode labels’ simply due to the price, as do Church’s shoes or Alden shoes. But this is due solely to the quality and the cost of producing such garments, not the cost of fashion shows or advertising campaigns. We would love to believe, and we have seen this many times, that you just have to feel a Ten c garment, touch it, and you know. It is the same as when you pick up a Rolex, or a pair of Church’s, and you just know it’s right. It’s about understanding.
What are your thoughts on the impact of the internet on fashion? Does it affect you as a designer/brand owner?
The internet has a huge influence on fashion today – and many, many other things, too – and I really don’t know how much of that is positive. In my darkest moments, fashion aside, I think living with/controlling the internet will be a gigantic problem for future generations like my children’s. The internet unfortunately seems to live on stories, news and events, and whether they are true, partly true or totally invented has little importance. This tends to lead to non-truths and exaggerations simply to create an audience. This was also true for television, but now all the legal/social filters have gone. We shall see.
Regarding Ten c, it really doesn’t affect us as designers, but as owners we should be doing more. We have a very sincere, true story to tell and we aren’t doing this, which is wrong. In the future we have to move away from the ‘extremist’ idea that people have to discover Ten c for themselves and maybe explain things a little more.
Do you have any plans to create your own retail space?
Yes, we are working with the idea of having our own store, probably in London. We want this because there we could have the time to explain Ten c and why it is so special. Our original idea of having every liner in every colour fit with every shell in every colour was so that the client could choose exactly how he wanted his Ten c piece to look. Unfortunately and understandably this idea has been lost a bit through working with other retailers who simply don’t have the time to be changing liners on every client’s wish. Our own store would give us the possibility to do this.
What is the long-term ambition for Ten c?
The long-term ambition of Ten c is to reach a greater audience without compromising our beliefs and to apply those beliefs to other product families.
