As you’re probably well aware by now, I’m a huge fan of the brands created by Abercrombie & Fitch. However, I’m equally as enthralled by the clothes themselves, and attention to detail has always been something which has really grabbed my attention.
I’m not going lie here – sadly, Hollister, in particular, has been forced to sacrifice some of the attention to detail which made it so appealing to me in the first place. That isn’t to say the clothes aren’t any good – in fact, the upcoming spring floorset is shaping up to be one of the best in many, many years – but they have lost the little touches which made the clothes feel authentic. And I am a sucker for authenticity.
The problem isn’t so much the quality of the fabrics themselves, it’s the lack of variation in design that appeals to me personally. So, rather than moan about this, I decided to take matters into my own hands (literally) and physically create some entirely unique one of a kind pieces of clothing that nobody else in the world would have...take a look! I've also answered some basic FAQs you may have...
The Clothes
Emerald Cove Sweatshirt transformed into Doheny Custom Pullover...
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| The Original Emerald Cove Sweatshirt |
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| The finished product...gradually faded and weathered green garment dye. |
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| Custom destroyed appliqué logo and nicking and grinding at trims. |
Moor Park Hoodie transformed into La Jolla Custom Hoodie...
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| The original Moor Park Hoodie |
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| The finished product, now coloured in triple washed, double dyed light navy |
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| Custom destroyed trims and edges, as well as hand painted and destroyed logo appliqué. |
Cabrillo Beach Polo transformed into Capistrano Beach Custom Polo
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| The Original Cabrillo Beach Polo |
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| The New Capistrano Beach Custom Polo, with inconsistent washed navy colour, contrast seams and rugged destruction at hems and trims. |
How did I create these?
A LOT of effort (haha!) Each piece of clothing turned out to be very different to create. I'm not going to go into specifics on each item, but the majority of the results have a lot to do with careful hand washing, hand dyeing and destruction – as well as the use of painting (yes, painting) on specific parts of the garments to achieve certain effects.
Essentially, it's reverse engineering of how A&F used to treat their garments – except I had no industrial manpower behind me to achieve the end products. However, the great thing about doing it by hand is that you not only get more control over how things are done, but what things are done – I've got some purple and black items in the pipeline, for example – things you cannot get at A&F or HCo.
Are they wearable? Washable?
Yes, completely. The clothes keep their original shape completely, it's just the way they are presented that I was interested in changing. They all wash entirely fine as well, despite the added destruction and dyes – it's all carefully done to ensure that they stay as they are.
There is after all no point in making something look rugged if it isn't actually rugged as a piece of clothing!
Are the items for sale?
They will be – but not just yet.
I am definitely planning on selling in the future. It's my aim to create completely unique, one of a kind pieces of clothing that are the only ones of their kind in the world. For this reason there will be no repeats in my work to maintain total exclusivity...
I absolutely want to hear from you about what kinds of things you would love to see – that includes both Hollister Dudes and Bettys, as well as A&F guys and girls. I want your honest feedback: what you think of the work I've done, how it looks etc – let me know.
Either comment below or drop me a line at domrushton@gmail.com...
Speak soon guys!
Dom