Past Meets Present In Tabor's Collection

Graham Tabor couldn't have asked for a better backdrop to his spring/summer '09 collection than what he got at the 2008 Festival International de Mode et Photographie d'Hyères. The show was set amid the medieval ruins scattered around the Villa Noailles and the juxtaposition of aging elements against the modernity of Tabor's designs translated perfectly into his conceptual approach to fashion.

Tabor's eponymous line draws upon the idea of scattered fragments found at an archeological dig—the origin of each piece is hazy rather than straightforward. For s/s '09, Tabor used advanced seamless knitwear technology from STOLL Knitting Machine Company to create garments that evoke an eerie atmosphere of decaying history—knitted silhouettes covered in holes and tears are superimposed over sheer fabrics, braid-bound feet are worn like broken sandals, while delicate undergarments gradually unravel. Despite this primal ambiance—models even wore masks over their heads—Tabor's sophisticated tailoring gave the entire collection a thoroughly modern veneer.

Of his artistic approach to excavation, Tabor explains: "I'm really fascinated by the anthropological aspects of archaeology—what the heritage cultures leave behind and how we collect that knowledge through the traces they leave. At some point, all civilizations (even our own) are reduced to cultural fragments. Those that come later are only left with silent partial objects and they have to create the story around them."

Tabor's pieces are currently available via private order, but the New York-based designer is already working with Woolmark and Australian Wool Innovation for a more wearable collection. This intelligent approach to fashion design is a refreshing spin we are eagerly anticipating.

For more information, see www.grahamtabor.com.

—Kyle Landman