Digitaria: Opening a Dialogue between Fashion, Art and Politics

Photography by George Mavrikos

Look no further than Digitaria on Soho’s Berwick Street if you are seeking a bubbling environment striving to connect and create dialogue between fashion and the arts. But it is much more than just a space to host the Digitaria label which, designed by Eleftheria Arapoglou and Stavros Karelis, the Creative Director, aims to ‘create affordable, well tailored in house fashion...and to combine the world of art with fashion and politics’. At Digitaria London also expect a host of experiential things in this multi-purpose store-come-gallery space, ‘from sound installations and film screenings to gallery shows and what will probably be very strange performances by Theo Adams, Masumi Tipsy and, Scottee’. Digitaria plugs itself as ‘aiming to bring a fresh approach to the industry, combining fashion, art, music and performance to create interactive spaces you want to shop in’. It is an environment where they hope anyone can express his or her ideas.

Furthermore, with their buyer, Paul Joyce, Stavros also works alongside young talented designers to promote their collections. Their current protégée is British Designer Millie Cockton whose new label is called EUPHEMIA. Her work has already been featured in Dazed and Confused, and she is rapidly making a name for herself. Androgyny is strong in her work, but so is the notion of the ‘individuality of the wearer identifying with the pieces’.

Photography by Mark Cant, Notion July 2009

Photography by Toyin, Dazed and Confused, March 2009

They are also currently working with Ada Zanditon, who like many of the other designers they nourish, has strong ecological fundamentals. ‘She uses a range of organic and natural fabrics as well as innovative waste reducing and energy conscious solutions to create sculptural, elegant, desirable fashion.’ Furthermore, she doesn’t use leather or fur in her Ready-to-wear collections or accessories.

Photography by Paul Morgan

Digitaria recently held the Faroe Islands SS10 designer showcase, at which Pop note washed leather and stretched jersey pieces by Barbara I Gongini and chunky neon knits from Johanna Av Steinum as highlights. Barbara I Gongini, again a designer committed to sustainability, deserves a whole post of her own - but here's a taster to whet your appetite.

Barbara i Gongini AW 09

Digitaria is creating an exciting dialogue, connecting up fashion and art and politics; as Karelis says 'nothing exists without its meaning, however many people don't see the idea behind a creation, even though most of the time socio-political issues that affect us all are incorporated in fashion and art’. I suppose this is exactly what I regularly bang on about – to fully appreciate fashion, and to exploit all of its potential we must put it in its place in our society. However, I think it is also important that we start to recognise that, as Digitaria obviously have, sustainability is also a political issue that designers have a responsibility to commit too. It’s fantastic to see so many young designers (many of whom I will be introducing you to over the next few weeks) are seizing this opportunity, many under the guidance of Digitaria, and are using locally sourced materials and adopting a healthy attitude towards sustainable fashion. As these designers prove, it is highly possible for inspiring fashion and art to take up this challenge without compromising aesthetics or progressive technology and design. As Ada Zanditon says, she ‘pioneers creating and evolving a high end womenswear business with a common sense approach to sustainability…and a belief in business that treats people, planet and profit with equal importance’.