ss 2013

The theme for this collection came from a discordance I always feel when I move between my homeland, Austria and my home, Japan. There, holidays are a right, even an obsession. We seem to work and live for our leisure time. We, plan, we talk, we dream about our holiday trips to snowy mountains, the warm seaside, or even the simple freedom of wandering around town on weekends, browsing the latest fashions or relaxing in cafes. We feel a holiday from daily obligations and all the rules of working life can help us recover our body, mind, and heart. It gives us time and distance for reflection before going back to the daily grind again… With the new free-lance or part-time economy, I worry that weʼll lose our precious right to leisure. Here, in Japan, a long holiday is like a rare privilege. Hours are lengthy and many people seem attached to their work or afraid to make trouble for their colleagues or employer. Most of the country takes a few days of holiday together during summer season of Obon or at New Years and there are long waits on trains and in traffic. This hardly seems refreshing. A consumer life-style in a way offers an easy escape from the work routine. But I feel life values have started to change after the big catastrophe more then 1.5 year ago on March 11th. There is a sense that suddenly everything can be lost and more people are looking for something that brings joy to their hearts. How about a holiday? After what happened in Japan, with all the extra stress, we need to have those moments, those days, to relax and recover, to come together. Shouldnʼt societies worldwide provide people this opportunity? As Madonna sings, “all across the world in every nation … to release the pressure, we need a holiday.” Now, holidays for everyone !

edwina hörl in cooperation with scott ree