Issue 17 of Toronto-based magazine Bad Day launched last night at OCNY, and today we're publishing an exclusive preview of one of its new features, an interview with Telfar Clemens.
Telfar Clemens loves Times Square. “It’s like a stop-off in time—a crossing place,” he told me the first time we met, in January 2013 at a Times Square-adjacent, Paris-partnered gallery where he was showing an Autumn/Winter collection. While most New Yorkers only ever transfer through the tourist center, Telfar has made it a second home. He even spent Christmas and New Year’s Eve here, finalizing his next season’s samples in a factory on West 39th, one block down from the men in Elmo costumes. This factory is where I found Telfar for our chat; two weeks after showing one collection, already working on the next.
Shop the new issue of Bad Day HERE
FIONA DUNCAN: Duncan How did you find this factory? It’s incredible.
TELFAR CLEMENS: Oh, Mr. Tai’s a legend. He’s been working here since the early seventies. He’s done everyone: Zac Posen, DKNY... Sometimes I’ll see a tag and be like—oh, you too? When I was in here during fashion week, I saw that everyone is getting a sample through Mr. Tai! From low to downtown labels. Mr. Tai is really reliable. He’s such a darling to me.
The theme of your most recent show was “Extremely Normal™”. Could you talk about what that means?
Yes. Babak [Radboy] was the one who named it that. I couldn’t put a title to the collection. I didn’t know what to call it besides “2014”—that seemed like the most significant name I could give it. Babak sees my clothes as really normal but normal for right now, you know? Or, what’s going to be the norm—
In the future.
Yes. Exactly, it’s future forecasting of the normal. New norms, new forms.
How did you get involved with Kmart?
Kmart was launching this “#knownewtrends” project, which is really broad in scope, but part of it involved them reaching out to the art community. I think they did a really good job with our pairing; it didn’t seem forced. It’s the next step for corporations to get involved with artists. There is absolutely no shame in getting involved with corporations at this point. It’s the reality of our economy.
Do you think people still harbour anxieties around “selling out”?
Sure, sure. But when I work with a corporation, it’s always to my advantage.
Are there any corporations you wouldn’t work with?
I’ll consider any company as long as they’re not killing anybody and people are getting paid a fair wage. Nobody wants to do business that’s more harmful than helpful.
You showed your collection on two floors, top and bottom, of the New Museum. How did that get set up?
I work with many of the same artists that the New Museum works with. I’m also going to be part of the next [New Museum Generational] Triennial in 2015. After my fashion week show last season, the New Museum really wanted me to do something there. Babak and I had the idea to make a really high-gloss retail pop-up,
Telfar Clemens loves Times Square. “It’s like a stop-off in time—a crossing place,” he told me the first time we met, in January 2013 at a Times Square-adjacent, Paris-partnered gallery where he was showing an Autumn/Winter collection. While most New Yorkers only ever transfer through the tourist center, Telfar has made it a second home. He even spent Christmas and New Year’s Eve here, finalizing his next season’s samples in a factory on West 39th, one block down from the men in Elmo costumes. This factory is where I found Telfar for our chat; two weeks after showing one collection, already working on the next.
Shop the new issue of Bad Day HERE
FIONA DUNCAN: Duncan How did you find this factory? It’s incredible.
TELFAR CLEMENS: Oh, Mr. Tai’s a legend. He’s been working here since the early seventies. He’s done everyone: Zac Posen, DKNY... Sometimes I’ll see a tag and be like—oh, you too? When I was in here during fashion week, I saw that everyone is getting a sample through Mr. Tai! From low to downtown labels. Mr. Tai is really reliable. He’s such a darling to me.
The theme of your most recent show was “Extremely Normal™”. Could you talk about what that means?
Yes. Babak [Radboy] was the one who named it that. I couldn’t put a title to the collection. I didn’t know what to call it besides “2014”—that seemed like the most significant name I could give it. Babak sees my clothes as really normal but normal for right now, you know? Or, what’s going to be the norm—
In the future.
Yes. Exactly, it’s future forecasting of the normal. New norms, new forms.
How did you get involved with Kmart?
Kmart was launching this “#knownewtrends” project, which is really broad in scope, but part of it involved them reaching out to the art community. I think they did a really good job with our pairing; it didn’t seem forced. It’s the next step for corporations to get involved with artists. There is absolutely no shame in getting involved with corporations at this point. It’s the reality of our economy.
Do you think people still harbour anxieties around “selling out”?
Sure, sure. But when I work with a corporation, it’s always to my advantage.
Are there any corporations you wouldn’t work with?
I’ll consider any company as long as they’re not killing anybody and people are getting paid a fair wage. Nobody wants to do business that’s more harmful than helpful.
You showed your collection on two floors, top and bottom, of the New Museum. How did that get set up?
I work with many of the same artists that the New Museum works with. I’m also going to be part of the next [New Museum Generational] Triennial in 2015. After my fashion week show last season, the New Museum really wanted me to do something there. Babak and I had the idea to make a really high-gloss retail pop-up,