NEWS

Aries is the brainchild of Fergus Purcell (aka Fergadelic) and Sofia Maria Prantera.

The inspiration for Aries came from two basic ideas: the first was to follow our obsession with collecting trash (we are both hoarders and beachcombers, fascinated by jumble and decay); the second and more important was to create a brand that would offer people an alternative to the ubiquitous ‘fast-food’ fashion and street wear. It seems to us a good way of resolving the perennial human dilemma between, on the one hand wanting to acquire and create ever new, ever more stimulating possessions, and on the other regretting the stress that this poses on our poor, over-cluttered planet.

Our logos and print elements reflect this double-pronged aim: the fly logo and the rat print represent decay; the coin, the broken temple, the caveman are leftover elements of past civilizations. Clothes are patch-worked, accessories are made of leftover wood, but thanks to the care and craftsmanship that have gone into their production they have, in the words of Ariel’s song, ‘suffered a sea change’ that has turned them into beautiful and desirable objects in their own right. In this way we aim to make items that retain their interest and value irrespective of trends. “Celebrating things that take time to make!”

Manufacture is ethical in all aspects, carried out principally in Italy and the UK where it is easier to keep check. With our insistence on quality, some items will of necessity be expensive, but in counterbalance we will run others such as printed T-shirts that will be easily affordable. We do not intend to split our range, but instead to offer a wide analog spectrum that blurs the line between ‘high’ and ‘low’ culture. In the same spirit of equality there will be no imposed gender divide either, although certain articles will obviously be gender-specific.

“Full fathom five thy father lies;
Of his bones are coral made;
Those are pearls that were his eyes;
Nothing of him that does fade,
But doth suffer a sea-change
Into something rich and strange”

Distributed by Slam Jam