Husam El Odeh for Per Götesson
Royal crockery assemblage, fall 2018.
In the court of the Sun King etiquette was codified and dress was sumptuous. Male courtiers had free range to peacock about in richly embroidered cutaways, breeches, and red-heeled shoes. Today, we are daily witnessing the cracking up of long established customs, and the emergence of new ones. There’s a new generation of men who are abandoning formality in favor of fashion—be they hypebeasts, neo-preps, or wannabe cowboys (many of whom seemed to have been corralled at Pitti Uomo). Watching, analyzing, and reacting to these changes is the artist and jeweler Husam El Odeh.
Born in Germany to parents of Lebanese and Palestinian origins, El Odeh, 43, came to jewelry through art, “exchanging the canvas for the body,” as he puts it. El Odeh was the recipient of the British Fashion Council’s Emerging Talent Award for Accessories in 2010; several seasons ago he met and became professionally and personally involved with the Swedish menswear designer Per Götesson after being introduced by Fashion East’s Lulu Kennedy. “Per was looking for someone to create jewelry,” the designer relates. “He came to my studio with some shells and we smoked lots of cigarettes (some of which made it into the first collection as pins). We connected almost instantly on a tactile level.”
Together the pair are imagining a nuanced and decorative approach to menswear that involves using familiar materials in unexpected ways. Götesson’s supersized jeans, for example, look fresh at the same time that their draping has a rave-meets-Old Masters quality. El Odeh’s assemblages are piquant, and in at least one case, prescient. Alongside a photo of his broken commemorative plate crockery pin showing the Duke and Duchess of Sussex the designer wrote: “Seems I foresaw the future ... [throw-back] SS19 @pergotesson.”
It’s the future of masculinity—a story that’s in the process of being written—that is El Odeh’s preoccupation. “Being a man is often about navigating expectations,” says the designer, who subverts them with work that tests gender boundaries and assigns value to everyday objects, putting them in settings that require they be seen in new and unexpected ways.
Here El Odeh talks us through his process and shares his thoughts on men and adornment.
When and how did you know you wanted to design jewelry?
I initially started as a painter, in fact I still make illustrations for some projects. My work was always centered around the body and in a way it was a quite natural transition to move on to jewelry. In fact I felt my work being placed on the body and worn gave it a much more intimate and immediate relationship with my audience and clients. I still love the fact that people interact with my work on such an immediate and tactile level.
Silver wire nest, spring 2020
“Last season started with a blackbird nest in [the] jasmine bush outside of our garden window, which we got really obsessed with. It became a symbol of accumulating things and making a home from the things that surround you. In the show they became silver wire nests and branches with objects like keys, lighters, and the odd semi-precious stone woven into them.”Photo: SAVIKO / Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images
How do you and Per work together?
We live together these days and the initial ideas often evolve out of everyday experiences and things we observe about each other. Last season started with a blackbird nest in the jasmine bush outside of our garden window, which we got really obsessed with. It became a symbol of accumulating things and making a home from the things that surround you. In the show they became silver wire nests and branches with objects like keys, lighters, and the odd semi-precious stone woven into them. These things flow into the narrative that Per has already developed and often become symbols or poetic functions within the collection. We also do some research together, like going to a museum or looking at objects we have or find. I often feed into the narrative, like with the collection we just showed. I introduced Joe Orton’s work to Per and we went to the library where Orton had defaced books, which (maybe not entirely coincidentally) is right by where we live. We often discuss what it is that we respond to and how it relates to navigating the world as a man. I then tend to try and identify materials and objects that I know I can make something interesting from and that will translate well into pieces.
How would you describe your style?
There is a touch of surrealism to my work. I try leaving things open in a way, as if the piece is a kind of question. I love playing with meaning and juxtaposing materials. My German side ends up balancing this visually. So it’s kind of messy and clean cut at the same time.
Lighter ship-pin, fall 2019.Photo: Alessandro Lucioni / Gorunway.com
What draws you to assemblage?
I feel my work is a lot about making connections with people, so I reference the everyday a lot and functional objects, I love corrupting objects (like all the cut-up coins) to give them a new meaning and layer symbols. When you draw on something recognizable, you already have a connection with your audience and give them a chance to make it part of themselves.
Lucia Crown, spring 2019
“The Lucia crown collection was quite romantic. It was just after Per moved in and I had visited his family in Sweden. The collection was a lot about things you hold on to and that remind you about where you come from. We used broken commemoration plates and a broken cup from Per’s grandmother. The Lucia crown reinforced this evocative sense of occasion and also vaguely corrupted the idea of masculinity, as traditionally this is worn by a young woman.”Photo: Stuart Wilson / BFC / Getty Images
What roles do narrative and fantasy play in your work?
In my design, narratives are often created through association and are multilayered. Placing the Lucia crown on a boy in spring 2019 carried a level of the narrative of a reimagined masculinity, but also touched on belonging, sacrifice, and “home.” There are often personal narratives hidden within the pieces like clues. I think people can sense this [and] I think fantasy comes into the space I try to leave within the pieces, where I almost leave it to the audience to fill in the story.
Pencil Crown, fall 2020
“The collection was inspired by Joe Orton and the books in the library he defaced. It was about making your mark and subverting an idea. So touching on a crown of thorns, connecting it with pencils, which are a tool to draw, write and make your mark with, was like collaging ideas together to create a new meaning. Ultimately I love Orton’s witty use of the ridiculous and grotesque and a touch of irony and playfulness was also key to this. ”Photo: Alessandro Lucioni / Gorunway.com
Does men’s jewelry differ from women’s?
There are different things to consider and sometimes men’s jewelry is more restricted, as men are much more preoccupied with embarrassment. There is also size and visual weight to consider, depending on the piece. Again, I feel it has a lot to do with the different sets of expectations society puts on men and women and obviously there are different traditions. I do enjoy being playful with these elements, and reimagining a traditionally male or female format is very exciting from a designer’s point of view.
Lighter assemblage sash with broken glass peace pendants, fall 2019.Photo: Alessandro Lucioni / Gorunway.com
Thoughts on the “new man”?
Per and I often discuss this. Being a man is often about navigating expectations and there is a lot of pressure society puts on you. I feel there is a new generation much more open to embrace vulnerabilities. Searching and dreaming are often still considered weak, but actually it is much harder to be open-minded. You have to be much tougher and confident to show sensitivity.
Champagne-wire tiara, fall 2018. Photo: John Phillips / BFC / Getty Images
Why do you think men are seemingly less afraid to adorn themselves these days?
I think fashion can take some credit for this. Ultimately, expressing yourself and what you care about as a man has become a sign of strength and creativity rather than something to be embarrassed about. I also think that as much as we like blaming social media, in a way it has also made people more connected and inclusive. I have seen this with my nieces and nephews who live in the German countryside; when I compare them to my generation growing up in the ’90s I am really excited to see that they don’t exclude other groups like we did.
"Jewelry" - Google News
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Husam El Odeh Is Designing Jewelry for the “New Man” - Vogue.com
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