Studio Series: Dan Rodriguez
Dan Rodriguez is a Paris-based designer and content creator who has made upcycling the core of his practice, filming every step as second-hand garments become one-of-a-kind pieces. In his videos you can often spot POEVE pairs and unique ways Dan styles them along his creations. Dan's eye was trained in the theatre world, where costumes build characters and tell stories, and his creative method is an answer to fashion's overproduction. For this chapter of Studio Series, we spoke with him about his practice, dream projects, and details only a maker notices. How would you describe your practice to someone who still thinks "upcycling" means cutting jeans into shorts? I see upcycling as a form of transmutation applied to clothing. In a way, upcyclers are like alchemists of garments. We look at a piece and ask how it can be altered so that our understanding of it shifts or expands entirely. It's about letting go of what we think something is, and allowing it to exist in a completely new way. What does your studio look like when a project is in full swing? My studio is actually my home, and even though it can get messy, it's still quite organised. During ideation it might get close to creative chaos, but when the time comes to work, I need everything in order, so the chaos doesn't take over. And since I often film, I try to keep a space that feels visually composed.
