This Week #13 | Introducing: AN IRRATIONAL ELEMENT (NL)
My own public secret
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I remember when in the early 2000s — I had just started high school — I first heard about this new band from New York. They had just released a demo EP on Rough Trade, the London-based independent record label. The buzz was already buzzing, and they were expected to sign at a major label and explode soon. And then on July 30, 2001 it was there: “one of the best debut albums in modern rock history.” Is This It? created an instant dilemma, identity- and style-wise: what effort was required to be as effortlessly cool as these four guys? I lived in a small Dutch city and, with online shopping still non-existent, none of the basics that made up this newly forged rock’ n roll aesthetic — faded denim jackets, granddad trousers, oversized blazers, Chuck Taylor All Stars — were available to me.
What mattered more than anything else, however, was the emotional connection I felt with The Strokes. I don’t mean with them personally, of course. I mean with the feeling they represented. And I don’t mean this or that particular feeling. I mean the all-consuming, life-changing feeling caused by the belief that their music was there for me to hear, that their looks were there for me to see — the feeling that I’d personally discovered them and that I had to keep this glorious discovery hidden as if it were a secret. This youthful selfishness made that I only partly enjoyed listening to the album with friends and that I was slightly disappointed when it turned out their shows were sold out in the Netherlands, proving that others apparently knew about the secret as well.
It’s an uncomfortable realization that this personal experience is also how successful marketing works, making people enjoy mass-produced goods as if they’re unique, individualized creations. But let’s forget about that problem for now, and just observe the dynamics of the strange-yet-common phenomenon: that of discovering something — be it a band or a brand — that’s in plain sight, of wanting to keep it hidden from others, of knowing that it’s already there for everyone to see, of willfully ignoring the fact that this is so, of wanting to share it with others because you like it so much, and of not doing it because you know that from that moment on it will never be the same again (for which Jonah Weiner and Erin Wylie from Blackbird Spyplane created a shorthand formulation: “I liked x before it was y”).
At first, it must have been in the early 2010s, I experienced this with the likes of OrSlow, Engineered Garments and Margaret Howell, which weren’t available anywhere near me at the time. As the years passed, and as my virtual horizon expanded, the brands got smaller and smaller, with Japanese names entering the scene — from TS(S) and Yoko Sakamoto to Niuhans and Comoli — followed by Tender Co., Casey Casey, Evan Kinori, and countless others. This went on until I realized that it’s simply better to spread the word, to get it out there, to not be so endlessly and pointlessly possessive. It’s better for yourself, for others, and — not unimportant — for the brand. That doesn’t mean it’s easy. “To cherish,” after all, also means to lovingly protect someone or something. And “to protect” involves the human tendency to keep that someone or something safe from harm or injury inflicted by others, whether physically, mentally, socially, or emotionally…
Today, I’ll break the vicious circle of well-meant naivety and creative self-deceit to share one of my very own public secrets — a brand that embodies the kind of uplifted effortlessness or cool chicness that I was looking for in my teenage years but couldn’t find anywhere (and probably didn’t even know existed).
Yes, I know there are 3.5k others following the brand on IG. I know it’s exhibiting at the Paris and Milan fashion weeks. I know it’s sold at about 15 retailers in North America and Asia. But still. To me, Amsterdam-based one-man brand An Irrational Element feels like a small and sparkling Dutch gem (one that’s not even available in the Netherlands!) — a genuine if-you-know-you-know brand. And now you know.
I didn’t want to introduce An Irrational Element purely on my own account, so I had a conversation with founder Kai Bolwijn over e-mail, asking him a couple of questions about the brand. He was also kind enough to share an exclusive preview of a key piece from the forthcoming AW25 collection.
LM: Thanks for agreeing to a quick, on the fly interview Kai. Could you tell me when and why you started An Irrational Element (AIE)?
Kai Boldewijn (KB): “Yes, sure! The brand was founded in 2017, when I took a pair of ‘Largeot’ trousers and turned them into my very first item: the ‘Karl Trouser’. This was basically a modern reinterpretation of the ‘Largeot’s’ traditional silhouette. The main reason I started AIE was that I couldn’t find a pair of pants that really suited me and decided to just make it myself. From that moment on I’ve gradually gained more and more design experience, simply by experimenting, testing, making mistakes and correcting them — making better products one step at a time.”
LM: I know you don’t a formal background in fashion. Have you experienced this as an obstacle or a benefit to starting AIE?
KB: “The only experience I had was in retail, where I did a lot of research on Japanese boutique stores carrying unique brands and using unique concepts. As part of trying to find out how brands operate, I also looked at processes like sales, presentation, marketing, etc. So when I started AIE I already had a prospect list ready, containing some 300 retailers (worldwide) that I could approach. The first store I did business with was Kai D. Utility in New York. Coincidentally, it’s by a guy who’s also called Kai. He really has a strong personal vision and runs his store in a genuine, unique way.
Other relevant experience was gained purely by trial and error, and by working hard, I guess. There isn’t one way to do sales, for example, so it’s also about trusting your instincts in making corrections or changes as you see fit. For me, AIE is a long-term project, which means: slow, organic growth and high-quality products that customers and stores can rely on.”
LM: Could you give me a sense of the things you’re responsible for and for which parts or aspects of AIE you collaborate with others?
KB: “I basically do everything on my own. It’s a cliché, but AIE really is extension of my own, personal vision, thoughts, inspirations and values. That’s also why it’s one of my goals never to hire someone. Perhaps one day I’d like to have a mentor role, or something like that. But as things stand I really can’t imagine hiring someone.
In terms of day to day tasks: I’m responsible for designs, sales, photography, styling and distribution. Because of this way of working, I can apply my vision to all these different categories. My only partners are retail and distribution partners. I collaborate closely with all my production partners, ensuring that they can apply AIE’s design language. And I actually love it when an item is obviously a result (to me, at any rate) of the interpretation of my production partner and the design I shared with them. This means that each AIE collection contains one or more “happy accidents.”
I’m proud of all my production partners, who work so hard to bring my vision to life. At the moment I’m focusing on creating custom fabrics by collaborating with small-scale loomers. This is another instance where my own style meets and that of a maker, in this case the weaver, is made to interact.”
LM: AIE is gradually expanding its list of global stockists. Looking at the different markets, and your own interactions with customers and buyers, what do you think it is that attracts people to AIE?
KB: “I think it has something to do with the “openness” of the clothing. It’s a very personal brand, but at the same time I feel that the items suit many different kinds of people. I’m really happy about this, because it really aligns with my view on what clothing is or should be: when it suits you well, and you have the budget, you should be able to buy it, regardless of who you are. Beside, all AIE items are easy-going and highly versatile, in the sense that you can wear them at to the office, to a party and on a hiking trip.
I’m also convinced that the price-quality ratio is pretty good. Looking at the quality of the fabrics and materials as well as of the manufacturers I work with, AIE items can be up to 50% more affordable (give or take) than those of other suppliers. I’m not saying they’re cheap, of course. It’s just that I want AIE to offer clothes that are accessible to as many people as possible. I think that in the future I’ll be able to reduce the prices with about 5% — and if I’m right about that, I’ll definitely do it!”
LM: If you’d have to pick one item to introduce AIE to someone unfamiliar with the brand, which one would it be?
KB: “For now, I’d pick the ‘Western Jacket’. It’s a relatively new style that made its first appearance in the AW24 collection, in a sage colorway. It’s a cotton wadden shirt-style jacket with a lot of references to Western elements. Look at the single point front yoke, for instance, or the pearl snap buttons. The waddings ensures that the jacket can also function as a coat, keeping you pretty warm.
The material used is an artisanal hand-spun and hand-loomed khadi cotton, which means that there are irregularities in the fabric, like pile-ups of threads at some places which (to me at any rate) adds to the jacket’s charm.
As a sneak preview: AW25 will introduce a brown version, dyed with azo-free dyes based on Pantone tones. It also features an embroidery on the inside of the jacket, derived from an illustration found in one of the ‘Unai no Tomo’ books. These books show toys referencing Shinto amulets, talismans and folklores.”
Kai and I will rendezvous early next year to feature and discuss An Irrational Element’s AW25 collection in more detail.
The brand is available from Colbo, No Man Walks Alone, 88Curate and several other stockists worldwide.
I have a pair of moleskin pants that bought from them. I need to break them out.
Those are great as well!