fashionUK >> the House of Diehl, a new fashion movement

HOUSE OF DIEHL Date: February 2002 Location: 3 Feet East, Brick Lane, London E1 Mission: To transform fashion victims into fashion victors Marian Buckley encounters the House of Diehl, a new fashion movement promoting the art of instant couture.
It's 9pm on a breezy February night bang in the middle of London Fashion Week. Most of the fashion crowd have melted away, jaded after four days of manic catwalk action. After the Sophia Kokoslaki show where a mini Alexander McQueen (the designer has lost so much weight he looks like he's shrunk) hangs out backstage with mock rock god Bobby Gillespie, I head further east to Brick Lane, hoping to witness a piece of history. Yes, tonight for the first time, at just about half past nine, the House of Diehl will stage the UK's first Fashion Automatic Event.
House of Diehl was born in New York last year. Stylist, artist and überbabe Mary Jo Diehl and friends have created an anti-fashion phenomenon which promotes democratic style. The basic premise is that just as Roland Barthes declared the author is dead, House of Diehl says the designer is dead, as in no longer relevant, no longer meaningful. Diehlists advocate fashion revolt and revolting fashion knocked-up on the spot by style DJs.	Roman Milisic & Mary Jo Diehl
Roman in action.	They turn up at a venue with a rail of secondhand clobber and a basic sewing kit and give free restyles. House of Diehlists are style DJs, mixing, cutting and fashioning new outfits from old. The Style DJs perform in public, executing transparent transformations in a way that would scare the pants off most designers. There are no patterns, mood boards, or sketch books. It's in your face, cut and paste. It's also pretty inspirational.
The first Fashion Automatic Event was originally scheduled for New York Fashion Week in September, but after the events of 9/11 it was postponed until October. Moby and artist Damien Loeb came and as guests arrived they were taken into a style booth and given an instant makeover, photographed and then sent down the catwalk. One day House of Diehl could be a fully fledged fashion label, but for the moment it's principally a series of live events.
	Tonight six Style DJs take the stage: founders Roman Milisic and Mary Jo Diehl from New York are joined by four London stylists who are recent recruits to the movement. Minutes later the crowd watches as clothes are ripped, zipped, cellotaped and graffiti-ed over to a soundtrack of 7" vinyl 80s singles which includes Teardrop Explodes World Shut Your Mouth and old Smiths songs. As each outfit is completed it is given a House of Diehl label and a number and then presented to the audience. Fashion victims are turned into fashion victors and as the evening wears on the atmosphere develops into surreal fun. Some of the outfits being created on stage actually look good, especially compared to creations which designers have sent down London catwalks during Fashion Week thus proving that, as Roman says: "Anything is feasible as long as you are cool."
Diehlism is a way of having fun with fashion, and of challenging the conventional relationship between the designer and the designed for. Roman explains he got into the idea because their friends enjoyed going out, but didn't have the money to buy new clothes. "I fucked up the ones I had" says the man wearing a Freddie Mercury moustache, trainers decorated with measuring tape and track suit bottoms. Mary Jo has been going to thrift stores since she was old enough "to catch a bus" and she and co-stylist Roman are adamant that fashion, however it's presented, is not art. "Art is a comment on the human condition," says Roman. "Fashion is a comment on hemlines." For more information on the House of Diehl, visit www.houseofdiehl.com.

:::: more fashion ::::