Introducing designer Annabel Frenzel. Photography by Hannah Haasenritter. Make up by Katun Thurianphoo. Models are Andreas von Knorre, Géraldine Stieger, Ely Duarte, Jacqueline Vellone, Lisa Cipriano, Stella Auburger, Ahsan Manzoor and Lelani Ezeani.
The knitwear collection, hol(e)y trash, examines the hole as a phenomenon – as a part of the body, in clothing as a ‘runner’, and as ‘zero’ in the world. The large amount of waste caused by discarded tights significantly strains the environment because it is not typically recycled. What became clear is that holes are the reason why tights end up in the trash.
But why is a hole so bad? Holes are surrounded by negative connotations and suggestions, but it doesn’t have to be that way. A hole can frame that which we would otherwise overlook. This collection endeavours to reveal the hidden, celebrate the erotic potential of the hole, and remove the negativity. The social acceptance of wearing stockings has always been instead indoctrinated. Before the Enlightenment, it was considered a particularly male attribute to show tight-stockinged legs. Then, the Reformation forced men to hide their muscular legs under long, drainpipe trousers – robbing them of their last form of eroticism. In the present, however, the wearing of tights has had more of an emancipatory function by signalling the liberation of modern identities.
Normative categories such as male and female are no longer regarded as biological constants, but rather as historically changeable constructs. Therefore, it was essential for the designer to let these tights, traditionally known as underwear, become outerwear. 15 kilograms of nylon were cut up and knit together in different consistencies and volumes, against which various methods of holding were tested. The knitting machine was a suitable medium, as it works via the two constants 0 and 1, i.e. the needle is working and the needle is at rest. Only the combination of both digits allows a smooth progression of the pattern.
Once again, the hole is of vital importance. This collection is the affirmation of our bodies and holes, in all their hol(e)y beauty. It encourages the view that we should be loving, without shame and prudery, with respect to our bodies, and if we puncture the old heteronormative notions of body, gender, sex and love, then everything oozes out and becomes fluid.
Collection by Annabel Frenzel / Instagram: @abelfrenz
Photography by Hannah Haasenritter / www.hannah-haasenritter.de /
Instagram: @hannahhaasenritter
Make up by Katun Thurianphoo / Instagram: @katun.t
Models are Andreas von Knorre, Géraldine Stieger/ Instagram: @geraldine.stieger, Ely Duarte/ Instagram: @the3ly, Jacqueline Vellone, Lisa Cipriano/ Instagram: @hi_naaaaa, Stella Auburger/ Instagram: @steello, Ahsan Manzoor/ Instagram: @ahsan_mnzr, Lelani Ezeani/ Instagram: @kunstmilk
