2. Literature Review

In the course of my research, I found a few materials that studied Archizoom. In many cases, the fundamental value of the practice was missing. Existing research mainly provided information about the group generally and discussed the practices chronically. One interesting piece was Fashionably Late published in 2018, which analyzed Archizoom from various perspectives. This research was conducted in Japan during a residency program at Tokyo Arts and Space. It described the transcultural aspect of ‘dressing is easy’ and Japanese workwear during World War II. However, I felt that this was not enough to understand the principles and technologies that the practice itself had. The core of the project was an attempt to reduce the distance between producers and consumers by using Archizoom’s own design solutions. They also described the purpose of the project as ‘technical destruction of culture’ in Casabella, a radical architectural magazine(1974). To understand the project thoroughly, it has to be understood by conducting the technical way that this group was suggesting, rather than by analyzing text or visual similarities, as a research methodology.

3. Case study - ‘Dressing is easy’

Archizoom Associati is an icon of radical design. Archizoom was started in 1966 by Andrea Branzi, Gilberto Corretti, Paolo Deganello, and Massimo Morozzi. These men had graduated from college shortly before a massive flood hit Florence. As architects, they couldn't get jobs. Instead, “extremely politicized, they dealt with the project as an opportunity for a critical analysis of consumer society” (Radical Utopia). Throughout different projects including, architecture, furniture, fashion, etc., they questioned bourgeois life and taste and the prevailing culture in the society through design. 

50 years later, the world faces times even a higher call for change and reform than ever. This is an era in which various issues and problems such as: system, culture, religion, gender, politics, economy, and social status, are actively discussed. In September 2019 in Manhattan, thousands of people marched for the 'Climate Strike'. With expectations and concerns about the future, caused by tremendous technological advance, society is rapidly changing. The situation echos, the 1960s and 1970s. The 1960s were described as counterculture and the 1970s were a "pivot of change." After the post-war II era, consumerism had become widespread in the western world, driven by rapid economic growth. Italy also experienced the miracle economic growth although not all industry included. By the 1970s, crises such as the oil shock in 1973 and the energy crisis happened in 1979, revealed problems of growth. The 1970s was the time that many things have changed. Then, as now, society wants change. 

My experiment(fig.6) was conducted on the basis of the content in Casabella. The goal of the experiment was to focus on technical aspects in order to meet the original purpose of 'dressing is easy' and to analyze significances and limitations of the project further. The experiment was carried out according to a manual described on each page. The first page (fig.5) revealed six key principles of the project; “Elements and structures are accessible with square pieces of cloths, and with cuts, folds, and stitches”(Dressing is easy). The principle 1, 2 and 3 were items of tops and bottoms, 4 was a silhouette with the idea that suggests how to adjust the length, and 5 and 6 were descriptions of pocket details. They did not follow the traditional and sartorial style of clothing but, considered various aspects of design. Just below the title(fig.5), there is a stitch demonstration illustration. This implied that the consumers, who would not use the sewing machines, could use that specific type of stitch to assemble the pieces. 

On the first page (fig5), 6 principles were presented as a result of simple techniques and new construction approaches, because it was complicated to make pants in traditional sartorial steps. However, following the principle 2 and 3, pants were constructed in an easy and innovative way.(fig.6) As a result of the experiment, I found that No. 3 was an application version of No. 2. No.2 was large rectangles and slits, where one could vision the shape of pants. The small rectangle engaged between slits to form a crotch. In case of No. 3, if only you looked at the illustration(fig.5), it was difficult to think of a final shape of pants at once. Cutting along the slits drawn on both squares created a new small square space in between two large squares. The slits in the two squares had different directions which acted as a small square in principle 2. If you looked at the final clothes in p.44(fig.7), you could see that the centerline of the back was diagonal line. Technology changed the final design. This way of constructing pants was very promising. Principle 5(fig.6) presented pocket details, which were also interesting. The pocket was obtained by adding additional fabric inside or outside at the existing garment. However, in this technique, a base of the existing garment itself was folded in and created new pocket, while transforming its own silhouette.

In p.44 (fig.7), 56 different kinds of variations focusing on cutting and folding were introduced. Although following an origami-style(fig.8), by combining each element, many different shapes could be produced. In the simulation(fig.7), all the shapes stemmed from squares, but if starting shape expanded into a rectangle or other forms, other possibilities could happen. What I wanted to focus on, was the cutting part was in the third and second rows below (fig.9). Folding was seen a lot in Japanese designers who used origami, while the simple cuttings were not quite yet to be seen. Also, because of the simplicity of cutting lines, they can be applied in many different ways(fig.10,fig.11). On the illustration(fig.7), there might be little difference between a central cut and a slightly higher one. But when you put it on a model with fabric, it made a huge difference in the silhouettes. This opened up the feasibility of creating a new look. 

In p.45 (fig.12), Archizoom tried to make a paradigm shift in the perception of fabric with a zero-waste idea. Fabrics were sold as rolls and were used by cutting yards. If you made clothes in a traditional way, you would draw patterns within squares that had been already cut, and use only the necessary parts. However, this page(fig.12) explained the fabric as a huge ribbon that kept continuing. You might have the experience of wrapping gifts or making accessories with small ribbons. If you think about the shape in which the ribbon is bound and cut, you can create a structure that surrounded the body with simple cuts and folding, considering the fabric roll as a huge ribbon. In simulation pictures(fig.12), they suggested a wrapping with ribbon as fastener system. Since Archizoom didn't want to use the sewing machine, they had to come up with innovative opening and fastening mechanisms. 

In page 46 and 47(fig.13), Archizoom provided images of an animation presented during 'Triennale Milano'. In these pages above, They were introducing eight refined versions which were applied from 6 principles(fig.5). These images presented relatively diverse items, ranging from a basic clock-type top to a dress which combined with the square pieces. I demonstrated no. 4 pants that had many steps.(fig.14) This was another application version of Principle no. 3, described on page 43(fig.5). Likewise, formulas throughout the project could be developed further. On no.4 pants, another slit was given to draw out a more redefined design.(fig.13)