WWW/HS©: The Era Of Prototype Design And Ultimate Individuality
Making noise since 2015, Heightened Sense is a label from Downtown L.A flipping the conventions of the fashion industry on its head.
It's hardly news to anyone, anymore, that sustainability and the fashion industry has had a troublesome relationship.
We’re used to hearing the buzzword left, right and center as brands hastily bid for our attention and allegiance. The overuse of (significant) claims can lead to wariness and complacency, or at least it does for us. Heightened Sense is different. In fact, they don’t even really position themselves as a sustainability brand at all and yet, on close inspection, their ethics and actions show their foundations are firmly rooted in these core principles.
With no wholesale or distribution, Heightened Sense is a direct consumer brand, only purchasable online or through select popups around the world. They’ve previously teamed up with the legendary concept store Bodega to release the South of Heaven collection, and are regularly seen in Paris and Tokyo. They have a physical presence allowing their fans to experience their world tangibly.
The brand follows an unorthodox structure, capping its production run to an unprecedentedly small number - and whilst there are pros and cons to this, we simply think there's no better model. It's the approach of a couture atelier but for the streets. Elevating the conversation of streetwear garments, and giving an option of individuality in an era of streetwear overload. An overload that is driven by mass-produced hype items that are worn as clout and globally recognised. Heightened Sense provides another option to the passionate and educated consumer.
Putting a cap on your potential earnings probably seems bonkers to some, however, it provides protection for the brand and its connection to the customer. Each piece that comes from HS is handmade in Los Angeles upon purchase, leaving no room for overproduction or over-saturation. It's refreshing that they don't rely on their sustainable framework, they simply, quietly, get on with it.
This business model isn't exactly new. Low quantity and high demand have been the magic formula of the streetwear godfather’s for years. So what's the difference? The attention, the craftsmanship, the detail. We’re not talking screen printed graphics on blanks here. From traditional cut and sew pieces to novel techniques that are really pushing boundaries (see their 2019 ShellBurn Collection), Heightened Sense is taking everything to another level since inception.
Parisian creative studio, WWWESH, has formed an organic allegiance with Heightened Sense, having worked together on previous collections, for (s)Hell Burn® the collaborative process was ramped up for the 2020 offerings, forming a partnership dubbed as WWW/HS.
This is visible throughout the collection, through two different monikers, firstly with the WWW oval logo and the WWW/HS monogram.
The TN(C) sneakers, which sees the iconic Nike TN and the Converse Chuck Taylor fused together as a hybrid was a major success, rapidly selling out after releasing at the TOKYO exhibition.
We interviewed the creative masterminds both behind the brand as well as the collaborative partners, WWWESH STUDIOS to get a more in-depth and insightful look behind the designs and processes that form (s)Hell Burn®.
Please introduce yourselves to the sabukaru network.
HS: (Heightened Sense®)
thesolidsnake: I am the designer/founder of heightened sense®
Heightened Sense® focuses on capturing the excitement of proto-type design by creating highly concentrated garments released in small doses.
WWW: We are a multidisciplinary creative studio founded in 2017 by Pierrick Sancé and Antoine Jourdan, which draws its inspiration from the digital world, from the internet, hence the three "W's".
Urban culture is also an important concept for us, we focus on all global projects, ranging from creative project management, graphic identity, creation of visual content, installations to industrial product design. We have developed a new sub-category, called Studio93 that allows us to carry out personal projects through the concept of "SERIES" and "OFF-SERIES". It can be a collection of objects, furniture, music, sculpture, or we decide to mix crafts from both industry and design.
You’re six years young and seven seasons deep with heightenedsense, it must have been a wild and magical ride, what have been the highs and lows that have helped build the brand to where it is today?
HS: Heightened Sense® was in works (2014) but the first official collection was October (2015). Honestly, it feels like these last 5 years have only been practice working to better my craft up until this point – the highs have been the freedom to create, there is nothing more fulfilling than creating something. There isn’t really any lows – anything negative is only part of the process and is very valuable and important to keep a consistent hunger towards growth and evolving.
We live in a world of overconsumption, this is something you’ve been mindful of and for those who don't know all-ready, is a core principle of the brand, what advice would you give to consumers who want to take action?
HS: Clothing is your outer expression to the world and you should spend time gathering pieces that really resonate with that expression and your individuality – buy less tees and infinitely replaceable product only buy product that is special to you or will last and age nicely with your time spent on Earth.
Most of the time, before a brand that’s executed as well as Heightenedsense exists, the creator has been through various creations of brands that allowed them the growth to get to this point, is this the case with you or is HS the first project, what’s the back story?
HS: I’ve always had some small brand here and there growing up but nothing credible where I really took design seriously. Heightened Sense® is the first – all my mistakes/learning/practice have been in the same space.
It's no surprise these days that two brands are intrinsically linked even though they’re on two different sides of the world however what’s the story, how did you guys come to meet and form the allegiance you have today, how does Heightened Sense and WWWESH STUDIO work together?
HS: A mutual friend introduced me to Antoine (wwwesh studio™) when he was working on a different label right before releasing my 2015 collection – I was showing Antoine pictures of samples before anything had been released to give reference to the possibility of working together. We created 2 pieces together in 2015 – shortly after Antoine left and started wwwesh studio™ w/ Pierrick (wwwesh studio™). Collaboration with wwwesh studio™ became much more interesting because wwwesh studio™ is a creative studio not a designer/clothing brand like myself – there was more freedom in both our design skills and this complimented each other very well. This collection is our second official collaboration
WWW: We met up in Paris in 2015 and immediately started working together.
We have very similar inspirations that we nourish together - and thanks to our different respective trades we can cross them and thus bring out something crazy. We have built a strong complementarity in the way we work with one another, each team has a total form of freedom in creative expression.
The stance that you’re taking with the production and distribution of your products is one that the industry is far behind in implementing, to be conscious of not overproducing product and creating meaningful interactions through experiential exhibitions. It makes so much sense from all perspectives to adopt this model, what influenced your decisions in taking this route?
HS: Throughout my life, I have always been a fan of collectables and hidden stories – as I got older I noticed day-by-day beautiful things are continually sacrificed for the sake of excessive growth and popularity. I wanted to preserve that feeling of the “best-kept secret” creating work in limited numbers with a heavy emphasis on prototype design where design is in its most exciting state.
Nothing brings me more joy than showing people new things and expanding thought. Each installation is to truly connect an individual into the world of Heightened Sense® – a form of escape.
There’s no doubt that there is a lot of variables to consider, the number will fluctuate across the range and per season, depending on the scarcity of materials and the components however on average how limited are the products you produce?
HS: All jackets come in only 2 sizes (S/M) or (M/L) and are numbered out of /19 between both sizes combined.
Pants are usually not numbered unless they are extremely special
In the future I will split jackets into 2 categories:
Category (1) - highest detail jackets which will remain out of /19 split between the 2 sizes (S/M) (M/L)
Category (2) - slightly toned down jackets which will be numbered out of /55 and possibly come in 4 sizes (S/S) (S/M) (M/L) (2/L)
The garment constructors almost never get props or recognition, you produce all pieces locally in L.A, when someone buys your product are they buying a piece handmade by you?
HS: I do not sew – however, every other detail is by my hand, I make all of the patterns by my hand/cut all garments by my hand / add details by my hand but all garments are constructed by the highest standard sewers in downtown Los Angeles a few streets over from my studio.
Who and what are your main influences, who are the people you look up too and who are the new-gen that inspire you?
HS: I have many influences for my creative process ranging from all mediums of artists/music/architects/writers but these are rather my own personal forms of escape and possibly too many to list.
But as far as those in my field:
Kosuke Tsumara: (biggest conceptual influence) (first designer I had seen that initiated my interest in exploring design)
Henrik VIbskov: (favorite runway / high fashion designer)
Errolson Hugh: (business model / creating the best product of its class funneled into a small scale formula / extremely adaptable / guerilla energy) (creating a very intimate “if you know, you know” energy among customer base)
No one in the new-gen inspires me - I am the new-gen.
WWW: Our inspirations are very diverse. We are interested in multidisciplinary designers such as Raymond Loewy or Roger Tallon, who could do all the details from design to graphics. We are fascinated by design related to engineering in the industrial field (eg Airbus, NASA) as well as scientific research centers. On a completely different note, we can talk about how music is just as important to us for inspiration - for example, the album Dead Times by Booba, the design inspires us in our way of thinking.
We like to reclaim all these factors and interpret them into a new form of creation. It is important to have a certain diversity in our references, this is what allows us to renew ourselves daily.
There are very few people of the new generation who inspire us.
For your latest collection SHELLBURN you took it to a whole other level with every aspect of the collection, the attention to detail being absolute paramount throughout. For example, burning gunpowder into the garments and interchangeable pockets that can be switched throughout pieces in the collection, you even mention that you put the fabric under a wide variety of processes to allow the colour to change when exposed to extremely high temperatures, was the focus of this so that the end-user could ultimately customise the pieces and make them their own?
HS: The focus is always to provide the end-user with something that feels special or unique for them – whether it is a different serial number / different label color / or in this case different texture where the garment even after being out of my hands is still mutable for the wearer to create a heightened sense of individuality. I think it is always important to include some secret or additional function to a garment to spark a faint intimacy between the wearer and myself regardless of distance or time.
WWW: Heightened Sense much like WWWESH STUDIO focuses on the functionality of a product in general. That is why we play with interchangeable pockets or removable legs and sleeves. The interchangeable pocket from both the pant and jacket can be removed to transform into a bag thanks to two small pieces added.
The reversible detail was a signature of Heightened Sense®, which was translated to the “reversed '' cargo pant as well as the reversed hoodies. This is not something new, we’ve come across similar inspiration from Margiela’s design process’s to Decathlon’s technical details (e.g.)
Where did the idea for the Shell Burn collection come from?
HS: I was torching a Metal 3D print over some fabric scraps from my previous collection – when I set the metal print down I noticed the fabric had reacted from a faded black to rust orange. I met with wwwesh studio™ in Paris where we conceptualized a few ways of burning and marking for the fabric but then suggested how gunpowder would burn. When I returned from Paris I purchased a small container of black gunpowder and began testing burn patterns and after many tests, we found a way that worked best for the finished garment - aside from the fact, each jacket has to be vacuum-sealed before it ships to avoid any “false alarms” passing through customs.
The name (s)Hellburn™ came from the fact we were burning black gunpowder into the garments as the highlight of the collection – and thought of the concept if it had been shotgun shells that you emptied and burned directly on to your garment to create a camouflage.
What was your process behind bringing together two iconic but completely different sneaker models, the Nike Air Max TN and Converse Hi-Top?
HS: I always wear original converse high tops in black – that has been my primary shoe for as long as I can remember. As I spent more time with wwwesh™ studio over the years I noticed they always wear Nike TN – so in 2018 we decided to prototype a combination of the 2 shoes with the Converse to represent Los Angeles and the Nike TN to represent Paris when coming together on this collaboration. It took us about 3-4 prototypes before finally getting a solid base for the final TN©. All of the shoes are deconstructed and reconstructed here with a small team in downtown Los Angeles.
Can we expect to see any more sneaker mashups in the near future?
HS: This is not a concept we want to continually produce - however the possibility of 1 more variation could arise given the right circumstances.
You’ve done various pop-ups across the world now, do people react differently to your product depending on the region or have we truly entered the age of uniform, where everyone wants and expects the same?
HS: In some ways yes a lot of things have become uniform where a large majority want the same or extremely similar pieces – but on the opposite has increased the number of those seeking niche /unique/well-crafted product.
Each region has a different reaction to the product but in a lot of ways a very similar reaction. Most people who come to visit an installation are most likely in a niche category seeking to see something new or different in design.
There is a thin line of seeking to be different without seeking the attention of being different while simultaneously blending into the crowd without following the crowd.
WWW: It is hard to say because in each country we experiment with something new. We think and design our pop up as a global immersive installation for the spectator to dive into our universe.
One thing for certain is that the spectator is amazed - people enjoy discovering the small details of our product. We had a few accessories that the public could test. The Japanese public is more interested in the use of processes, they wanted to test the object themselves which created a much stronger experience.
The amount of work that you put into creating these unique experimental pop-up spaces shines through and shows how important it is to you that people have a real-life interaction with your brand. From the South of Heaven AR gallery at Bodega last year to the multi-sensory installation at Complex Boost in Tokyo, without giving too much away what’s in the pipeline for 2020, where can we expect to see you?
HS: I have a Heightened Sense® 2020 collection that I am currently working on which will go alongside a very special installation for its release. The collection is a design study based on the adaptation of armor in the year 2020.
WWW: We offer workshops, called WWWORKSHOP (with three “w” of course) that we offer for our customers/clients, like Nike, Jordan, Lime. We also organize similar activations for our studio and personal projects. We create every detail from a theme/subject, location, guests, partners/sponsors. In this case, we are no longer designers, we pass on the other side of the barrier, which allows us to take a step back on our job.
With our new subcategory STUDIO93, we develop different series of objects - this allows us to monitor the life cycle of each product from its manufacturing process all the way until the end-use of the object’s life.
Throughout all of the works you’ve produced so far there’s an underlying tone of cyberpunk and Neo Tokyo influence in the aesthetics, what did it feel like to be able to bring your vision to life in and be able to present it to the city of Tokyo?
HS: Japanese culture has been one of the largest influences on me throughout my life – going to Japan for the first time to present my work was an amazing experience. Tokyo will definitely continue to be a primary focus for Heightened Sense® installments.
“Creation through experimentation” is the premise of how both of your entities (Heightened Sense and wwwesh studio) work together and through the technical pictograms that can be seen on the protocol system you developed for this season, it looks as though you guys pushed the boundaries far out.
HS: Creation through experiment is one of the main themes in the WWW/HS collaboration projects. We only collaborate when there is a very new/experimental idea to explore – with this collection more than our previous we had a lot of room for experimentation.
WWW: We studied different processes of using both fire and heat. Several protocols had been established as scientists in order to find the right recipe for both the gunpowder patterns as well as the iron marking techniques. We made selections and documentation of all the processes that we applied to the collection, objects, and scenography as a form of “experimentation record” for further study.
Thanks for spending time to give our readers an insight into both of your worlds and the ideology behind (s)Hell Burn®.
Stay locked and keep an eyeful watch on Heightened Sense, they’re a brand that is on a great trajectory and one of the few out there that are pushing boundaries and introducing experimental techniques and approach to their garments.
