Elisa van Joolen: One-to-One Reader

One-to-One refers to a working method in which items of clothing became large-sized printing tools, covered in black and blue ink. Each clothing item served as a stamp, and was simultaneously being stamped on, thus creating a chain reaction and making each clothing item an original and a copy. As such the project One-to-One offers new perspectives on reproduction – it allows us to look beyond the status conveyed by the label and see the actual, material properties of clothing. Bringing together contributions by Amelia Groom, Ruby Hoette, Joke Robaard, T’ai Smith and Hanka van der Voet this reader explores some of the project’s core questions: What does it mean to copy in fashion? What if a garment could be both a copy and an original at the same time? What if reproduction and production are one and the same? This reader documents the process and outcomes of the One-to-One project as well as exploring the implications and possibilities of this unique working method in the broader context of the fashion system.