Fashion designer Jiaen Cai integrates formative influences from his childhood in China into his designs and also draws a lot of inspiration from architecture and product design. In keeping with this, the culturally aware design studio Daily Dialogue was commissioned to create the fashion identity for his label JE CAI. The result is a visual field of tension in which excellently implemented, precise design elements come together with complex codes and a love of technology.
Fashion with a complex identity
The Daily Dialogue design studio has been working in the context of design, development and culture since it was founded in 2015. In addition to independent, creative cooperation projects with artists and musicians, the team has specialized in commissioned work, particularly in art direction, brand identities and print publications. The extensive design of the young label JE CAI also shows that they like to push the boundaries of what is possible and usual.
In itself, it rejects the norms of the fashion world and defines itself as experimental and rebellious. Fashion designer Jiaen Cai completed his bachelor's degree at the London College of Fashion and a master's degree at the Royal College of Art, after which he worked for names such as Alexander Wang, Claire Barrow, Mattew Miller and Xander Zhou before founding JE CAI.
"JE CAI contacted us by email. Fashion identities are - alongside publications, websites and projects in the music and culture sector - a big part of our work and we've noticed that we're also getting a lot of inquiries in this direction," explains Maximilian Schachtner, founder and creative director of Daily Dialogue. He worked on the project with his entire team.
Between uniformity and individuality
The garments are individually made to order, using the made-to-order model, which takes a sustainable approach and drastically reduces waste. The high-quality fabrics are sourced from Italy and Japan and are processed directly in London. Customers can personalize their orders by choosing different shapes and fabric patterns. Maximilian Schachtner explains: "JE CAI has developed a system in which the individual parts of the garments can be customized. Everything is based on Systems (1), Basics (10), Components (100) and Extra Components (1000)." This approach is based on the idea behind the short film "Powers of Ten" by the legendary designer couple Charles and Ray Eames. It describes a journey between the so-called quasars and quarks, i.e. the largest and tiniest structures in research. "Powers of Ten" works its way through the size structure 10 and impressively demonstrates the common classification system of our science.
The identity of JE CAI should not only create order, but also open up a field of tension between uniformity and individuality, says Maximilian Schachtner. "In the beginning, we were mainly concerned with designing the system functionally, we developed the product codes and then a design system developed from this: The 1 (system), which is always above everything - often in the top left-hand corner - and the division of the format into four parts (1, 10, 100, 1000), but which can also be expressed in the gradation of shades of gray, i.e. 100%, 75%, and so on." The result is a technoid, functional aesthetic that works with exciting details despite its minimalism.
Each according to their own rules
"The general look and feel is defined by the content - so it is automatically very technical. Above all, the graphics that represent the system contribute to this. The logo and monogram also clearly represent the underlying system," says the Creative Director. The fact that the fashion industry appeals to him and his team is mainly due to the versatility it offers: "The fashion world is a very exciting field in terms of graphic design. It is often much freer and somehow has its own rules. I have the feeling that it doesn't look so much at tradition."
Maximilian Schachtner was particularly taken with the somewhat older designs: "Early pieces by Margiela, Helmut Lang or Comme des Garçons are really interesting. What's particularly exciting is that they often move away from fashion and express themselves in free projects. Or newer things like Our Legacy are great, they do a lot of that too. Very free things with their workshop division."
Chaos and order
Such an extensive project, which in addition to the visual identity also required the design of the website, a custom font and its own product code system, seemed tailor-made for Daily Dialogue. With a certain unpredictability, the theme of the modern paradox runs through the concept, in which uniformity and individuality coexist. The underlying idea is to make unlimited iterations possible with different components. To the viewer, it is a bit like a piece of music that repeats itself in ever new pitches, in which clear spaces, typographic codes, a complex logo and monogram constantly coordinate with each other and create new references.
To quote Charles Eames from the movie:
"Eventually, everything connects."
The Daily Dialogue design studio on Instagram
Click here for the podcast episode with Maximilian Schachtner from Ohne Den Hype