I met Sascha Shea-Carvalho in one of the clubs I frequent in
Second Life. It is one of those places where people come to be seen. It is full
of beautiful people and beautiful outfits. It also is a place for some freedom
of expression. Lots of fetish-wear and even some more extreme looks. That is
how I first talked to Sascha Shea-Carvalho. Her avant-garde approach to life and
fashion makes her stand out in any room. She is brash and ballsy. Frankly, she
is a blast. She is French.
Instead of trying to define her, I decided it was better to
let her do that herself. Here is my interview with Sascha Shea-Carvalho. This is the
first of a two-part series of blog posts.
In the second part, Sascha Shea-Carvalho does a makeover of Heather to her
style and specifications. So, hold onto your seat children, we could be in for
a bumpy flight!
Love, Heather XOXOXO
Tell me about you, what you do in RL and why are you in
SL.
I am a real-life fashion designer and I am a RL woman. I run
my own company and have a Designer Createurs Collection. Next, to that, we are
creative directors for various well-known high-end Lifestyle brands. Those who
are able to read in between the lines of my profile could have guessed that
also already.
I did come to SL for RL work reasons. SL is partly private
time and partly RL work time for me. My wife is the main reason I also will
stay in SL after my work is done. At this moment we are doing a large critical
fashion design research and that is what has led me to SL. The research is
about re-imagining sex and gender for a time where labels like male and female
do not exist anymore (re-define). The actual design question is pretty complex
and is about designing a speculative forecast for a non-binary image language
in fashion.
But it comes simply down to this – “What if males and/or
females don’t exist? What Now?
And How? In the Fashion world.”
What would you say is your fashion style?
I am an avant-gardist and createur. That means I create
identities and I create Fashion language of tomorrow. The collections we design
are designed in general 2 years in advance (We work now on A/W 20/21 and some
S/S 21). So that's ahead of any current trend. In real life those avant-garde
garments are available to me (I wear our own brand and I wear progressive
designer brands). In SL that's way harder since SL is far behind to what I am
used to in RL. IN RL I dress avant-garde, minimalist, refined, conceptual and
very feminine and I always wear only black. Everything needs to have an edge. I
also like more kinky things like latex, seamed stockings, extreme heels in RL.
I try to translate this style to SL and use the SL garments, hair, shoes,
make-up, etc. which are available there. It’s mostly visible in how I balance
my looks and in the design choices I make. This last part shines through in
anything.
When you are out and about, how much do you observe
around other's fashions?
I do not observe others in SL, in regard to their style. I
am not a consumer nor a follower. What I do is looking for people who created
unique identities and are creative not for my own style but for the reason I
came to SL. Let me try to explain what kind of observation a fashion designer
actually does do. I mentioned earlier on already that I am a conceptualist createur.
We construct concepts (thinking models and theories). That is also the
difference between a designer and a stylist. Designers create things from zero
and translate the essence of the abstract idea of things into an image
(garment, make-up, installation, forecast, whatever Fashion tool) A designer
gives meaning to the designs and shows new options and paths. A stylist just “copy
and pastes” what is already there. Stylists follow the designers in the Fashion
industry.
We observe patterns in society, see it like hovering in a
helicopter above global society. These patterns are analyzed, discussed and
later on used for constructing concepts. From these concepts, designs are
created. The things we look at are related to anything like politics, war,
economy, zeitgeist (indeed mostly anything but actual clothing). Designing is
translating abstractions into visual form. These things make what fashion is
(Fashion is NOT shopping or copying others). How I observe? As an artist my
first language is image. I can read any image, any look, see all the used
design principles/methods, see all the layers in meaning in it and I see
basically also right away who is what (sorry boys ;-) ).
Where do you get
your fashion ideas?
I already explained this above. In addition to this is
Ideation (or conceptual thinking). Ideation is basically like breathing to me.
It is a never-ending process which goes on 24/7. The pattern which becomes
visible is linked and from one idea or link flows the other. When designs are
created it is basically a matter of translating these ideas into concepts and
actual designs. In the concept, you also develop your own design methods which
determine your compositions (so in single garments, looks, total collection
and anything related to it like hair, makeup, and identity design).
In SL I do look at various things but that's because I am a
young woman and have to discover what is available. It’s obvious that for the
RL Fashion things I simply use my RL work, RL research and RL professional
practice and it’s obvious that I visit a lot of things or present our work
there. For SL I have permanent around 40 browser windows open with marketplace
shops and items. I admit IN RL and SL I am the kind of woman who has tons of
clothing with still all labels on (never worn). I love heels and I love
handbags.
A Favorite Quote: "Great minds discuss ideas, Average
minds discuss events, Small minds discuss people"
Who inspires you?
ME, MYSELF and I. I am not inspired by others (that does not
mean I do not respect the creativity or the designs of others).
Do you talk to
others about clothing and style?
Yes of course. I am not into Fashion....I AM FASHION. It's my
way of living in RL. In SL I talk the most with my wife Valexia Shea-Carvalho. She is
a very creative person and, just like me, all into Fashion. So that is a thing
in our marriage which is important to both of us. We also use various
things around the web to share our Fashion things outside of SL.
When you observe a certain look do you try and create it?
NO, never..why would I? I mean fashion is creating your OWN
identity, create who you are or want to be. Totally useless to copy others (in
SL or from RL looks available around the internet). Identity and style comes
from within and you translate that into your look (otherwise you are nothing
more than a clone or cheap copy and empty shell...booorinnng). Fashion is your
second skin (and architecture the third). It all starts with Fashion and
Fashion impacts any other art form.
When do you try new things, push yourself a bit out of
your comfort zone?
I am Avant-Garde...so yes obvious. I do hate it that you
can't easily layer garments in SL and I hate the limited attachment count. I
also use typical cliché "male" design methods and approaches just
because I can. I love it to tip people a bit off balance and become basically
non-binary (-smiles-). But as my skills with the SL editor developed, I obliviously
will break even more boundaries.
What types of dress do you most like to wear?
Depends on how I feel or what I want for that day, could be
super smart stylish, full kinky latex, full revealing, or anything. In RL I
take always a long time to dress myself and I do change during the day. In SL, it’s
the same thing. My wife and I spend hours in SL just dressing ourselves and we
change often our looks during the hours we are in SL.
What challenges do
you find for certain looks? – casual, formal, beach
Not really challenges in designing my looks but more
technical challenges...I simply can't layer garments in SL as I would do in RL.
And, of course, I sometimes have certain items in mind and
cannot find them on MP.
What style of clothing would you like to try or become
better at?
I will become better at Everything! You always have to
improve yourself, learn new things and re-new yourself. If you do not do that
you are out of the industry and dead. I have that exact same mentality in SL.
"I have to change to stay the same". To add to this. I see my shape
(face and body) also as part of my garments. So, I also keep designing those
things. I never use bought shapes. All my shapes and faces are designed by
myself and based on myself and they will not simply evolve but radically change over time. I am not a person who is stuck in one look and feel. I try to
design the various conceptual aspects of my RL identity in SL. So, you actually
see the real me translated into various incarnations and translated into pixel
concepts and stylizations. Sometimes larger than life, sometimes more
realistic, whatever is needed to get the job done to communicate.
What is your” go-to” clothing item or look?
I have none. When I came to SL, I spend over 1 week on Tutorial Island. Not to learn the controls of SL (boring). But the clothing
shop was what kept me there. I spend that entire week in the dressing room
experimenting with all the clothes and fashion related things. And when I came
out of tutorial Island and walked into the first building....with again a
dressing room I spend again two weeks in that room designing the shapes, faces,
skins and experimenting with the various outfits. So, I do not have a go-to
look. Obliviously I wore at the start a lot of the same things (loved pencil
skirts and still do and I love latex) but as my wardrobe grows, I always
change.
How do you like to accessorize your look?
I need to get more accessories. (and Linden should add more
attachment slots) I like the full things, earrings, necklaces, rings, shades,
handbags, stoles, anything. I do not stick to one style. So, I go for the max
possible but keep it always in strong and clean Sascha Shea-Carvalho balance.
When you set up an outfit how do you do it? What comes
first?
That really depends. I can start with anything. Sometimes
its hair, sometimes its shoes and sometimes it’s a certain garment. But it also
can be just a color I have in mind. Most times I start with a certain statement
I have in mind for that moment of the day. It can also start with a present I
got from my wife. We talk a lot during dressing and fixing our make-up and
hair. Valexia and I are deep and natural connection and that goes beyond SL into RL.
So, we often also match in a certain mood for that time of day. From whatever
start point I use I simply construct my design with things I have in my
wardrobe or I search on MP while I am dressing and buy additional elements that
I need the things I have in mind. It is basically composing my looks and
experiment with balance and items.
So, tell me more about your research and where it is
going.
In total there are 3 design-related research activities
inside SL. They are all about designing new persons, new identities and
re-imaging new possible options. I decided to become one with SL and live here
and do participatory design together with people in SL. The virtual world in SL
has not the boundaries we have to deal with in RL. SL is one big editor, a
perfect place with a lot of creative people to re-imagine these new persons. We
are breaking the boundaries. The free visions of the virtual world will impact
the real-life world. The goal is a speculative design Fashion forecast. My wife Valexia Shea-Carvalho is also part of our RL team.
We are always looking for cool, edgy creative people who are
creating unique identities so If, you have any questions or, even better, Like
to contribute and help in this Fashion research just contact one of us. We
would love to have you onboard!!!
Fashion work Sascha Shea-Carvalho and Valexia Shea-Carvalho are working on:
I can show & tell more to those who are interested. Shea-Carvalho studios, located in the House of Shea-Carvalho, is the center of our activities.
Please contact Sascha & Valexia Shea-Carvalho
LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU & LOVE TO MEET YOU SOON!!
XOXO
Sascha Shea-Carvalho |Fashion designer|
Valexia Shea-Carvalho |Fine art Photographer|
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