Interview with Joe Arida of La Terre Est Folle
With a diverse career across a range of creative fields, from copywriting to set and furniture design, Joe Arida chose to turn his focus to fashion in 2014, launching the label La Terre Est Folle.
Based in Beirut, Lebanon, Arida’s work shares rich stories from his heritage which are expressed simplistically through sleek forms and colour, unconventional layering and relaxed fits. From his debut collection, I-Hustler, to his SS16/17 collection II-Blood, presented at Dubai Fashion Week, Arida creates a certain visual intrigue.
We spoke to Joe Arida about La Terre Est Folle, his heritage and his future aspirations.
fluoro. Your road into fashion was not a determined one. How have each of your former experiences (advertising, furniture, design) contributed to the creation of La Terre Est Folle?
Joe Arida. I like this question – it’s a challenge to answer! I started working as a copywriter, then set designer in advertising, crafting furniture and props. I loved working with all these materials but hated the short life span of the pieces we’d make. So I started making things for myself that evolved into a line of products, items such as a light installation, skateboards, cushions etc., which ended up selling through a really cool underground gallery in Beirut. Then I remember making new cushions at one point and thinking the fabric would make a cool t-shirt, which I didn’t intend to sell, but it got some attention and I got a few orders, and that’s how it started!
f. In you own words, what is the essence of La Terre Est Folle?
JA. La Terre Est Folle is a kaleidoscope of all that is mad and beautiful: people, places, things, eras, space … everything.
f. Your debut collection, Hustler, is a combination of edgy street wear and a sporty style, yet it is presented in pure white. What are the thoughts behind this combination?
JA. There are three thoughts behind this combination: One: The color came from the main reference for HUSTLER – the plain white t-shirt, its understated elegance and sex appeal; Two: Inspired by American gangs. I used white to temper that environment and emphasise gang unity; and three: To present a memorable image, and white seemed right for a first.
f. You’re based in Beirut, a city known for producing everything glamorous and decorated, yet your label presents a style that is quite the opposite. Is this a different side of Beirut?
JA. Beirut is multifaceted. Many have a different outlook, more brutal than decorated. People need glamour and decoration to forget destruction and turmoil. La Terre Est Folle finds beauty everywhere.
f. Does your heritage impact your fashion?
JA. It does in the sense that my personal heritage is a result of my mixed background and the places I’ve lived and been, people, images, experiences … They constitute a sort of visual heritage which will probably always surface unconsciously in what I do.
f. What are your future aspirations for La Terre Est Folle?
JA. I like beautiful things – they make my mind wander. La Terre Est Folle aspires to transmit that through an eclectic body of distinctive products that tell mad stories. The best thing about La Terre Est Folle is that the medium is free to morph and migrate. There are a lot of things I want to try, and a lot of subjects to explore. That was a tough question!
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With a multidisciplinary background, and current work in fashion, and object creation the future of Joe Arida certainly seems to be one to keep a focus on. In 2016, Arida will present his upcoming La Terre Est Folle collection at Fashion Forward Dubai, a showcase of objects for the National Museum and new furniture and fashion collections.
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