Our interview with 1205 designer Paula Gerbase, who was in Japan for a feature event on the second floor of Dover Street Market Ginza (DSMG), began like a philosophical discourse. "I create clothes that are both old and new," Paula explained. Her clothes exude a serene yet powerful presence. Paula graduated from London's prestigious Central Saint Martins fashion school. While majoring in women's creative design, she developed an interest in men's tailoring and decided to take a leave of absence to train on Savile Row. During her first three months at Kilgour, a long-established tailoring firm that purveys to the British royal family, she wasn't even allowed to touch fabrics, and her only interaction with the craftsmen was twice a day, when they served her tea. After that, she spent her days watching them work, without a word. "Their way of working may seem old-fashioned, but it's actually the most modern thing right now. Moreover, the atelier, where the strength of the craftsmen who work silently and without compromise and the silence that dominates it, is the epitome of punk," says Paula. This approach to clothing design, completely different from the women's clothing she learned at a tailoring school, defined her subsequent work. She then launched "1205" in the 2011-12 Autumn/Winter season. Her updated modernity, which combines the strictness of tailoring with a restrained serenity, became her signature style, and she quickly gained attention after her debut. Her clothes, which emphasize materials and cutting, have a genderless feel. In addition to DSMG, her collection is widely sold in Japan by brands such as United Arrows. "Japanese buyers really understood my understated clothing. Or maybe they tried to understand it. They're very open-minded to new ideas. And the Japanese sensibility of taking the time to pursue quality certainly resonates with my clothing design." While initially launched as a men's brand, its wide size range also made it popular with women. Later, they expanded into items like skirts and dresses, and launched a women's collection in the 2013-14 Autumn/Winter collection. Both men's and women's lines share common items, with a consistent aesthetic. This also ties into the brand's numerical name. The brand name, "1205," can be pronounced "ichi ni zero go" in Japanese, or "one o' two five" or "twelve o' five" in English. The choice of numbers can be interpreted in a variety of ways, including birthdays, postal codes, and lucky numbers (eight is considered lucky in the West; 1+2+0+5=8), but the main reason is that "it was the closest way to express my desire to remain anonymous." This "single philosophy" permeates both the clothing and the brand name.
"Pureness, restraint, substance. My philosophy is made up of these three words. I'm currently planning to make furniture with the Belgian product manufacturer Bulo, but the origins of my ideas are no different from making clothes."
Her modest and intelligent way of speaking suggests she was trained as a Savile Row craftsman, and it was a wonderful experience to witness the major debut of such a serious female designer for the first time in a long time.
