Rafael Kouto
A post solitary reverie of a rave
Rafael Kouto (1990)
rafaelkouto
60%
Master, Fashion Matters, Sandberg Insitute, Amsterdam (NL)
Bachelor, Fashion Design, Insitut Mode Design FHNW-HGK, Basel
A post solitary reverie of a rave
2021
Zurich
Capsule collection for the Zurich Silk Association
Creative direction: Rafael Kouto;
Design Assistant: Shaila Primerano;
Shooting assistant: Jordan Kouto;
Video: A Kairos Studio GmbH film;
Written and directed by: Sebastian Vargas;
Director of Photography: Natascha Vavrina;
First AC: Cedric Heck;
Second AC: Noé Ndombasi;
Motion Control: Thibault Brevet, Andrea Anner;
Editor: Cosmo Vitelli;
Sound Design: Jahn Koutrios, Alessandro Marinelli;
Colours: Lukas Schaller;
Set design: Aline Joana Rüede;
Hair and makeup: Delia Sciullo @Style council;
Assistant director: Lea Jullien;
Set assistant: Giulia Walter;
Title design: Jahn Koutrios;
Performed by: Branca Schneidegger, Moa Bomolo, Patrick Quizeidioco;
Photographer: Flavio Leone;
Assistant photographer: Stephen Nthusi;
Vase Eidola × Végété Jewellery: Angela Wahr – Anjoyreadymadejeweles;
Sunglasses: Viu Eyewear;
Print in collaboration with Joshua Althaus
Fashion collection & short film
Vintage silk, silk fabrics, silk yarns, recycled cotton, jersey, tulle, parachute fabrics
Production in Switzerland:
screen print TDS–Textil Druckerei, Arbon;
hand dyeing Corinne Stecher, Lugano;
dyeing Färberei Kronbuh, Wittenbach;
knitted silk Herr Urs, Turgi;
knitting Textil AG, Huttwil;
print Seristampa, Chiasso;
production Punto 301, Mendrisio.
Suppliers:
upcycled silk ZSIG Archive, Zurich;
Silk Swiss Silk, Wohlen bei Bern;
Swisstulle, Münchwilen;
Laib Yala Tricot, Amriswil;
Switcher, Elfingen;
Paracentro, Locarno
Rafael Kouto explores the revival of the rave with his new upcycled collection, merging African and Western influences with a psychedelic twist. The Swiss upcycling couture brand releases a limited edition collection titled A post summer solitary reverie of a rave in collaboration with The Zurich Silk Association. This collection doubles as a cultural project, aiming to preserve the authentic savoir faire of the Swiss fashion and textile industry by situating it in an international and contemporary context. The garments of this capsule collection are crafted using upcycled silk from the textile archive of the Zurich Silk Association (Zürcherische Seidenindustrie Gesellschaft), an association of active and former companies in the Zurich silk industry and one of the oldest business associations in Switzerland. Rafael Kouto selected fabrics from the 2011 exhibition Soie Pirate, Textil Archiv Abraham, which captured the traditions of Switzerland’s haute couture silk trade. Abraham Ltd was central to this trade, collaborating with Parisian couturiers for the creations of iconic fashion houses. In a 1966 Women’s Wear Daily interview, Ludwig Abraham, founder of L. Abraham & Co. Seiden AG, states, “The truth of the classic beauties should not be lost in six months.” This has become the guiding thread of Rafael Kouto’s collection: reworking vintage textiles by reimagining their beauty and extending their life cycle.
