Slow Imperfection is a way of working. The critique of a normative concept of time through the celebration of slowness, Nicole Frei’s passion for upcycling as activism against material waste and the focus on the diversity of bodies through customisable, stretchy clothing led to research into slow, sustainable modes of designing. She links the time-intensive practice of crafts and the imperfection of bodies with “crip time”, a term from disability studies that calls for an alternative understanding of time by chronically ill and disabled people. 

The results are experimental, radical concepts that require trust. Embracing the flawed, playfully improvising with a time limit and weaving with leftover material are approaches that are essential to her design aesthetics. 

The suits for the dance piece Salzige Tränen by Leonie Graf (2021), as well as the hybrid creatures for the immersive performance Creature Comforts by Criptonite&Symbionts (2023) are examples of slow imperfection.