The remanence of Chile’s lost Haute Couture industry survives through independent Chilean brand Pedritos. With extensive research on lost fabrics and the delicate process of silk screen printing, Pedritos integrates comfort and practicality, which is important for the modern consumer, with elements of high art and design. With the arrival of their ss20 collection also comes a new chapter for the brand. A new initiative for the brand itself, as well as experimenting with fresh patterns, fabrics, and a revamped logo. Their latest collection is inspired by the confusion between rebellious disorder, and the graffiti culture of the early 2000s.

What is the inspiration behind the use of heritage fabrics? Are the use of these fabrics important to the brand’s identity?
When we think about fashion world nowadays, a huge stream that's being really conscious about the level of waste we get in the fashion system. We've been looking and searching for materials that were eventually forgotten in deposits with no much interest on become new patterns and realized a nice opportunity to make our collection of basics. With valuable raw materials that have a really strong and grown up meaning of compositions. Here in Chile, long time ago a couple cities survived with factories, even with some international fabrics recognizement. Almost every factory now is closed and missing. Having and using great quality fabrics made here. Now we can talk from a mature perspective about the materials that we work, and crafts that we want to empower as brand identity and endemic heritage.

Are there any specific pieces of street art that have inspired you? Or was it more the general subculture?
Talking about street art is pretty difficult when we lost bounds of what is real for some subculture or not. You find graffiti in different manifestations more than hip hop culture. What is important in subculture is that nobody understands it at the beginning, its believing or not, being inside or being judged as outsider. Then everything gets really by the norm and lost. Heritage of rustic drawing meets a really strong imaginary on the streets and it could be the manifestation on graffiti as a political message, propaganda and symbology. What is important to talk about, is the way that it decorates the body and the silent message throughout garments, acts and sounds of different cultural movements. How it could develop a huge impact and mutations in people appreciation on time, never forget provocation.

Details such as large pockets, practical fabrics, and ethical sourcing are important to today’s consumer. Do you believe art and design in garments have to be compromised to fit into the demanding lives of contemporary adults? Or can both ideals coexist?
Design in garments is meant to supply one or more needs. For pedritos the thing is being more practical than optical, shapes have to be chameleonic for going to work until getting a cosy sofa's day, shopping or partying, they are thought on daily use, made for 24/7 tactically outdoor and indoor use.Art could be a field for playing. If you find some nice shoes and belt, maybe you could feel kinda preppy. On other side if you get a pair of sandals, you could feel pretty comfy… The thing is not standardizing using and users, they are made for feeling yourself free in every situation, huge pockets.

wearpedritos_69639456_193335748347922_784348373575072377_n.jpg

What is the creative process like for yourself? Do you start sourcing ideas months or even years before a collection? Or do ideas sporadically come to you?
The creative process is really about seeing and contemplating, this second word or act (contemplating), believe me, is really important to find things in places you go for the first or places you've been more than once. We all know you can get some inspiration on status quo (and it always comes), i mean graphics, statements, color palettes or even clothes. For example, we can get some inspiration on paintings but, how long it will make your work a translation exercise truly to yourself?

The moment when we had to rush things it's pretty difficult to get the projects well done. In this case it's been months making patterns, pictures, searching for fabrics and learning more about silkscreen printed world (We don't really know how many tee shirts we've printed this year y'all won't see...) I see the mature ideas and aesthetic on ss20. From a logo that could destroy our sans serif label, making identity stronger, maybe someone will never know what it says. It's an explosion of the past mixed with what we saw and always wanted to have when we were younger and we fantasize for the future, it's one of many re make images from my way from home to school on early 2000 every morning, postcards i still remember with love.