Broek van ambassadeur A.H.J. Lovink c. 1948

This pair of trousers, made by Firma Noyen, features a distinctive gold stripe running down the side. It makes me think about process, about the many small steps involved in its making. Imagine the designer sketching ideas, maybe thinking about military uniforms or formal wear, then the cutter laying out the fabric, carefully considering the grain and the pattern, followed by the tailor, meticulously stitching each seam. I imagine them pausing, maybe several times, to press the fabric and make sure the stripe is perfectly aligned. It’s a world away from the gestural freedom of painting, and yet the focused attention to material and form, the care taken with each element, is the same. There’s a conversation happening here, between the design and the craft of the maker. It's a kind of call and response, a dance of thought and action. And these trousers, like a painting, have their own kind of physicality. They are not simply an idea but an object, solid, real, and capable of being worn, each step in them an act of art.