Marina Abramović wears paradis collections, The composer, Berne, 2002 © artnet.com
Marina Abramović and Paradis Collections
Dear customers
My first contact with the work of the performance artist Marina Abramovic I had in the exhibition NowHere 1996 at the Louisiana Museum in Humblebæk, Denmark. The power of her art touched me deeply and has stayed with me ever since. When I was asked in 2002 whether I could design a dress for her for an event with the Sinfonietta in Basel, I was thrilled. She wore the dress not only in Basel, but also years later at an event at the Guggenheim Museum in New York. Another project, to dress Marina for a trip to the Hadza people in Tanzania, was not realized because the trip didn't happen. But the designs, using fabrics from a Swiss manufacturer, were incorporated into a new collection.
Marina Abramović wears paradis collections on Sunday, October 27, 2024 at the Paulus Akademie Zurich, © Niklaus Spörri
left: paradis collections for Marina Abramović, 2024, right: Stefania Samadelli with Marina Abramović, 2024
A few months ago, I met Marina again, and we discussed an outfit for her visit to Zurich for the major exhibition at the Kunsthaus, which opened a week ago. We were able to do a fitting a few days before the exhibition opening. I modified our popular Monique blouse and Eve trousers for the outfit. The materials come from a manufacturer of functional fabrics in Italy and are comfortable, crease-resistant, and breathable, ideal for women who travel a lot. I had it produced in four colors that are typical for Marina Abramović: red, black, blue, and ecru.
Marina Abramović: "I love your clothes! It is like my uniform, easy and minimalistic."
It was a pleasure and an honor to design and assemble outfits for Marina Abramović. My encounters with her, the strength and honesty with which she does her work, have inspired me again and again over the years.
Our designs are created through daily dialogue with our customers. We are inspired not only by their needs and desires, but also by their personality and style.
Kind regards
Stefania Samadelli
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