Fecal Matter
Fecal Matter, the Montreal based duo that is far from normal. The couple is connecting fashion, film, politics, music and everything that is forbidden in order to promote critical thinking to a world of mindless clicking. They are creating and wearing a style, that is not meant to be aesthetic nor a costume, they describe it as an extension of their skin. Fecal Matter is creating and selling their own products to their fan community, who is seeking for extravagant accessories.
Check the interview below!
If I give you 3 words to describe Fecal Matter - which one would you choose?
Uncensored, Fearless, Pure.
Your style is extravagant and outstanding. How did you find this Avantgarde style?
We found it within ourselves. It’s been there since we we’re kids, we just didn’t have the courage to bring it out. We have been drawing these ideas for so long now, it only started to manifest into real life when we met each other. We we’re always different and no matter what we did and how hard we tried, we never fit in while growing up. Our style isn’t our aesthetic or a costume to us, it’s an extension of our skin.
Fecal Matter is not an individual project. You both are doing it together, as a love couple. How did the love story of Fecal Matters started for you both together?
It started with a conversation. A conversation about all the things we hate about this world, how cruel the world can be. We connected on our passion for wanting to see change and wanting to help others. It started as a friendship between two people who lived in fear. Once we started to help each other express ourselves, we started to protect one another. That care for one another gradually became bigger and bigger to the point where we couldn’t hide our feelings for one another. It was obvious to everyone around us but it was scary pursuing being romantically involved because we didn’t want to risk losing each other as friends. Now, we have come together, without any fears and barriers. We are fully exposed to one another and that’s really the freedom we cherish everyday.
You talk a lot about ”Provoke Society” - can you tell us something about this concept, or let’s say attitude?
Provoke Society is a mantra to challenge yourself in hopes of challenging others within a consumer driven society. It’s not about seeking attention by dressing up really fucked up and scaring people to get a reaction from them just for fun. It’s a tactic to wake people up from the “client coma” we are all in. We, as a society, are pressured into a living a life that involves so much purchasing. The media feeds us whatever they want and for so many, they passively consume. Go ahead a walk downtown of whatever city or place you live in, and you will notice how similar people look and act. People are in uniforms at this point. For us, we believe that it is important to showcase different perspectives of beauty to those people. They need it to realize they have a choice. They have options more than what Zara or H&M are offering. More options than just being heterosexual and wanting to be a rich accountant. That’s what provoke society really is, it’s the intention to be yourself in hopes of helping others find themselves. The aspect of provoking is about trying to stop this world from being numb and frankly, boring.
Attending the Fashion school of Montreal, you probably got a lot of early feedback for your style. Did they support your style approach?
No not at all. The security guards at our school had photos of us pinned on the wall to alert the staff that we are meant to watch closely. Steven got kicked out of many pattern classes because of that they were wearing in hopes of “protecting the students”. It was just a wearing stripper heels and a hoop skirt, like cmon! Our style, even today, is still too difficult for most to consider beautiful or even desirable. We still get laughed at and pointed at. People tried to support us back then, but they also we’re afraid. So that led us to support ourselves and use our minds to figure out ways to get out and be free. We had to do it ourselves if not we would not have survived.
Does Montreal inspires you for your style and is it appreciated there?
It doesn’t inspire our work but it inspires us emotionally as our family is there. We travel so much and this industry can be so superficial and empty, that we like to surround ourselves with our family as they help us get out of our head and breathe real air. Our work is now at the biggest museum in Montreal, so yes it is appreciated within that aspect. Although, when we walk out on the street, our life is still in danger as the masses don’t understand and still hate. It’s something we are used to and not something we pay too much attention to. We don’t let that hold us back from turning a look!
You are successfully selling online your clothing line. Can you tell us something about the creation of the fashion pieces you sell?
Our label is really pure still and we create all the pieces by hand with no help. We enjoy it and love to have a close relationship to our clients around the world, especially those who relate to the challenges of society that we face. It’s the biggest gift in the world for us, the connection we have with the people who support our work. Each piece is created with love. That’s why we like the online process of selling because you can really connect with anyone around the world, meaning we don’t have to limit our ideas as there will always be someone interested. We also create pieces for recycled materials, which enables us to offer affordable price points to our younger clientele.
It is even hard for me to find words for describing your Make-Up. It is breath-taking. When and how did this passion start and what is the typical reaction of people who see you with the Make Up on?
We call it Fecal Glam! It’s really our version of glamour. Make up was never something we intended on going into, it came naturally. We never did makeup growing up, it was only until we needed makeup for look books we did that we realized nobody could perform the ideas we had. We tried working with so many makeup artists, but nobody could create our sketches like we wanted them to. So, we did it ourselves. It took time to perfect, but it really was worth it. Now we love makeup and the expression behind it! People’s reactions are usually polarizing, either people love it or really hate it!
How can you imagine Fecal Matter in 5 years?
Everyday is a challenge because we put so much of our vulnerability into what we do that its impossible to accurately say where we will be in 5 years. All we know for sure is that will die trying to help others achieve freedom and to promote critical thinking. Whatever we do in 5 years, it will be directly linked to that mission.
Do you have any upcoming projects, you want to share with us today?
We are working on music and our next collection. It’s really challenging because we are focusing on our technical background in garment making, so it’s equally exciting and complex at the same time. We are really obsessed with certain questions, so our collection will be an exploration of that.
courtesy FECAL MATTER
interview KATI WEISSMANN
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