necessity sense | needle in the sea

all clothing. SS19 Needle in The Sea

Necessity Sense‘s latest collection, entitled “Needle in the Sea”, looks to the designers’ seafaring ancestors for inspiration. This collection incorporates technical wear and the muted colours of fishing boat life to form pieces fusing old function with contemporary style. Through these pieces, they tell stories of the Taiwanese aboriginal fishermen that came before them.

More than just an idea, the designers of Necessity Sense‘s most recent collection have a personal tie to this nautical theme. Their grandfather was the first in the family to enter the fishing industry, and stories of his travels at sea echoed through generations and landed in their designs. Taiwanese fishermen spend nine months at sea at a time, often only returning home once every two years; imagery of fishermen and passport prints used in the pieces embody that loneliness and desire to connect with a homeland again.

Along with its use of technical attire comes the collection’s utilisation of textures and muted hues. Ships are painted in faded reds, and as they age, rust dulls these reds to browns and blacks. These familiar colours are on view in the most recent collection, which includes working jackets, hoods and trousers. The brand describes this as a reflection of “the designer’s family ties as well as their cultural roots in Taiwan.”