We had the distinct pleasure to interview award winning designer Guillermo Fok De Jesus about their original and creative adaptable luggage design work. Guillermo Fok De Jesus is an award-winning fashion designer, that makes our world a better place with their original adaptable luggage works.
Guillermo Fok De Jesus ("GFDJ") answered Design Interview ("DI") questions about their award-winning work errant and cheval adaptable luggage. Interview questions prepared by Frank Scott.
GFDJ : I wanted to offer a simple and holistic solution to short term traveling, inspired by the industrial revolution and newly mainstream train traveling, I used materials and shapes to evoke a vintage feel and provide modern day functionality.
GFDJ : I wanted to create something simple, analog and heavily inspired by my historic research. I wanted to evoke a specific feel through materials, textures and form while providing an innovative solution to the travel experience.
GFDJ : I continue to develop ideas stemming from this design, thinking of different scenarios and alternative solutions that follow a similar aesthetic but incorporate new materials and functionality.
GFDJ : from beginning to end approximately 8 months
GFDJ : IT was born as a graduate thesis and it evolved from that into a passion of mine after i graduated
GFDJ : I am currently looking at a made to order business model, where I would personally work with individual users/ clients to create bespoke solutions based on my designs.
GFDJ : I was interested in diving into travel and traveling accessories. I didn't quite know where this would lead me to but early on I became fascinated by luggage and the evolution of luggage based on how leisure travel changed with technological advances throughout the decades.
GFDJ : Primarily historical luggage pieces, specifically steamer trunks and carpet bags used during the first few decades of the 20th century
GFDJ : weekend travelers, people who like to travel light and enjoy being on the move
GFDJ : It offers a practical and efficient solution to packing / unpacking in a simple but effective way. It looks to evoke a specific feeling through materials , textures and form to create a holistic experience.
GFDJ : It came from the research portion of it. This is a travel set comprised of two items. Errant was inspired by knights errant, people wandering in search of adventure and Cheval (horse in french) came after, being the sole companion to a knight during his quests.
GFDJ : it was a very hands on process, lots of prototypes were done before the final product. Most of it was done with a Sewing machine and the leather work was done by hand.
GFDJ : Finding new functionality in a unique and simple way
GFDJ : I had a huge help from the faculty at my grad school. A key figure was one of my mentors Professor Melissa Dawson, who helped me understand textile construction and properties as well as sewing.
GFDJ : I think for this particular design i was looking to stay as analog as possible. I wanted to be able to offer something new with "traditional" construction methods.
GFDJ : It was mostly historical research. Analytical data was conducted to target user needs but the majority of it was focused in understanding the evolution of travel accessories over the last 100 years
GFDJ : Understanding new materials and how different qualities could complement each other. Understanding strength and weaknesses of materials and construction methods to create something that would be efficient, durable and offer a new take on traveling.
GFDJ : I always had a great passion for this project and the concepts that came after it. i was inspired by a few of my colleagues who submitted projects to this competitions in prior years and decided to give it a try.
GFDJ : I learned to always be open to working with new materials an techniques. There's always a challenge but a bigger reward when working with new processes, and it definitely had a big impact in the outcome of this project.
