Culture / JOURNAL
A knotted button
A short note on the pankou and the names given to clothing.
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Full English translation is pending. The Chinese original follows, with an English catalogue title and summary above.
在成为一种印花之前,盘扣首先是一门技术。一条布带搓圆、绷紧、以手打结;扣眼与扣子出自同一根线,一空一实。不缝合,不上胶,全凭张力维系——成形,需要手艺;解开,需要一点敬意。
当它落在一件运动夹克上,这个结便启程环游世界。它带走了手势,却把名字留在了原处:人们唤它 Mandarin、Oriental,有时索性不予称呼。形可以无需签证地越境,名却被扣在了海关。
而这道落差,恰是我们这样一间编辑部所要守的题。复刻一个细节,是工作室分内的事;把准确的名字归还于它,却是一桩更慢、也远比表面更具政治意味的工作。