Esine Nærzyne
Esine Nærzyne | |
|---|---|
 Esine Nærzyne in 1964 | |
| Born | 29 May 1928 Antánas, Xevden |
| Died | 6 September 2004 (aged 76) |
| Occupation | Clothesmaker |
Esine Nærzyne (29 May 1928 – 6 September 2004) was a Gylian clothesmaker, designer, and activist. She was one of Gylias' first renowned clothesmakers, and her high-profile career and design philosophy had a fundamental influence on the Gylian clothing industry.
Early life
Esine was born on 29 May 1928 in Antánas. She came from a poor family and endured the deprivations of Xevden in her childhood.
Her parents taught her to read and write, and she began learning tailoring from her mother. By the age of 15, she was working as a tailor with her mother, helping earn money for the family.
The family's situation improved after Antánas was integrated into the Free Territories, and she attended volunteer classes and seminars.
Career
Deciding to pursue a career in clothesmaking, Esine established her own studio in 1948. She turned the family home into a clothes workshop and shop, with her parents assisting the business.
During the Liberation War, Esine developed a reputation as an accomplished creator of vêtements règlementaires. The rationing of the war and later National Obligation period stimulated her inventiveness as a designer and helped shape her philosophy.
With demand growing beyond a simple store, she established a cooperative, expanding the stores' reach beyond Antánas. She was meticulous and nurturing in training newly-hired workers, fostering an adventurous and playful environment at the company.
After the end of the Liberation War, Esine's company was briefly Gylias' largest clothing company. Although it soon lost that distinction with the emergence of other comapnies, Esine enjoyed national renown as a clothesmaker, and her designs impacted the industry, with other clothesmakers following her example. Her prestige was reflected in her being commissioned by the Darnan Cyras government to design uniforms for administrative agencies, including the Gylian Police, Gyliair, P&T, and GNRTS. She enjoyed a close friendship with public sector minister Julie Legrand and Cabinet Office Chief of Staff Joan Holloway, who praised her designs for imparting an air of glamour and excitement to public service.
Esine was nicknamed the "clothing anarchist". She published several manifestos outlining her philosophy, gaining a reputation for "sardonic wit and tell-it-straight attitude", according to the The Antánas Tribune. She felt everyone had a right to good quality clothing in their personally favoured colours, styles and fabrics. She regarded clothing's role as pleasing the wearer and entertaining — "giving a little additional gaiety to life". She championed unisex clothing, which fit in well with the Golden Revolution's transformation of gender and sexuality.
She was an outspoken opponent of conventional fashion industries, writing, "Fashion is a parasite on style — a horrid little man who tells you last winter’s coat may be in perfect condition but you can’t wear it because it has a belt!". She believed it was a mistake for any country to adopt the styles of another, and believed each country had to develop appropriate styles, although she approved of francité's transformative and playful approach to appropriating a French identity through clothing.
In addition to clothesmaking, Esine also worked as a columnist for Free Gylias, union organiser, and political activist. Ðaina Levysti described her as possessing "an impatience and ruthless practicality" that reflected her upbringing. She had little patience for ideological theorising or international issues, and lamented the "imbalance" of the Progressive Alliance due to the worker-focused Labour Solidarity League being weaker in influence and reach than other member parties.
She retired in 1988, after having transitioned from some time into a mainly administrative and visionary role at her company.
Death
Esine died on 6 September 2004 in her native Antánas, of liver cancer.
Legacy
Esine left a fundamental mark on Gylian clothing. Her ideals synthesised the various tendencies that had emerged in the Free Territories into a unified approach, which achieved mass acceptance in Gylian society and shaped attitudes towards clothing.
Private life
Esine married a sculptor in 1957; the marriage ended in amicable divorce in 1963, and the couple had no children.
She was primarily a practitioner of Concordianism.