Grumpy old guys, cheap bars, awesome markets and the most inspiring encounter.

One sunny Sunday morning we arrive by boat in Bari, Italy. Having a ten hour ferry ride behind us, but not nearly as many hours of sleep. We slowly walk through the town. Weight down by our heavy backpacks, but motivated by the desire to drink a coffee. As we cross the old town lead by the smell of coffee, we notice how clean everything is. Walls buildings and cobblestones are held in white stone. No dirt and as we check out the menu of a little bar we are shocked by, what feels to us like horrendous prices.

As we finally drink our (first) morning coffee, we both share our surprise about the circumstances. Then we get it, never has either of us entered Italy from the east. Mostly I came from the north, in the past. As if you take that route Italy always seems like a bit of a mess, but sunny, warm and very cheap with awesome coffee. Short: a lovely place too be. But now we came from even cheaper food, equally tasty coffee and even warmer Turkish sunshine. Italy didn’t manage to impress us at the first glance.

Time to adapt to being back in Europe. It feels weird. It feels exciting.

But I am here for another reason. A very exciting one, that I have been anticipating since a long time: Meeting my first Hive Person!

The afternoon train leaves in Bari and in the dark Clare picks me up in the train station. I have never meet her before, but still feel like I know her. A funny feeling. New but familiar. And even after a short car ride up the hills, that perception doesn’t stop, as I enter her beautiful artist house in the medieval quarter. I know that kitchen, the background, the arches on the roof without ever having set food across the doorstep.

A few days turn into three weeks. Three weeks of magic, creativity, coffees, market strolls, sewing sessions and glasses of wine with endless conversations.

Every day we work on something new or something started the day before. Sitting in two different corners of her sewing room, we are both emerged into our projects. Fro time to time we interrupt the silence to talk about the next steps. Whenever one seems stuck the other one has, if not the solution, so at least the enthusiasm not to let go of the project. Sometimes we get carried away in conversations, thats when the sound of our voices replace the purring of Clare’s sky blue sewing machine. We can go on like this forever, or at least until one of us gets hungry and the day light disappeared, already, much to our surprise.

That’s when we transfer our business into the kitchen. Hand sewing, watching fashion shows or romantic movies, drinking wine, until midnight.

Our visits to the market leave us with new bags full of projects, ideas and fabric to work with. What started as a joke, of us sooner or later drowning in fabric and cashmere wool, soon seems to become reality. Maybe that is when we decide to set up a Slow Fashion Exhibition in Clare’s cantina.

For this idea to take shape and transfer into reality it takes less than a week. Suddenly we see ourselves standing with a glass of “vin brulé” in our hands, admiring all our creations along the walls. Seeing our work for the first time, exposed with the respect it deserves. Do I need to mention how much more that inspired us? Inspiration enough to continue way beyond three weeks of collaboration!

Did I ever expect such an encounter from “the internet”? No!

Can you expect some Clare & Kesityu slow fashion creations in the future? Yes!

Thank you Clare for your hospitality, all your time and inspiration shared! And thanks to all of you stopping by! Have a wonderful week!

All photos and words are my own, taken and written by myself ©kesityu.