Usuario:Diegoperezcham/Taller

Aria Noir

Chapter One

"QUOTE" - From Aria Noir contributor?

At the intersection of fashion, art, music, science, and creative thought lies purpose. That purpose could be altruistic, educational, innovation, or simply adding beauty to a world that is all too often lacking in it. Creatives are often stuck at this intersection, staring down a crossroads, curious as to which path to take to see their creative visions through to a satisfying end. Much of creative pursuit is pivoting, adding and subtracting, trying and failing, and cobbling together one's own idea of beauty.

Somewhere in there, for many, a brand takes form. Behind every brand is a creative vision, built piecemeal over the years through sudden epiphanies, ideas that beget other ideas, personal growth, and exploration. Fashion and art that is aligned with business is often skirting the line between pretty and practical.

This book is the story of one vision that became many — a kaleidoscope of intersecting pieces that have taken hold and added their own self-actualizing beauty to the world.

When one sets out to bring art to the world, they immerse themselves in that art, whatever medium it may be. From the dawn of time, man has craved an outlet for artistic expression. From the earliest cave paintings, people have sought to have the creative language to tell stories, express thought, and further technology — no matter how rudimentary at the time.

Today, with technology on our side, the human race has reached new heights of artistic expression and advancement. Still, every day, new ideas are being brought forth and realized. The passion for the creative process endures.

At the well-worn creative intersection, Aria Noir was born.

The Rarity of the Modern Perfectionist

Today's entrepreneurial culture is very much focused on the hustle. The grind. The act of waking up at 4 am to make dreams happen, no matter the cost. There are business gurus who will tell you that "done is better than perfect," that completing the task is far more important than perfecting the task.

The perfectionist is fast becoming an endangered species, with hustle-culture running roughshod over the artist's tendency to mull over ideas. Within this fast and furious hustle culture, the perfectionist may be viewed as someone who has embraced the simplicity and the calm demeanor of an old master, willing to pour over the intricacies of their work. It can be easy to see how the perfectionist could feel pressured to be prolific, churning out a quantity of work, content, or product equal to that of their peers that have embraced the hustle culture.

However, society has repeatedly proven that there is room for the perfectionist. Within most well-known artists, fashion designers, musicians, or any other creative spirit lies an element of perfectionism. It's likely a significant reason why they succeed. The creative minds behind Aria Noir have harnessed the power of perfectionist thinking, holding high expectations for themselves and for their output.

Aria Noir Defined

Any opera fan can tell you that a well-crafted aria is impossible to ignore. An independent piece of music crafted for one voice, arias often soar above the body of larger works, telling a story through expressive ebbs and flows. They are statements of inimitability. They are also often tinged in sadness, a tragic, romantic aire.

Noir brings to mind several visions — dark, languid pictures, and sharp lighting, existentialism in film, and edgy individualism.

Just as arias explore the boundaries of the voice and operatic storytelling, Aria Noir explores the boundaries of creativity and brand building. Just as film noir has made its mark on cinema, art, and the way to tell a story, Aria Noir has found different ways to tell its story. When you dive into the deep and explore the neverending void offered by 'noir', the possibilities become endless. One can start creating a truly multifaceted brand. Oscar Wilde once said, "You can't use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have." Aria Noir, as a brand and a name personifies this idea. A voice soaring, a sustained note, a deep well of inspired ideas, a beautiful endlessness. A sometimes sad — but sweet — story. Creativity begetting creativity.

The idea behind Aria Noir is an interplay between fashion, art, real estate, music, sustainability, altruism, and, ultimately, originality.

Motivated by Originality

The minds behind Aria Noir realize that there are many risks involved when building a brand, especially one that is rooted in creativity. Any success demands a sacrifice — of time, relationships, money, or, sometimes, sanity. A piece of one's self is always put on the line for the good of building a brand. When the motivation behind the brand is pure originality, the sacrifice is justified. The truly original brands are the ones that make their mark on history.

Aria Noir is motivated by being truly original in every facet of their business. Everything they produce, from high-end eyewear to music videos or boutique hotels, has the DNA of the creators baked into it. They know that the products, the creative output, has a niche market and they are fine with that. Honestly, it is welcomed. The spoken ethos of Aria Noir is "By designers, for designers". People who are coming from a creative space themselves can understand the motivation of wanting to be truly original.

As is said often in the hip-hop community "Real recognize real." Aria Noir is real, recognized as authentic. Real beauty. Real truth.

Chapter Two

There’s a scene in The Devil Wears Prada where Meryl Streep’s character Miranda Priestly is explaining to Anne Hathaway’s fashion-devoid Andy Sachs that fashion influences everyone, whether they know it or not. When Andy “fished her blue sweater out of the bargain bin”, she was clearly unaware that the particular shade of blue she was wearing — cerulean — was “chosen for her” by people like the fashion experts in the room. People like the designers who had been, just moments before, hemming and hawing over belt choices — much to Andy’s bemusement.

The fashion industry is one of the largest industries in the world. Decisions made by big players in the fashion world trickle down to everyone, even people who claim to have absolutely no interest in fashion.

Fashion reflects societal changes. When the rock revolution of the early 1990s hit and the “oh well, whatever, nevermind” ethos infiltrated the global zeitgeist, there wasn’t a teenager alive who didn’t tie a flannel around their waist and rip holes in their baggy jeans. The same goes for fashion’s societal reflection of the late 1960s, the 1980s, the early 2000s and today.

Aria Noir’s target market is rooted in these societal reflections in fashion. Today’s world is environmentally-conscious, trends towards minimalism in many ways, and gravitates towards simple, yet elegant design. When they say they make designs for designers, they mean that their designs are rooted in everything that makes art relevant and important — a pleasing aesthetic mixed with a window into society.

Aria Noir – Where Sacred Geometry Speaks

The world, and art created within the world, can be often split. Loud and soft.

Pleasing and displeasing.

Creating and destroying.

The idea of harmony, mathematical soundness, and a singular architecture of the universe is summed up in the ancient idea of sacred geometry. Plutarch wrote that “Plato said god geometrizes continually”, placing the very idea of sacred geometry to ancient times. The concept that influenced scientists, philosophers, and artists throughout history has not lost steam or influence over centuries.

Within advanced sacred geometry, there are over 600 shapes and symbols, each holding a specific meaning and power. Throughout history, the sphere, the cube, and other “perfect figures” have been the subject of study, philosophy, and artistic rendering. Today’s application of sacred geometry can be found not only within religious and meditative circles, but as Aria Noir

has explored, artistic endeavors and fashion as well. As human beings, what we adorn ourselves with can take on a new level of importance beyond simple shirts, pants, and accessories. What we wear matters, not only in terms of reflecting society, but if one is to believe in the tenets of sacred geometry, in terms of overall human accord.

Aria Noir has embraced the concept of purposeful balance woven within their aesthetic. Their geometric-framed eyewear and clothing decked with intentional patterns embrace the aesthetics of accord and harmony.

There are many times, as human beings walking the Earth, we will find ourselves out of alignment. Our day to day structure may feel akimbo, and we may not have a firm grasp on why or what to do to right the proverbial ship. The concepts laid out in sacred geometry have been used to bring alignment in a myriad of ways for centuries. When Leonardo di Vinci drew his Vitruvian Man, the perfectly symmetrical rendering was a nod to the perfect balance of nature, of humanity, of the body, and of the soul. Its inclusion in Luca Pacioli’s “Divine Proportion” speaks

to beliefs surrounding sacred geometry dating back to the 15th and 16th century. Mathematics, beauty, science, nature, art, and inner peace combine into one perfectly descriptive school of thought.

When the state of the world feels as if it may be falling off the rails, a reminder that there is harmony to be found can ease the soul and calm the senses. With fashion being a reflection of the world around us, it can make sense to inject some of the tenets of sacred geometry into a fashion line. People are clamouring for some peace and steadiness amid all of the signal and noise. Sacred geometry, when used in fashion, art, or even music, can provide the equilibrium people may not even be aware they are craving. They may gravitate towards what is pleasing to the eye without recognizing even why it is so. It is an artistic reflex to the world around us.

Sacred geometry can be harnessed to structure not only pleasing forms and patterns, but ones that are beautiful. What we wear on the outside or adorn ourselves with can have a deeper meaning, a more self-soothing goal. Or, it can be beautiful — simply for the sake of beauty in a world that is so often off-kilter and beauty-starved.

Everything, from the rocks beneath our feet, the stars in the night sky, to our own genetic code, has an element of sacred geometry to it.

The Aria Noir collection, with its harmonious patterns and structure, call to mind the balanced design of di Vinci’s time, married with a modern vibe that speaks to the times we live in and people’s search for balance.

The Golden Ratio

The golden ratio is a way of dissecting lines and shapes in an aesthetically pleasing way. Fashion embraces the golden ratio regularly, whether intentionally or simply because designers

are naturally aware of what is aesthetically pleasing. Artists have used a ratio of 3 to 5 (which is very close to the actual golden ratio of 0.62) for centuries to create balanced, well-appointed works that are pleasing to the eye. The golden ratio works hand-in-hand with sacred geometry, guiding the hands of designers as they create works that not only aid in a feeling of personal balance, whether intentionally or unintentionally, but look amazing as well.

Aria Noir’s El Patron shirts feature designs reminiscent of ogee, basketweave, cube, and honeycomb. Though very architectural at first glance, the shapes also harken to a natural vibe — flower petals, leaves, raindrops, and tree branches intersecting.

Designers draw from a variety of muses when crafting their collections. The aesthetic bedrock of sacred geometry features heavily in the Aria Noir collection, embracing the ideas of harmony, pleasing tone and texture, and what humans crave psychologically and artistically, even if it is only subconsciously.

Chapter Three

It was Coco Chanel who said “Luxury must be comfortable, otherwise it is not luxury.” This quote from the Grand Dame of luxury fashion may seem laughably out-of-touch when one looks at some of the beautifully artistic haute couture coming down runways in Milan, Paris, and New York. Much of it is indeed luxury, but nowhere near being called comfortable.

When people think of comfort, many times they are imagining cozy, warm, soft, and a fit that doesn’t leave them feeling exposed or, conversely, enveloped. Like Goldilocks in the bear’s bed that was “just right”, comfortable clothes allow us to nestle into being, going about our day or resting without feeling out of sorts.

Hygge

The Danish have a word – hygge (pronounced hoo-guh) — that means “a quality of coziness and comfortable conviviality that engenders a feeling of contentment or well-being.” In recent years, many fashion-forward people have embraced the concept of hygge. If sacred geometry can be the muse of designers, then hygge can be considered a muse of consumers, seeking out stylish comfort through soft fabrics, comfortable cuts, and eye-pleasing color palettes. The Danish are considered some of the most fashion-forward people in the world. They have embraced a relaxed, minimalist style that gives one the sense of uncomplicated comfort immediately upon viewing.

Embracing the idea of hygge in our dress can help us embrace other ideas of relaxation and simplicity in other areas of our lives as well in a full circle moment of fashion influencing behavior and thought.

Aria Noir has made soft, comfortable fabrics a staple of their line of sweaters. Some have a peaceful, soft vibe and are made from 100% Peruvian baby Alpaca wool, which like its tactile cousin cashmere is soft on the skin.

Ultrasoft fabric choices and designs that wrap one in warmth and comfort are what the hygge aesthetic is all about. It is the fashion equivalent of lighting some candles on a cold winter night, as the snow silently falls outside your window, and snuggling with a good book and your favorite snack. The entire concept of hygge is about finding this comfort on a daily basis, through actions, surroundings, and what you choose to clothe yourself in.

Not Designed to Die

There may be no other pursuit so pure as the pursuit of beauty. As deep as one may try to make their reasoning for creating, the pursuit of beauty is a simple goal that should be more accepted in creative circles at face value. Sometimes, liking beautiful things is enough. The dedication to creating pure beauty has been usurped in recent years in the fashion industry by

the rise of fast fashion. Fast fashion is the antithesis of creating pure beauty in favor of churning out “good enough”, quickly, cheaply, and in limited runs that are made to goad the public into a sense of false scarcity. The effect is garish and loud, the opposite of comfortable or simple beauty.

In recent years, more high-end design houses have been replaced under corporate umbrella companies that seek to provide cheap, quickly produced clothing, shoes, and accessories to a public that are, often, all-too-willing to plunk down a few dollars for disposable fashion. This has left brands little more than commodities and stores that specialize in cheap fashion selling the same looks en masse. The beauty is stripped away and what remains is a hastily pieced-together skeleton of what passes for “pretty” — or at least “pretty enough for right now”. While massive online fast-fashion retailers still fare well with consumers, they are also subject to scorn by environmentalists and copyright lawsuits for stealing the creative ideas of others to sell to the masses.

Profit has long been a goal of fashion designers, even the most innovative and creative. However, it was never so elevated to the main priority as it has been in recent years. As the youth protest against profit-motivated capitalists, those same capitalists fight back with even more cheap fashion choices, dangling affordability in front of those struggling with record-high inflation and cost of living increases that make beauty in fashion, very often, an afterthought.

Aria Noir has made it a goal to marry art, quality, and technology. Their focus on beauty works in tandem with their focus on sustainability. What Aria Noir creates within their collections is a world outside of the race to be the next fast fashion phenomenon. Instead, they have structured something designed to not die, but endure.

The Quality Desert

Aria Noir is looking to be the antithesis of a behemoth that has dominated the landscape of fashion for over a decade — quantity over quality. The rise of social media has given many creatives a path towards success with their own fashion lines. With access to audiences, mentors, and easy marketing, anyone could put out a line and call it haute couture or quality. What happened with many of these fly-by-night designers, however, is they quickly learned that actually producing quality products was easier said than done.

Fast fashion has created a veritable quality desert in the clothing and accessory space. When something is quickly produced and offered at a low price, quality is what is sacrificed. While many have been willing to make this sacrifice in the name of buying cheap things on a regular basis, it does not set a strong precedence for the value of a quality product.

Aria Noir set out to be above all else self-authenticating. One look at their sunglasses that are gold-crafted wearable art and the dedication to quality is crystal clear. Quality construction and design are the building blocks of luxury goods, and Aria Noir can prove they are the real deal within every piece in their line.

Bringing High End Luxury to Life

When everyone fancies themselves a creative, the path to creating a long-lasting, self-authenticating high end brand can be fraught with hurdles. Declaring oneself luxury is one thing, living that truth through your brand is entirely another.

The creative minds behind Aria Noir are after a small, serious base that understands and appreciates the effort and mindful artistry that is infused into the brand. They are an acquired taste, targeting other creatives with their comfortable basics and higher-end offerings. The ultra-luxe casual wear sets itself apart, not only from the fast-fashion goliaths, but from other high-fashion brands as well.

Materials

Aria Noir sits revving its engine at the intersection of necessary comfort and high style. The patterns that are woven within their sweaters and even within the shape of their sunglasses not only speak to their dedication to sacred geometry that was previously mentioned, but to a striving for perfection. Much like a beautiful home that also provides space for all of your things and the people you love, the pretty and practical nature of their clothing shines through. The sacred geometry speaks volumes, a symphony of perfect right triangles, angles, and infinite circles.

Their materials place luxury and ease of wear at the center of their collection. Their materials, design, and structure combine to be self-authenticating pieces of art.

Aria Noir’s sweaters are crafted from 100% Peruvian baby alpaca wool. A cousin of the llama, alpacas coats come in a variety of colors. Alpaca fiber is known for being lighter and softer than regular wool. It holds a rarity greater than cashmere and is also known for its warmth. This fiber, sourced from alpacas who live in the Peruvian Andes, is one of the most luxurious in the world. It allows a fashionable silky sheen for the Aria Noir shirt collection that is comfortable on the skin. Alpaca fiber is also hypoallergenic. The fiber is literally woven into Peruvian culture and history. The shearing of alpacas is a historic yearly ritual, done to preserve and protect the health and wellbeing of the animal that is revered by the Peruvian people.

The use of Alpaca fiber also supports Aria Noir’s sustainability efforts, contributing to sustainable farming in Peru. In addition, harvesting of alpaca wool does not cause harm to the animal, making the use of the luxury fiber that they provide a win for everyone from the animal to the farmers to the designer.

Aria Noir has also incorporated other luxury materials into their creations, including gold sourced from their own gold mine. The quality over quantity stance of the brand is reflected in these material choices. Top-tier materials like alpaca wool, gold, and leather allows the Aria Noir items, from sweaters to shoes, feel as good as they look. The looks are crafted to last and while clothing made with high end materials may cost more than the ‘McFashion’ items spilling out of

fast fashion manufacturing houses, the investment is well worth it. Sourcing, production, and design is all done with the utmost of thoughtfulness and care, setting Aria Noir further apart from their quantity over quality peers in the fashion industry.

Using luxury materials such as real gold in their eyewear products or alpaca wool in their sweaters gives the fashion items their own intrinsic value. Not only are they intrinsically valuable and self-authenticating, they are wearable art.

Identity

Aria Noir is a brand that knows who they are. They are in pursuit of beauty, of symmetry, and of tasteful elegance. They are a brand dedicated to being genuine, not generic. They are a name that signifies the thought has been put into every angle, stitch, and opulent bend of their creations.

The ethical sourcing of the brand’s materials contribute greatly to their rock solid identity. Today’s discerning consumer wants to know that neither the Earth nor people or animals were harmed in the process of bringing them their fashion. That in and of itself is luxury. In a world populated with 8 billion people, natural resources cannot go wasted. In an industry focused on beauty and with a brand cognizant of the natural beauty inherent in everything, waste and an unsustainable production approach would be an almost unthinkable way of doing business — or creating art.

In fashion, as in life in many ways, knowing oneself inside and out is the key to a more authentic existence. If you were to peruse the websites of many fast fashion brands, you would find designs cheaply copied and pasted from better known designers. These items fall very short of the luxury they are trying to mimic, but with price points that are at bargain basement bin levels, it’s hard to pull people away from their reliance on these items. These fast fashion brands don’t care about solidifying an identity. They care about making money, quickly. Good enough is, well, good enough. If they have any identity, it is simply in being cheap. They have taught consumers how to enter a transaction with them with low expectations. The clothing and accessories are expendable, trashable, and their production is harmful for both the Earth and its citizens.

Identity is a significant part of any brand. The public face, values, and beliefs that a brand holds help guide consumers into choosing products and services that align with their own values and beliefs. When a brand like Aria Noir is confident in their identity, it informs every move they make. And Aria Noir is making moves.

Chapter Four

“You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference and you have to decide what kind of a difference you want to make.”— Jane Goodall

Nestled within the dry, somewhat harsh landscape of the Peruvian mountains and the rich landscape of the Amazon rainforest lie a bevy of rich mineral deposits. As alpacas and herders roam the land above, below some of the most coveted and expensive minerals in the world sleep, awaiting eventual mining. Currently, small scale artisanal miners make up a large portion of Peru’s gold mining ventures. Peru is South America’s largest producer of gold — and sixth largest globally. Artisanal mining has risen to be one of the main sources of income for many of these remote areas of Peru.

When it comes to conversations about sustainability and eco-friendly material sourcing, it could be considered folly to dismiss the havoc that reckless mining can have on the environment. When sourcing gold for fashion products, issues such as deforestation can marr even the most well-intentioned sourcing attempt. The Peruvian government has been making strides in formalizing the artisanal gold mining sector, leading to tighter environmental regulations for the miners and allowing companies to have a measure of comfort in working with these artisanal providers. Reforming the gold mining industry in Peru has been integral to the continued livelihood of the approximately 250,000 artisanal miners and upwards of 1 million Peruvians who rely on mining to sustain their standard of living. It has also given companies a way to source gold, which remains in high demand, ethically and sustainably.

Much of what is supporting sustainable mining efforts in Peru is the elimination of the use of mercury in mining. As mining efforts become increasingly mercury-free, they become far more ethical.

You may be asking yourself what the connection between artisanal gold mining and Aria Noir could possibly be? Afterall, the remote crevices of the Peruvian Andes do not exactly bring to mind high fashion. However, Aria Noir has carved out a singular niche for themselves in this beautiful landscape that is replete with gold deposits. They have set themselves apart not only by including 18-karat gold in items such as designer sunglasses, but by harvesting the gold from their own gold mine.

The Sweat of the Sun

In the 1400s, the Incan empire was the largest state in the world, extending over 5000 kilometers of land and including a community of approximately 12 million conquered people ruled by 40,000 Inca noblemen. It was a vast empire with influence and historical significance that stretched into modern day. They used advanced farming techniques and transformed the often rough Andes mountains terrain into lush fields. It was not until the 1530s, when invading Spaniards conquered the Incan people, that their power and influence began to wane.

Gold was an important symbol for mighty empires, like the Incas, as well as an adornment for the well-heeled nobles of an empire. It was primarily used for jewelry and idolatry until the ancient Egyptians fashioned it into a currency. Gold’s immense value led many Europeans to explore far reaches of the globe in search of untapped riches.

Peru’s history with gold is long and storied, and stretches far back to ancient history, before the Incas took power over the region. Around 500 BC, a cult formed in the Andean region. They created incredible gold objects like headdresses and jars, many of which were unearthed centuries later in what is present-day Peru. This cult, associated with an oracle at Chavín de Huantar in the northern highlands of Peru,

Sustainability has been on the hearts and minds of many, and not just in the past few years, but for decades. Earth Day was founded in 1970, environmental policies have been enacted since then, and the focus on living a more eco-friendly life has strengthened, especially with the more we learn about the harmful effects of carbon emissions.

References

Website: https://www.arianoir.com/