Isaac Penn
ittookyears is home base for Isaac Penn, a soft goods designer and ADST teacher based in Vancouver. I have a master’s in textile and clothing management and a teaching background, and I’ve done fashion and textile advising and creative work for clients in Canada, the US and Europe. If you want to collaborate, book a consultation, commission a custom piece or set up a workshop, email info@ittookyears.com.
Clients
Yolanda Zobel, Faustine Steinmetz, BLESS, Cottweiler, Jeremy Shaw, Douglas Gordon, Yngve Holen, Claus Rasmussen, Ilja Karilampi, Karl Holmqvist and a few others.
I’m drawn to odd, interesting soft goods: textiles, garments, objects, pretty much anything you can fold, drape or wear. I like things that make you look twice. Sometimes that’s an unusual material or a strange shape. Sometimes it’s something familiar that feels slightly off, in a good way. There doesn’t have to be a grand explanation for it, but there’s usually something worth following.
Collecting is a big part of how I explore that. My collection isn’t tied to one era, designer or particular look. I’m more interested in the unusual, eccentric and unexpected, and in the connections between pieces that might not seem to belong together. I spend a lot of time examining garments and researching where they came from. Looking once tells you something. Going back, again and again, tells you more.
That same habit of paying attention runs through my weaving. I build sculptural pieces through repetition, making small decisions that gradually become a larger form. It’s slow work, and that’s part of the appeal. What I notice in a garment can change how I think about a material, and working with that material can change what I notice the next time I look. My research gives me somewhere to start, but making is how I test an idea.
I’ve worked with artists, designers and brands on textile development, material experiments and the work of getting something made. Depending on the project, that’s included developing ideas, researching production, sourcing materials, pattern making and cutting, assembly, and organising what happens after production. I enjoy the point where an idea meets the realities of making it: the materials, the budget, the supply chain. The aim is to help the work become itself, rather than make every project look like mine.
I’m now based in Vancouver, after five years in Berlin. I have a BFA in fibers from the Savannah College of Art and Design and an MSc in Textile and Clothing Management from Hochschule Niederrhein in Germany. These days, my work brings together teaching, designing, weaving, collecting and advising. I like having a practice where looking closely and getting my hands involved are both part of the job.
Got a project in mind? Write to me at info@ittookyears.com. Fair warning: no generalized project management inquiries. Life is far too short.