Shorts (Book of Denim #1)
The Collector: Ali ‘A Noble Savage’
Mar
Text: Oliver Stallwood | Photography: Tribble & Mancenido
As rare as the exquisite antique items of his Brooklyn loft, Ali, author of blog A Nobel Savage, keeps his surname as private as his personal life; the images of the installations he posts are his personal testimonies. Book Of Denim looked him up.
DENIM
Jeans are the most important piece of clothing ever made. I treat all my clothes like pairs of old jeans, patching them up; I have a pair of jeans that are trashed but they are beautiful to me, every oil spill and every line is like a roadmap, or an old person whose wrinkles and scars tell you something about their past.
COLLECTING
My mother taught me manners and etiquette, and my father attention to detail and conflict resolution. I treat objects like they are human. One picture I’ve taken is called The Perfect Couple. It is two chairs side by side. You can see the relationship between the two chairs – they are like lovers.
When I collect I’m in a childlike state, because I do something I love driven by passion. I find objects that are dead and I want to give them a second life. It doesn’t make me feel special to possess them, the challenge is how I will bring them back to life.