[E012] Mental Care EBiT™ Label

The story behind the label...

EBiT™ is committed to artistic freedom in creative expression - that's the spirit of Factory Records, and we explicitly reference that for those of curious mind. We began to develop the first physical EBiT™ garments out of Brookyn, NY, to create phygital twins for virtual products featured in the XR experience Yellow Trip Road [E022] - co-Creative Directed by Soo Joo Park. Physical garments need physical labels. We arrived to design the labels for the garments.

M/M (Paris) had created a tool box of visual identity for EBiT™, with the E, the EBiT logo, a 3D modular EBiT logo, and even an EBiT alphabet that lives within the M/M kaleidoscopic world.

Dominic Laurelli, incredible multi-faceted designer, long time EBiT™ collaborator, quite brilliant human being who also happens to live with bipolar disorder, started to pull together the graphic options etc for the label.

We deliberated on which logo - the 'E' or the 'EBiT' - to use for the label, always thinking of a simple label maybe 6-7cm in size, positioned inside by the neck, like most brands do. We could not decide whether to use just the E or the full EBiT acronym so we said let's trial using both the 'E' and the 'EBiT' together on the label somehow. We tried side by side, under, over, different ways.

We felt it starting to look good going down vertically, because we added MADE IN ITALY as since day one we committed to making 100% of EBiT 100% Made in Italy, always. We wanted this MADE IN ITALY on the actual brand label, like a statement, a commitment, not just the legally required care labels inside the garment. It started in this way. An experiment, trials. The label starting to become longer vertically...

We got obsessed with labels. With many fashion brands there is so much consideration put into the actual brand label. But then the actual garment also has these quite ugly (often quite ridiculous bunch of) legally obliged care and washing and country of origin labels that most brands don't consider from an aesthetic or functional point of view, and therefore people cut out of the garment. We saw irony in this. We started to play around with this.

Scissors. We liked this idea of scissors and interaction. Customization. Personality. This was the gist.

We started to play with references around mental health, around ecstasy culture, with this idea of making an interactive label that the enjoyer is forced to engage with - encouraged to make a decision about. Like, could you cut out 'MADE IN ITALY' and encourage it as a little like craft type badge the person could wear with a pin? We explored even making the E's inside the label as actual acid tabs (oops), because we started selling the first physical products in the streets for cash. Of course we didn't actually do it, did we?

We then gave Dominic - whose experience includes working high level with the likes of Lee (Alexander) McQueen personally, Sarah Burton, and Thom Browne - full license to do whatever the fuck he wanted. Like, if ever he wanted to try something inside a brand but he would have been stopped by the merchandiser, or the CFO, or whoever for it being too wild or impractical or costly - do exactly that.

He said he'd always dreamt of doing a mad 2 meter long label, all the way down to below your feet, that kind of floated and followed you around. We couldn't find any factory in Italy to make a label that long. The maximum length we could find to produce was 66cm.

So, that's what we did. We made these EBiT™ labels, 66cm, full of deep deep references that those for the curious of mind could research. The original colors were a tone of orange/yellow, inspired by Ben Kelly's Haçienda.

We always dreamt of creating this delicate label, of pastel colors, inspired by the palette of the Haçienda. Like, little collectors items, that morph with slightly different easter egg surprises in the design, in the research, or in the colors, over time, over projects and seasons, and people would enjoy to collect them maybe. Just like Pods, Kickers and Pepe Jeans keyrings back in the 80s. Or at least maybe enjoy the thought and consideration into the reference points. We were just doing what we felt we would like to see and feel and explore.

The cut out octagon shape evolved from a collaborative discussion with John Skelton, Mattia Donadi and Simon Whitehouse. This idea of functionality. This concept of reflecting one's emotions - like, do you feel cut off that day? Just feel like flashing your true feelings to the outside world? Or feel completely open and transparent, and could wear the long label visible (outside of the cut out octagon shape).

The hole initially was round, which became geometric then octagon, conceived by Simon in anticipation of meeting John. This gut instinct type feeling (the belly button round hole) and their mutual love for football/soccer, the geometric black & white hexagon/octagon panels that stitch together to make an old school leather football.

The octagon symbolizes a variety of concepts, including rebirth, resurrection, and eternal life in Christianity, as well as good fortune and protection in Chinese culture and Feng Shui. It can also represent a balance between the divine and the earthly, the union of the circle and the square, and completion or cosmic balance. In Buddhism, it can symbolize the bodhimanda platform used for spiritual practice, representing completion.

We felt this idea of transition - enjoy being in transition - this in/out functionality. Encapsulating the spirit of EBiT™ - this experimental, transitory type space. Something that makes you a little nervous, but once you embrace, let go, release into it, you enjoy. We'd also never seen anything like it, in over 80 years of combined global fashion experience.

Religious and spiritual symbolism

Christianity: In early Christianity, octagonal baptisteries symbolized resurrection and new life in Christ. The octagon also represents the eight beatitudes and the promise of eternal life on the eighth day, the day of resurrection.

Buddhism: The shape is used in the design of the bodhimanda platform, representing intentional spatial arrangement for spiritual practice and signifying completion.

Taoism: It can symbolize the eight immortals.

Islam: The octagonal shape of the Dome of the Rock represents a transitional form between the circle (heaven) and the square (earth).

Hebrew: The number eight is associated with the Lord.

Cultural and philosophical symbolism

Chinese culture: It is associated with warding off evil and bringing good health and fortune.

Feng Shui: The octagonal shape is used for good luck, good fortune, health, and rebirth. The Western Bagua map is also octagonal.

Medieval Europe: The number eight symbolized cosmic balance and eternal life.

Sacred Geometry: The octagon is seen as the product of a square (earth) and a circle (heaven), representing the balance and union of these two realms. It can symbolize the human attempt to reconcile spiritual and material existence.

Other symbolism

Infinity: The octagon can be viewed as an infinite form, a circle trying to become a square and a square trying to become a circle.

Renewal and transition: The octagon can symbolize renewal, rebirth, regeneration, and transition.

We updated the color to a softer baby blue in collaboration with John for the project [E150] 'I Love You', and have used the baby blue and same design since.. The sky blue again, from the palette of the Haçienda.

We create and produce all EBiT™ products in Italy, in the very best factories. We focus on quality and execution. Precision. But, with intentional details as raw edges - symbolizing both the strength and the frailties of our inner most emotions - which play off the precision of the octagon execution.

The functionality of the label can also be explored, to bring different dimensions to the garment or your feeling that day. Multiple ways of styling can be enjoyed. Enjoy.

Just the flash of the blue label through the octagon.

Wrapped around the neckline in/out of the octagon, bringing new dimension and texture to the proportions of the overall garment.

The label cut off completely, leaving the hole of the octagon to display your skin, your tattoo, your undergarment.

Pulled through the octagon and left flowing externally.

In. Out. Cut-out. Your freedom of choice and expression.

The label itself is made of organic cotton, with water print design and graphics, and then sealed with a very fine recycled PU coating. We recommend to iron the label only on the cotton side. It's designed to degrade over time. After multiple washing and natural wear & tear the label will begin to fray, and will begin to become ever softer to the touch and hand-feel, giving a truly aged and worn in type of feel and vibe. Symbolic of the trauma we all go through during the various stages of our lives.

The coating, eventually and again after many washes and wear & tear, will begin to separate from the cotton, giving a duality to it's form. Once this happens (and that takes a long time), then the water print from the cotton will begin to fade and naturally disperse.

Eventually, potentially after several years, you are left with the pure fabric/material, which can be recycled or upcycled, or a little collectors item.

The label obviously contains the EBiT™ visual identity by M/M (Paris). This branded identity book-ends and intertwines with different sections containing references and symbolism around mental health. ecstasy culture, morality and capitalism. It's a deep cocktail.

Allow us to break it down for you, if you are curious of mind. We imagine you holding the label in your hands, and reading these background stories...

The starting point is the EBiT brand identity by M/M (Paris).

An exploration in itself into transition, anxiety, release, stability with movement. Hard, but soft. An ode to that time, while progressed for today and tomorrow.

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The three circular symbols (on the current baby blue labels):

1: I LOVE YOU is a photocopy of an ecstasy tablet from the 1980s. The Non-Toxic is a subliminal reference to elements of the toxicity in the fashion industry. It's also an acknowledgement and highlighting of the importance of natural fibres, versus more toxic synthetic fibres (read more on this in the ethics sections of our website).

2: The E of EBiT is another element of the brand identity, but this time encapsulated into a circle to play with the other circular pill references. E could be Enjoy. E could also be Ecstasy. The Algorithm Free references independent spirit - creating a new path, away from predictability, escaping from the confinement of the algorithmic cage we find ourselves trapped in every day.

3: The Love Heart is a photocopy of an ecstasy tablet from the 1980s. The Anti-Stigma is a clear call for the normalization of conversation and vocabulary around the spectrum of mental health conditions. Love, compassion, empathy being the requirements to allow the sensitive space of solidarity for these necessary and normal conversations.

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It's important to note: we don’t condone drug use or abuse - this is not our message. The references to ecstasy culture are symbolic - a postmodern reference to a tribal moment in time. A time in the 1980s/90s when groups of people, sick and bored of the hatred and polarization happening in their regular society, came off the regular beat. While society was in chaos, while violence, confusion and polarization were reaping havoc in everyday lives, a tribe of people came off the normal rhythm, escaped, found each other in a different beat - dance, house, etc. Loved each other. Fueled by ecstasy yes but bound by shared values - “are you safe, are you enjoying, are you OK, I love you”.

It didn’t matter if you were straight, trans, black, white, gay, or anything or everything or nothing in between - it was not even a consideration for a second. The only thing that mattered was a mutual care and love for each other’s safety, well-being, and enjoyment. And the music. Always the music. The people who lived through that scene have those values baked into their very core and will have forever.

The ‘E’ of EBiT is a postmodern reference to the SPIRIT and the SOUL of that time, not a literal one. Ecstasy. Enjoy. The ‘E’ today symbolizing Enjoy Being - well-being. And Transition - this flux state of breakdown / breakthrough, this burden of anxiety which our generation is feeling and living. Our individual and collective mental health, so unstable. In a way that there was a need to create a different tribal spirit to escape the violence and polarization in society back then, there feels an urgent need today for a similar kind of escapism.

To move away from extreme capitalism, away from the algorithm of toxicity on social media, to be gentler with ourselves, to heal, to rise our compassion and sensitivity against and away from the tide of polarization, hatred, division, and obsession/greed for profit margin at all costs. Maybe this makes sense to you, talks to you, maybe it doesn't. It's all good. In the words of Tony WIlson, said with the utmost respect and placidity: "everyone is more than welcome to come and go and fuck off as they feel".

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MADE IN ITALY - is self-explanatory. This is important to us. Having seen firsthand the manipulation of supply chains for the profit of the few at the top, at the expense of the many at the bottom, EBiT™ is committed to a humanised collaborative approach to production with strong partnerships with the very best factories and highest possible production in Italy. 100% Made in Italy, always.

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When we came to complete the design of the label we were back / forth over time, and sometimes ran out of time, so we inserted the 'lorem ipsum' text as a placeholder until we could come back to it. Then we actually researched what 'lorem ipsum' means.

Lorem ipsum is placeholder text used in graphic design, publishing, and web development to show the visual form of a document or layout without being distracted by meaningful content. It is a corrupted version of a classical Latin text by the Roman philosopher Cicero, with words altered to be nonsensical, allowing designers to focus on the design and typography.

Meaning: The original Lorem ipsum text is intentionally jumbled and has no intelligible meaning, though the first words, "dolorem ipsum," roughly translate to "pain itself".

Origin: It is derived from sections of a 1st-century BC text by Cicero called De finibus bonorum et malorum ("On the Ends of Good and Evil")."On the Ends of Good and Evil" is an argumentative scripture, almost a laid out debate, written in 45BC by Marcus Tullius Cicero, which explores themes of morality - of good and evil. The walking of the moral path. It explores themes of hedonism, and of what true good and virtue even means.

We became obsessed with this, in the current terms of extreme capitalism and how everyday we all have a choice to make over the moral and ethical path we choose to walk.

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The next section of the label is a continued form of the 3D modular EBiT™ logo created by M/M (Paris).

The way the label is worn, it reads down vertically from the top, and this section of 3D modular visual identity acts as a bridge in different diagonal directions for when one holds the label up - upside-down - to read the bottom section. Enjoy Being in Transition.

It also allows us to play with inserting the labels upside (with the 'E' end stitched into the back neck) which sometimes we playfully do. Maybe 1 in every 50 has a label like this. We enjoy to play around in this way. We used to watch Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory when we were growing up, and this kind of stuff makes us think about finding the golden ticket.

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The next half of the label begins with text from a song "Yada Yada" by Dory Previn.

Similarly to our use of 'lorem ipsum', we put yada yada as a placeholder on the label - just to fill space while we were putting the whole thing together. But then we researched the origins of the expression: 'yada yada'. We found the earliest use of the term 'yada yada' in a song by a song writer from the 1950s/60s named Dory Previin. Then we researched Dory Previn, and discovered that she was this quite brilliant but oft tortured, misaligned character, who wrote songs for the 'Rat-pack', Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jnr, et al.

The section of Dory Previn's lyrics that we included onto the EBiT label is:

yada yada yada yada yada

let's stop talking talking talking

wasting precious time.......

just a lot of empty noise

that isn't worth a dime.......

Some of Previn's lyrics included references to rough sex, suicide, home-wrecking lemon-haired ladies and matricide. Previn herself openly discussed her mental health struggles, including a diagnosis of schizophrenia after a nervous breakdown in 1965. She in fact was hospitalized for two mental breakdowns, recovering each time to continue to write music. She wrote candidly about her experiences with mental illness in her songs, autobiographies, and public appearances, often questioning the diagnosis itself and finding a way to integrate her "voices" rather than being silenced by them. This approach was a precursor to the modern neuro-diversity movement.

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What follows in the subsequent section of the label is the phrase ENJOY BEING IN TRANSITION created in the modular visual identity by M/M (Paris), decoded from an entire alphabet created by M/M (Paris) for EBiT in the project [E001].

The phrase ENJOY BEING IN TRANSITION is a subversion of the financial acronym 'Earnings Before Interest & Tax' (EBIT or EBITDA) which is essentially an acronym which means profit or profit margin. Whereas, ENJOY BEING IN TRANSITION provides us with a kind of manifesto, an emotional encouragement to question how extreme capitalism has affected our mental health.

It's an interception of vocabulary and acronyms on a generational level, to encourage critical thinking and curiosity of mind. Initially, we were going to leave EBIT as an ambiguous acronym, could be meaning :

EveryBody is Tired - or - Each Brand is Trying...

Then, Enjoy Being in Transition came into our mind.

Our OCD could not let it go.

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The final section before the 'E' logo from the M/M (Paris) visual identity, is Stephen's poem:

he just lay there

all he did was stare

his eyes were blue

as the ocean

he had no notion

I was there

all he did was stare.

The above poem was written on 12th August, 2006, by Stephen Paul Whitehouse - referenced in EBiT cataloguing system as [E000] - the inception, the conception.

Stephen Paul Whitehouse was a fit, strong, intelligent, overall healthy young man, who experienced trauma in 1993 when his parents and family split up in a violent and abrupt way. He was 20 years old at the time, with the world at his feet. The trauma made him suffer a severe mental breakdown, over a period of 6 months, which ended in psychosis and being sectioned in a mental hospital. He stayed in hospitals and care homes for 2-3 years, and has since lived alone for the rest of his life with a form of mild schizophrenia. This has restricted him from any real quality of life, in terms of relationships, working, etc.

His interactions with his family are very brief and fleeting, maybe only once or twice per year, and often barely one or two sentences.

Today, Stephen generally stays at home, alone, eating microwave meals watching his tv with both himself and his tv on the floor. He sellotapes his curtains to his window frames because he thinks his neighbors spy on him.

A haunting example of the impact of trauma on our mental health.

Stephen is the older and only brother of EBiT founder Simon Whitehouse.

On August 12th August 2006 their father died suddenly after a 3 month battle with cancer of the brain. On that day, when he learnt of the passing of their father, Stephen texted the above poem to his little brother Simon, and it describes Stephen's last memory of their father after visiting him together just a few days earlier.

The sheer force of will power for Stephen, to be trapped inside a psychological cage of schizophrenia for almost 15 years then triggered by the emotional trauma of their father's death to provoke this poem of artistic expression. That's real life.

he just lay there

all he did was stare

his eyes were blue

as the ocean

he had no notion

I was there

all he did was stare.

Imagine the talent, the solutions, the creativity, the genius, that is locked away, trapped by society's attitudes towards the spectrum of mental health conditions?

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