#domran

Day 29: Domran

Feast your eyes on these edible plants and produce.  This is an organic garden which Miss Franzi Fielder has been familiar with since 10 years of age, and it is clear she incites the importance of urban farm practice; no matter what scale.  Her creative streak is embraced in not only growing and preparing food, but in crafting eco-friendly streetwear - her brand ‘doM RAn’ - clothes : art : accessories; assisting WesternTrash Berlin (http://www.westerntrash.com/en/ ) and interning with Hermione Flynn Design (http://www.hermioneflynn.com/#!Copy of HOME/cd78).

‘Functionality in a fashionable wrapping.

doM RAn is a brand that breaks free from the system. It wants to aim to expose the creative and open-minded nature in the hearts and souls of every individual willing to release it;

to allow them to become just that; independent, aware, responsible and willing to improve their world.

Based on the idea of the anti capitalistic economy, a phenomena that is seen on the streets, markets, the internet, even a shop in Berlin...

doM RAn encourages the public to explore current art and design trends by prominently featuring the work of underground artists, photographers and illustrators on the labels clothing and accessories’ https://www.facebook.com/pages/doM-RAn-eco-streetwear/253334108016061

How did you get into growing your own food? Having a garden since 10 years of age gave me an awareness of the type of produce and plants that can be grown i.e. we would grow raspberries, certain types of vegetables etc.  I’d also enjoy mushroom hunting in the forest as a kid which was a few hours drive out of Berlin.  Whilst living in Australia for some time however, I discovered the benefits of urban farming especially since everything grows so well there. Permaculture was another concept that popped on my radar and after moving back to Berlin, Germany with the help of friends and family giving me a watering can, gardening books and tips etc, I soon became motivated to tend to this interest.

What then interested you in creating garments and essentially eco-streetwear or up-cycling? Back when I was a kid, I always had an attachment to the clothes I wore and loved. We never had much when I was younger and I remember at one point, my Grandparents (still functioning under the GDR regime), giving me their collections of buttons, zips/materials etc.  Liking garments and accessories so much, and also having the ability to create artwork out of natural materials, got me thinking more about ‘up-cycling’ - making something exclusive out of old stuff. See Western Trash Berlin website: http://www.westerntrash.com/en/

How would you describe your relationship with food? OR what three words best describe your relationship with food? obsessive / important / love variety.  I also couldn’t be allergic to anything.  

What does 'agreeable grub' mean to you? or what do you consider 'agreeable grub'? I guess I’m the exception to following a standard belief about food as ‘agreeable grub’ is whatever my taste-buds agree with.  I therefore have high expectations when it comes to taste and will experiment with flavour a lot.  

Has there ever been a period in your life where you considered your intake and choice of food to be an issue?  Always.  Due to over indulging in coffee and ciggies as a teen I didn’t have much of an appetite for good food.  During my first stint in NZ as an exchange student, getting the munchies too often led to me gaining 10 kg in weight.  With work and travel however, (second time round in NZ) I stayed super slim due to working stressful 50 hour weeks, even though I ate heaps in the evenings.  These long hours meant not having the time to focus on eating the right food, but when I did cook I was good at using cheap, creative ingredients.  It can be so stress-related thinking about the right food to eat, and all my life I’ve had episodes where my appetite has fluctuated.

Are there any disciplinary actions you take to avoid eating pleasurable but unhealthful food? Tasting can stimulate your appetite and with the help of ‘Neuro-Linguistic Programming’ (NLP), I have been able to train my mind in order to make myself responsible &/or aware of my actions.  The work, or craft I do however is hand-related, so I also can’t use my hands to eat as much.   

Do you always/sometimes/occasionally agree with the food you consume or is its purpose just to feed your appetite? Most of the time I agree - food ingredient wise that is.

Are there any foods that simply don’t agree with you?  White bread and New York cheese cake; but not German cheesecake strangely enough...

Do you have to eat in a certain pattern i.e. always three meals a day or at a certain time of day? No I don’t care for this as much.  Often though, I will not have breakfast.  If I do, it is usually a fruit smoothie.  

Lastly, if you were not working in the fashion industry (or for the eco-designer glassware & lighting company) what would you do? Bio Farm in Brandenburg, Germany.