Three by Three: Guest Artists in Focus

QUESTION 2.    Chainmail for fashion changes how the body interacts with the work. What did designing for movement and wearability teach you that static objects never could?

• ANSWER 2.    Chainmail is, simply put, a fabric. The word itself, maille, is an old term meaning "mesh". It is inherently structural in its composition, mathematical in its execution. And it is also beautiful in its patterning. Many people say that you have to suffer for fashion, but I've never believed this. Every piece I make has to be beautiful, but it also has to be comfortable. It needs to move with the body and feel like a part of the wearer. But people move, each in their own unique way. They have feelings, both physical and emotional. So all my pieces must demonstrate balance, both visually and in the way they move, or they will not be attractive. And while they may not be based on armour, there is the undeniable historical connection. It is my hope and intention that the wearer feels a comfort while wearing my pieces. We are all beautiful, and in this age of perfectionism, it is an act of defiance to claim one's beauty for their own. Be defiant. Be daring. And be yourself.

Mead Simon
Chainmail Fashion Designer

MEDIUM:    jump rings and scales of various materials

BIO:  I currently divide my time between Quebec City and Montreal in Quebec, Canada. For nearly 40 years I have pushed the boundaries of my medium, never content to recreate what has been done in the past, always looking towards the future. My work also encompasses my passion of unity through diversity, highlighting how every ring or scale is essentially the same, but only by working together in a pattern can they create the beauty of the work. Similarly, every person is essentially the same, but unique in their own way. And only by coming together can we create a society sustainable for the future. Every artist spends their time giving a message to the world, and it is important that they know what that message is. Mine is unity. And beauty. I believe every individual is beautiful, and my job, as a fashion designer, is to help others see it, too.

WEBSITE:    MeadSimon

QUESTION 3.   After decades of expanding what chainmail can be, what still excites you about sitting down with rings and tools today—and what questions are you still trying to answer through the medium?

• ANSWER 3.   The journey of a thousand miles, we are told, begins with a single step. But we often forget that it continues with a single step, too. Over and over, one at a time. Every one of my pieces begins with a single link, and is made with thousands of them, one at a time. I have no illusions of eternity, time erases all things. But if I can help us move forward a single step, carry forward this ever-advancing medium even a fraction of a step, then I know I will have done something worthwhile. And if I can help others feel better about themselves, then it is all worth it. What excites me today is exactly what excited me when I first began this journey: What else can I do to contribute?

QUESTION 1.    You entered chainmail when it was still largely confined to armor and historical replicas. What first made you see the medium as something capable of fashion, fluidity, and personal expression?

• ANSWER 1.    My interest has always been in the arts, whether story-telling or painting, sculpture or fashion. My mother was an artist and explored many media when I was a young child, before she settled on painting. Following her path, I tried many different art-forms, but when someone introduced me to chainmail, something just clicked, probably due to the mathematical structure of it. So, unlike most other chain artists, I never saw it from the historical side of things. I came to it already wanting to bring beauty into the world. Seeing other designers like Paco Rabanne or Bob Mackie, and what they did with chain, gave me a glimpse of what was possible. From there, I wanted to see how far I could take it, limiting myself to working only with circles for decades. Eventually I added scales to my material list, and have carried on from there.

Angel of Fire and Snow - designed in collaboration with indigenous designer, Cheryl Fennell. Photograph by Ryan Walter Wagner. Anodized aluminium scales and rings. 2024.

All copyright and reproduction rights are reserved by Mead Simon.
Artwork may not be reproduced in any form without the artist's express written permission.

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Haida Dress - designed in collaboration with indigenous designer, Yolonda Skelton. Anodized aluminium rings, with leather and fur. 2024.

Vest - Anodized aluminium, two-size scale vest. Model - Shoghi Simon. 2025