Film in Focus: Cellusion

Two years on, we met with Designer Mona Cordes to find out more about her new venture of storytelling through film and honouring our ecosystem

London-based German Designer Mona Cordes first graced our screens with her captivatingly kooky looks in November 2020. Her MA collection, Selshamour ~ Hide + Seam, traversed Scandinavian mythical tales, calling on observers to contemplate nature’s practical and spiritual offerings.

In the meantime, Cordes has been working as a freelance seamstress, pattern maker, and print and screen-printer. More recently, she has been exploring film as a medium to add depth to her creative storytelling process. Her first attempt at merging the two is showcased in her latest project, Cellusion (2022), a sustainable collection accompanied by a fashion film, which encourages observers to honour the importance of microorganisms and bacteria in the Earth’s ecosystem.

Shot in Canning Town, Cellusion, showcases eighteen complete character looks modelled on microorganisms and bacteria such as sea lilies, plankton and coral. Dancers flood the underpass and flow in synchronicity, accentuating the beauty and intricacies of nature.

Œ: We last spoke in 2020, which was a turbulent year, to say the least. How did you manage to navigate the rest of the pandemic? 

Cordes: The pandemic was a bit of a nightmare for me. I graduated with my Master’s in the Autumn of 2020 with no showcase and entered the job market with very few opportunities. I’d planned to go travelling, but of course, this wasn’t an option either.

So I found it very challenging until SET came into my life. They offered me a year-long sponsorship and a free studio space. I managed to get my energy back and crafted two full collections, which I presented at London Fashion Week in February 2022. These were on the physical schedule, accompanied by a dance performance. As a designer, this was a great achievement for me!



Œ: Back in 2020, you were preparing to launch your online shop, which is now up and running. Congratulations! What challenges and rewards have you encountered along the way?  

Cordes: Recently, I’ve been working on the website and uploaded lots of new products, mainly made-to-order custom pieces. For the moment, I’m super happy with my website, but it’s been a wild ride! Running a business and branding yourself alone is a lot of work. I haven’t expanded my team, but I did hire two interns to help me with the Cellusion collection.

I’m always learning new things, whether screen printing on larger scales, doing meterage or product imaginary work using Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator. I’ve been trying to focus on ensuring the best quality and challenging myself to be better at running my socials, but my primary focus is still to become more sustainable.

Œ: Cellusion comprises 18 full-character looks. Could you tell us more about this?

Cordes: Each of the 18 looks I crafted has an individual story. I had a whole character basis and system map drawn out. This collection informs us about bacteria and microorganisms – how they rule the planet and their importance in our ecosystem.

Without bacteria, the world would not exist as it is today. The networks are so strong, and different bacteria enable plants, animals and humans to breathe, grow and produce. The cycle goes on. The film showcases the collection I presented at London Fashion Week. Every look has one to two sister looks. 



Œ: Regarding the “sister looks”, is there scientific reasoning behind these pairings? 

Cordes: Yes, everything is connected! For example, Chloroflexi is related to starfish and, therefore, paired with seabed lilies. It resides in waters, lakes, rivers, hot springs and sulphur baths. Chloroflexi eats Plankton, which is why I paired it with Roseobacteria. It also resides in water, often in polar regions, as a free-living individual with a community structure. It eats plastic and, therefore, sustains the planet’s ecosystem.

Cyanobacteria is also good for the ecosystem. It lives on algae and is attached to coral but is toxic to humans. It lives through photosynthesis, and there it has this power play with coral, which steals its oxygen. Coral is the oldest organism on our planet and is a healthy part of the ecosystem. It also can become one with Saroma. 

Œ: What made you want to incorporate film and dance into this fashion project?

Cordes: Still images only show one aspect of the looks and less of the story behind them. It was important for film and movement to be incorporated into this collection to portray what the looks are about. I wanted to show how social the bacteria are and how they intermingle with one another. I believe dancers can tell much more of a story than models. I like to dance myself and this expression is full of energy and passion.

I love the medium of film because you can take your time planning it out well. I’ve been getting more involved in producing and directing films and shoots. I would love to expand my freelance network in this field so I can continue this work. That being said, there are many elements to consider from the cast to choreography and music. I couldn’t just focus on my outfits.



Œ: Shooting in such a densely populated city as London poses difficulties. What made you choose Canning Town?

Cordes: I found the location about two years ago whilst viewing flats in the area. I knew instantly that I wanted to use this spot for some creative outlet of mine. I was initially concerned since we didn’t get a permit in advance, but we just went with it. We shot in the middle of the week when most people were working, so we managed to shoot without interruptions. We didn’t make a fuss – there wasn’t any extra lighting, and only a few dancers were on camera at a time. Fortunately, everything went smoothly.

Œ: How does Cellusion differ from your previous collections?

Cordes: All of my collections are rich in storytelling. What sets this collection apart from others is the sustainability aspect. With my collection, Vival Virtuez, I used only recycled digital print fabrics, but this collection is much more versatile.

As mentioned, I have worked with very sustainable materials. Everything was second-hand apart from the chain trimmings, which were sourced from a hardware store. This collection also has the most looks. The research stage took very long, probably the longest after my BA collection.



Œ: Thinking back to the Selshamour ~ Hide + Seam collection you featured with us in 2020. If you could go back in time, what would you do differently?

Cordes: Back when we published my MA with Œ, I had just begun thinking about sustainable fabrication properly. Since I had a sponsorship with Swatch On, I couldn’t do a ‘fully sustainable range of looks’. They only had some recycled or GOTS-certified fabrics. Of course, at the time, it was more sustainable for me to use the amount I was given than go with another expensive fabric supplier.

Œ: Do you have any exciting projects in the pipeline?

Cordes: I have some very adventurous trips planned for October, so hopefully, that’s when I will gather some new inspiration to start working on my next collection. I’m not in any rush as I don’t follow seasons – I only do one collection per year since it absorbs all my time and money.

Apart from that, I’m doing various smaller collaborations with artists like Harry Whitelock. This collaboration will take place in February 2023 and I am very stoked to see it all come together. This will be a bigger project, but I don’t want to spoil the surprise… Just yet!