Rubber Time Journal is a magazine promoting a slower pace of life

The creation of two Central Saint Martins grads, the publication is designed to be an antidote to the fast-paced nature of the fashion industry.

Date
22 September 2020

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Pie Sutithon and Deborah Wangsaputri met while they were studying on their Fashion Communication and Promotion course at Central Saint Martins. The pair would go for long walks and meals out, often sharing “funny stories” about their previous lives in Southeast Asia (Pie is Thai, while Deborah is from Indonesia). “Deborah started mentioning this term ‘Jam Karet’, which translates into ‘Rubber Time’,” says Pie. “We both got attracted to this word right away.”

The term is mostly used to describe someone not being on time and generally has a negative connotation. “However, we wanted to turn it into something positive instead,” Pie says. “The way we see Rubber Time is that time can be moulded and stretched, which allows us to stay creative and flexible!”

The result is Rubber Time Journal, a magazine the duo has created “to promote the art of waiting and a balanced approach to work, leisure and rest in our day-to-day lives, as workers, as consumers, and as people”. This first issue explores and celebrates good design, humour and wellness, and is divided up into three sections – work, leisure and rest (which gives you a good indication of how Pie and Deborah think about healthy work-life balance).

The pandemic and subsequent global lockdown disrupted the project, but ultimately threw many of the themes Pie and Deborah were exploring into stark relief. After all, who among us hasn’t felt that time is elastic and stretchable at some point in 2020? “We started seeing how people took a step back and focused on what they really cared about,” says Pie. “We looked into the bright side of this and realised that this was a perfect opportunity for us to really take our time with things and do them in a different way.”

Each and every one of the shoots in the journal is shot on film, and the pages are handprinted by Pie and Deborah. “The fun part of this project is spending our days in the darkroom learning how to handprint our images and experiment with colours,” says Deborah. “What’s so great about film photography and hand printing is that it’s somewhat like a Kinder Surprise – you never know what you’ll get!”

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Pie Sutithon and Deborah Wangsaputri: Rubber Time Journal (Copyright © Rubber Time Journal, 2020)

The duo sees this return to slower and more handmade techniques as a direct challenge to the normal way the industry that they studied operates. “Sometimes we know that the pace of the fashion industry can be quite fast and challenging,” Deborah continues. “We genuinely want to create something that is timeless to keep and allows people to take a step back and enjoy the simple things in life at their own pace.”

Look through the magazine and you’ll find in-depth profile pieces – based on interviews with the likes of photographer Jamie Hawkesworth and restaurateur Fergus Henderson – as well as still-life product shoots, fashion spreads, and food photography. It’s an eclectic mix, but all brought together thanks to that overarching theme of “Rubber Time”.

Pie and Deborah have now graduated into a tough economic climate. What are their plans for the future? “We are in the process of printing copies of the journal, since we both love the physical feeling of print and being able to keep an item for a long time,” says Deborah, who notes that the magazine will be available to purchase soon. “Also,” she adds, “Rubber Time can come in any other formats, so stay tuned!”

GalleryPie Sutithon and Deborah Wangsaputri: Rubber Time Journal (Copyright © Rubber Time Journal, 2020)

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Pie Sutithon and Deborah Wangsaputri: Rubber Time Journal (Copyright © Rubber Time Journal, 2020)

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About the Author

Matt Alagiah

Matt joined It’s Nice That as editor in October 2018 and became editor-in-chief in September 2020. He was previously executive editor at Monocle magazine. Drop him a line with ideas and suggestions, or simply to say hello.

ma@itsnicethat.com

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