Emma Lundgren! Amazing colors from Sweden!

She is from Sweden, but you would never say it when you see her sunny, colorful and really avangard designs. I'm totally in love with her knitting techniques and silhouettes. Emma Lundgren gave me an interview specially for Ekstrakt Laboratory, but some off topic questions i left specially for my blog. Here you can read her answers in English as well as some sketchbook pages we didn't publish on Ekstrakt.me

V.: Your geo-biography and everything that influenced you when u were a kid and while growing up.

E.: I am originally hailing from Sweden, as a child I was very much a tomboy playing football and played with the boys in the forest, but a big difference came however, when I grew out of my tomboy teenager style, and I began accessorising with my mum's old clothes. My mum saved her clothes, and her mother's clothes, over the years in a room in our house in Sweden. It was always such a treat to go into that room. The history, the material, the luxury and the function of the clothes my mum saved fascinated me. They ranged from masquerade attire to everyday gear. Combine the tomboy childhood look with my mum’s wardrobe is a pretty good description of my work aesthetic.

V.: Why and when did you set your self with designing clothes? And who do you design it for?
E.: As a kid I spent a lot of time with my grandparents in the countryside, they taught me knit, embroidery, and crochet to keep me pacified. I was always building things on a daily schedule so the creative part has always been big part of me. It took me a few years to realize that I could get a degree in Design. I started off by studying and working with graphic design in Sweden, but during that time I figured out that my real love was in the textile design. That led me to London-Central Saint Martins & Royal College of Art where I started to create wearable pieces of my textile designs. I wanted to create witty wearable pieces for those with a love for uniqueness, innocence and the unconventional with a desire to express themselves, such as Bjork or Robyn.

V.: The way you use knitting technics, as well as embroidery and crochet is very impressive, but how do you come to it? do you do samples of different types and then merge them together, or does it come to you as a complete image of how the look should be done? Do you have a sketchbook or anything like that?

E.: The patterns I’m creating with the different techniques are always hand drawn by me. I usually do a lot of tests with different material and techniques and later puzzle them together into a bigger piece, or I pick one technique that tells the aesthetic I am aiming for. I most of the time let the material and technique speak their own language together with my own view in mind and on paper. 

V.: How do you see your life path in future? I know, you've been studying a lot, and already have an experience in fashion business world, when you were on your internship. Are you planning to establish your own business (if you have not done it already)?
E.: I have started off in a small scale with my own company for when I create one off pieces for different occasions or doing lectures on various occasions discussing and presenting my Scandinavian style. My goal and dream is to have my own concept company that takes on diverse projects and collaborations with other designers and companies. I have learned that I need to work in a number of design mediums to satisfy my passion for print, colour and material design. In a fantasy world people and companies would contact me for my aesthetic that would be applied on their products or garments. 

V.: What do you think is expected from the upcoming designers? And what do you pursue or follow when you design clothes?

E.: Passion, energy and some capital, to fund the collection and survive. I follow my instincts and passion to push myself and my design in the directions I believe in. My collections always have an underlying message to raise awareness of a subject that need a bit of attention, such as the Folklore dress or Sami people. The challenge this time is to create a collection without the college great facilities and with a tight budget. Exciting!

V.: What would your message to the world sound like? 
E.: Smile!

V.: From serious matters, to smth. a bit more fun and personal: What is a "must have" for a boy and a girl ?
E.: A pair of shoes with some good details in material and colours, it is the key piece off an outfit.

V.: What inspires you in this 3 categories: art, music, design.
E.: Art: The shapes and colours that are created in a diverse media of material and constructions.
Music: The power and dream-fulness
Design: Typography

V.: Give us the best link that you have come up in internet in the last 1-2 months :)

E.: www.profoundmagazine.com prima picked images.

V.:A question from another designer - What was your first challenge in your career - study etc. and how did you overcome it. (it could be a brief you were given in the University or a dress you had to design for smb. special to you... etc)
E.: My first brief at Central Saint Martins was a challenge in language, presentation method and culture contrast. I remember that it was a quite big difference from what I was used to back home. I had to figure out a way to present my work that suited me, but yet still adapting a little bit into the CSM learning system, it took some time but after several trials I figured it out. However presenting your work is an ongoing learning curve as you and your work are constantly developing. 

V.: What would you want to ask another designer?

E.: How come you design in the way you do, in colours, material, aesthetic, layout, Is it anything you wished you could do?

Links:

www.ekstrakt.me

http://emmalundgren.com/

www.profoundmagazine.com

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sami_people

Gina Martynova Illustrator

V.: your short Geo-biography and everything that influenced you in childhood )

G.: My father is Russian and my mother is half Russian, half Chinese. I was born in Moscow, Russia. We moved to Thailand when I was 2.5 yrs old because my father was offered a U.N. interpreter's post in Bangkok. Growing up in Thailand was unique and a drastic change from Russia.You could be outside all year round because of the tropical weather. I felt like an explorer. We would visit Russia every summer. It was a cultural and environmental juxtaposition which brought about an early understanding of different cultures and perspectives on life. Even now I love to travel and watch people because of this interest in observing human nature.

V.: Why and when did you start to draw?

G.: I was really shy as a 2.5 yrs old and my dad would take me to work with him because I was intimidated by kindergarten kids. So I had to be quiet and occupy myself in the UN. Access to lots of printer paper equaled lots of sketching and copying illustrations from my children's books. From there on I would always doodle in my free time, especially when my family and I traveled.

V.: What is the inspiration behind your work

G.: Nature will always inspire me with it's beauty and often unexpected patterns and detail. There is a quote I love by Auguste Rodin, which encapsulates my sentiments exactly, "To the artist there is never anything ugly in nature." 

Otherwise doodles inspire the final paintings. Starry started out as a doodle in notebooks. Her full name is actually 'Starry Eyed Gypsy' (On the Moon). She is a vagabond alien botanist, who travels around the universe and explores new worlds while collecting different specimens of life. Of course Starry is an extension of me, my life and a way to translate my thoughts, beliefs and observations through art. It is a way to comunicate through a character and to simulate an inner world and imagination that is constantly pushing me to sketch out new ideas. It is a blessing but also gets annoying if I have to work on other things!

V.: Who do you design for and is there any specific meaning in your work you are trying to tell?

G.: I freelance so the projects vary in terms of the customer, style and concept. There is a children's book 'Edelnose', which I designed and illustrated. It is based on a girl's struggle with being bullied and overcoming this with learning music and self confidence. The most recent project was for Sea Love, a foundation aimed to promote ocean conservation and positive thinking. I was commissioned to create a series of illustrations based on the three virtuous: Love (charity, Faith and Hope). In the past I also worked as freelance graphic artist for Eugenia Kim Inc, 2004 CFDA winner in accessory design. My concept is always about mixing fine and commercial art together. I feel that when a commercial piece has elements of traditional art it becomes more intriguing and people are drawn to it because of the depth. When designing/illustrating for clients I always maintain a good understanding of their concept and aesthetic.

V.:  What are the materials  and technics you prefer to use? Do you have any special trick you use when drawing?

G.: I love watercolor. When the sketch is finalized on watercolor paper I tend to then go in and add details with acrylic. Sometimes I venture into oil painting as well. My other new love is for nesting dolls, Matryoshkas, they start off as plain wood and I paint with acrylics and create lots of intricate details and characters from my Starry World. They were on show at my debut Starry Solo Show in NYC at Le Salon d'Art. The 'Starry Siren' set has already been sold. 

Not really sure about special tricks, I tend to just doodle first to sort of warm up and loosen my mind from daily stress and other non creative thoughts. This really helps the process :)

V.: What do you hope to do one day (as an artist)

My goals are to inspire people, promote a balance between mankind and nature and to share the Starry whimsical world and philosophy through exhibitions. I would love to have my own gallery in each of my favorite cities: Bangkok, Moscow and New York City. Another goal, which is more fashion related, is to launch a full line of Starry scarves that I have been designing for a couple of months. A couple were sold during the Starry Solo Show and I hope to expand and create a sort of 'Starry' brand one day.

V.: What is a "must have" for a boy and for a girl in your opinion? (can be a thing or a quality)

 G.: Must have qualities in general are: confidence, sense of humor, an open mind and respect for nature and animals

V.: What is the best internet link you've found in the past month (it can be youtube, site, etc)

G.: http://papermode.trendland.net/ is very inspirational in terms of fashion editorial

Kickstarter (http://www.kickstarter.com/) is a great site if you have a great idea and would like help to finance it!

V.: What inspires you in these categories: art, design, music

G.: art: Takashi Murakami, Leon Bakst, Hokusai, Ivan Bilibin, Mikhail Vrubel, Max Ernst, Vincent Van Gogh, Gustav Klimt, Richard Gray

design: Alexander Mcqueen, Miuccia Prada, Jean-Charles de Castelbajac, Borsalino 

music: Faithless (UK electronic music group), Lady Gaga (the one and only mother monster), Mozart (especially after watching the wonderful 1984 film 'Amadeus').

V.: Where do you aim (whats your goal) ? In life and in design? 

G.: My goals are a reflection of my inspirations, patience, diligence and where they are able to take me depending on what opportunities come up along the way. I am blessed with fantastic mentors, family and friends who always guide me on to the right path. I try to live life to the fullest and am always thankful for what I have and the ability to do what I love, which is creating art.

Tom Van der Borght: A question from another blog participant - if you had a chance to change one thing in the world - what would it be

G.: As I am sure most people would agree, there are many things that could be changed in the world. If I had to choose just one it would probably be the method of fishing and factory farming - it has already created many health and environmental issues that will effect the next generations and already are. It is a very challenging issue and one that if resolved could prolong quality of our earth, oceans, animals and therefore human beings.

V.: What would you want to ask another designer about? 

G.: How did you start out your career and what was your first challenge?

Links: 

http://www.bpib.com/illustrat/bilibin.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hokusai

http://www.perrotin.com/artiste-Takashi_Murakami-12.html

http://www.kickstarter.com/

http://papermode.trendland.net/ 

Dreamer - Tom Van der Borght

I was browsing the net looking for smb really special in his designs, and i succeeded :)

Tom Van der Borght is amazing new designer that deffinately will make his way into big business with all his humor and open-mindness.
I searched for him on Facebook, hoping to find more pictures of the things he does... And i was very much surprised and happy not only to be accepted as a friend but having a really pleasant talk :) 

V.:  Your short Geo-biography and everything that influenced you before you turned to Fashion Design.

Т.:   My name is Tom Van der Borght (BE-1978) and I am  a Belgian Fashiondesign-student at the Academy of Fine Arts of Sint-Niklaas, in my final masteryear.

Coming from a classical background, at the age of 18, i first decided to study Social Work. Throughout these studies my  idealism developped and trough working in a harsh social reality, i got fascinated by the unconventional and the deviate. Working on the streets, with real people, gave me this love for streetculture, that furtheron keeps on coming back in my collections

I started questioning systems and the fundaments of social structures and behavior. Why is”normal” normal, why is “weird” weird? Björk once described this very well in a song of hers. “If you ever get close to a human, and human behaviour, be ready to be confused”.

As I realised at the age of 27 that one person cannot change the world on his own, I started creating my own idealistic universe. In a way i returned to my childhood, when I was constructing crazy pieces next to my mother.

My fascination for psychedelic graphics and bright colours finds its origine in the underground tech/trance scene in the late nineties,. Only later this  translated into  my design aesthetics. Alternative pop-culture and music are very important influences in my work.  I would  overall describe my style as an eclectic clash of elements, coming from the mind of a passionate dreamer. At first sight my work can come off as very playful, happy and childlike, but for who takes a deeper look, there is always a wide range of dark sides, freaky twists and sexual tension hidden underneath. Contrasts attract me, just like hidden things 

Spirituality always speaks trough, as i’m always looking for ways to enlightenment. I like to consider my clothes as a vision on how the “new” world, or the next generation, will dress, being released from the burdens of the past. I think in that way, my work always has something very innovative, but still with strong references to  a nostalgic nature.

Last but not least i love to bring some humoristic elements into my work. It’s never healthy to take yourself too serious i think, let alone to take fashion too serious. We’re only humans, wearing clothes, so we better can make fun out of it.

In 2008 I started my fashion education, and in 2009 I worked as an intern for fashion designer Maureen Declerq (Antwerp) who’s also a teacher at Antwerp Fashion Academy. In 2011 I won the Belgian Final of the Triumph Inspiration Award and competed in the world final, where i had a place in the final 10. My piece therefor was worn by Lily Cole and shot by Ellen Von Unwerth. In summer 2011 I also showed my full collection at Berlin Fashion Week in Edged Showroom.

V.: Why and when did you start to design clothes?

T.: My first inspiration was definitely my mother. She is a classical trained sewing teacher, and as a child I always watched her making pieces, until the day I was 4, and I cutted myself my first pants out of a piece of left-over fabric. That day, my mother at least realised what I was gonna do in life. 

Growing up, I wasn’t a fashionista at all, even didn’t know much about fashion and the fashion world. But I think I mainly was driven towards fashion by my intuition.

V.: Where does all your incredible imaginary creatures come from, what is the inspiration behind it? 

T.: In general you could say i like to create an image of a super-human. Strong looks based on larger-then-life volumes. For each collection i do a new concept and a new research to build up the vision I have in my head.

My latest collection is called “Transformama”. Transformama shows an image of “a transformating housewife”, based on old pictures of my mother. I had in mind a “street couture” image, a clash of estehetics of my mother and more “streetwear inspired” personal elements, a combination of innovation and nostalgia. Contrast layering, like when you pause a movie, where two following images overlay and freeze. This results in 6 looks that are multiple-layered, true to a more ethnical way of constructing a total-look. The importance of details, accessories, jewels and headgear was inspired by ancient indian kathakali dancers, who transform trough the proces of clothing into “superhumans”.

The bold combination of materials, self-developped prints and handwork elements (knit/crochet/cross stitch embroiderie) completes this concept. Victor Vasarely’s highly graphical work formed an endless inspiration for the knitwear and incrustated fabric structures. Japanese tattoo-art seemed a total opposite form of transformation, as modification of the self, the skin... All this results in a hand-painted print where Vasarely, tattoo art and the face of my mother blend in together. 

Transformama wears a look that “GROWS” on her.

V.: Do you have a sketchbook? Or maybe you are working on your project different way, what way is it? 

T.: Yes, I do work with a sketchbook. Actually it’s more than only a sketchbook, … it’s my little chamber of secrets where I put all kind of stuff that inspires me, from pictures to drawings to song titles over internet links and so on. For a long time this looks like a mess and very inarticulate. But for every collection there is this moment where all comes together and your vision appears like some kind of “halo” in your mind … That’s the way I work.

V.: Who do you design for? 

T.: I always design for the next generation. My vision is always the vision of a “urban warrior”., being a part of a contemporary tribe, trying to cope with challenges of the crazy world we live in. In that way I mainly want to  create an “in your face” statement about social reality, a way to escape it, a dream about how to evolve.

V.: What are the materials you prefer to use, and do you sew yourself or you have smth like a production or some workers who are working with you?

T.: Texture, volumes and colour are at the core of my design.  Old handcrafts like crochet and cross-stitch embroideries co-exist with self-developped colorful prints. 

 “...my work is all about hiding and showing. I use layering, extreme detailling and bold combinations  to challenge people to discover my work in a personal way ...”

I have a strong technical approach to my work, and all pieces, from clothing to shoes, hats and accessoires are fully handmade by myself, with the help of my mother.

V.: What is a "must have" for a boy and for a girl in your opinion?

T.:  Someone to love

V.: What is the best internet link you've found in the past month?

T.:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_2AgaZJWro

a fantastic nostalgic song by the irrepressibles

a clip by PAG

V.: What inspires you in these categories: art, design, music

T.: Björk, fever ray, die antwoord, vasarely, kandinsky, pollock, desperate housewives, aythor throup, Bernard Wilhelm. 

V.: How important for you is the correlation between functionality and beauty in design. Does it worth doing simply beautiful clothes, rather then functional, or shall you put the functionality on the first place?

T.: In the first place I think fashion is not about beauty. For me fashion always should make a statement about the here and now, nevertheless it’s beautiful or ugly …And about functionality … I make things well-made and with lots of respect for finishing, but I see the functionality of a piece always in the bigger picture of the image I want to put across. So a jacket for me, for example, doesn’t necessarily only have two sleeves. It all depends of the artistic image you want to create.

V.: Where do you aim (whats your goal) ? In life and in design? 

T.: Being happy and satisfied with what I get on my lifepath. Trying to stretch my abilities to the maximum. Dressing Björk one day ha-ha. As Buzz Lightyear used to say: to infinity and beyond!!

V.: What would you want to ask another designer about? 

T.: If u had the power to change 1 thing in the world, what would it be?

Sites & Links:


http://tomvanderborght.blogspot.com/

http://www.notjustalabel.com/tom_van_der_borght