LONDON June 5th.
There has been blood sweat and tears, and a few Tourette like outbursts, but this is it. My work has been handed in and the doors are locked and sealed.
I was asked on the evaluation sheet we were given what I would have done different if I was to do it again, nothing I wrote, but everything I meant.
The creative mind is an erratic one, constantly ahead of the rest of the body. She is already developing the next idea before the hand has had a chance to start the first. My latest collection has already changed mood, cut, colours and name.
Maybe creating a collection is a little bit like giving birth, except that instead of nurturing my child over the coming years I have simply abandoned her, chucked her in some black boxes and sealed them with some homemade Letraset tape, and am already planning for the next one. If it is, then maybe what I am feeling is a bit of a postnatal depression? Like a smoker who has just decided to quit I am uncertain what to do with my hands.
For four years I have been working towards this very moment called hand in day. 8 months, if not actually a life times, worth of work has been crammed in on a 50x80cm white wooden shelf and 1/10th of a portable rail, ready to be scrutinized from every angle. Finished. Done. But what is next? Sleep one could suggest? See the friends you have ignored for so long? Enjoy a bottle of crisp Sauvignon Blanc on a roof top bar? But I did all that yesterday! Do the laundry? Nah, I still have some clean pants. Do it all again? Yes, please!
As a child I loved drawing and decided I wanted to become an artist, but once when I was visiting the studio of an artist friend of the family and told him about my plans he looked me in the eyes and told me; ‘Well as long as you know you won’t be worth anything until you are dead.’ I was three and absolutely devastated. Despite this I continued drawing and later realized I loved drawing the clothes the most and as a 10 year old I made my Father learn how to sew so he could make my creations. Although, I did start walking a different path for a while and was aiming to become an engineer. I came to my senses again when I was about 16.
In Sweden St Martins is always referred to as one of the best fashion schools and I still consider myself lucky to have been accepted! It is an amazing school that gives you complete creative freedom. However, I think one of the best aspects is the people there - the students and the tutors make St Martins what it is.
My last collection was inspired by LA and the collision between Nature and Civilization you experience there. You can stand on the terrace of a house in Hollywood, with the view of the high-rise buildings of Downtown in front of you, and suddenly the calm is broken by a family of deer running through the garden.
I almost saw this collision as a battle between the two forces, a war between Nature and Civilization where Civilization is claiming power and land and Nature is just trying to take back what was once hers. For the collection I created a muse, a female warrior that is from both worlds. She is convinced that things can return to how they once were and is determined to bring back peace to the battle ground.
Without making it sound boring I quite like to use the Swedish word ‘lagom’, a word without translation in any language, which basically means just the right amount. My clothes are never too sexy or too bohemian. Never too Rock n’ Roll or too sporty. I want different styles to merge to create something more interesting and personal.
Home is where my shoes have been shipped! At the moment it is London, and I love it for its dirty beauty and history. I love the abundance of galleries and creativity, and its social life. My husband is in LA and part of my home is always wherever he is. I love LA for its diversity - going from Venice to Beverly Hills is like traveling between countries, as they are so different. I also love the lifestyle there. In theory you can spend the day snowboarding in the mountains and still be back in time for an evening surf and a sunset drink. In reality there is the traffic to take in to consideration....
To be honest I respect every single one of them out there. It takes a lot of courage to follow your dream and it takes even more hard work to stay in it. Having worked for Jeremy (Scott) he is obviously the one I can judge on a more personal level and I respect him for the beautiful person he is. He works very hard and his collections, even though a complete surprise every time, are always true to his style. Karl Lagerfeld to me is a superhuman and amaze me every season, so does Alber Elbaz and Nicolas Ghesquière.
Carmen Dell’Orefice, the woman is in her late 70’s and is as stylish and beautiful as ever.
A very fashionable pilot with a travel size sewing machine.
