MINNAPALMQVIST

What is your name? Minna Palmqvist

What is the name of your label? MINNAPALMQVIST

Where did you study and when did you graduate? I graduated from Konstfack College of Arts Crafts and Design in Stockholm, from where I have a master degree in textile. Before that I went to the clothing design program at Novia University of Applied Sciences in Turku, Finland.

What inspires you as a designer? Imperfection, ambivalent feelings and awkwardness.

Who is your favorite designer/artist? Why? Louise Bourgeoise, mainly for her sculpting.

What can you bring to FASHIONCLASH Maastricht 2011? Unwanted body shapes, exclusively handmade to enter the world of fashion.

Previews of the collection that Minna will show during FASHIONCLASH Maastricht 2011

Since you are participating in both are your works for the show and for the exposition going to be somehow related to each other? The collection on the catwalk is based on the shapes and the atmosphere in the film shown in the exhibition. That is how I usually start my work - by capturing a subject trough sculpting, photos and installations, which then turns into show pieces, to in the end become more wearable, producable garments. What is to be shown at FASHIONCLASH is all about the flesh, the fat and the transience of the human body.

                   

"Intimately Social" (2007) by Minna Palmqvist

What do you expect from the FASHIONCLASH Maastricht 2011? I expect a creative environment where fashion is not all about trends and shopping, but a phenomena worth discussing and digging deep into.

How did your experience with fashion started? When did you decide to be a fashion designer/artist? Growing up on a Finnish island (Åland) I had no idea you could actually be a fashion designer for real. I loved clothes and made a lot of my own garments as a teenager, and drew millions of fashion illustrations on my room. When it was time to go to university my sister thought I should apply for design school. First I thought it sounded so superficial, and attended a semester of gender studies at Gothenburg University before I finally dared to apply and stand for my passion. And now I couldn't have imagined doing anything else!

What are your goals concerning your career? What are your ambitions? Where do you see yourself in the future? I want to find a way to take my designs into sustainable production, as a complement to the hand made pieces and art installations I work with now. I want to find some good people to work with who share my vision, and be able to actually live from doing what I do.



Minna's atelier. We like.



Edited by Natalia Serwanska