Yojiro Kake

Picture by: Ruggero Mengoni

Yojiro Kake is a Japanese designer based in Florence, Italy. His latest collection is inspired by "rain" and its effect on garments. Yojiro's collection will be presented during the closing Fashion Show on Sunday the 15th!

Hi Yojiro! What inspires you in general? 

In general, I am inspired by contemporary arts, music and films, but I mainly get my inspirations from my everyday life, as well as the emotions of people in it. Emotions and feelings are more important to me because there are difficult to explain. Using several methods, I like to “translate” those feelings into my design.

What place or city do you find inspiring?

I don’t feel too much from places or cities. I think it’s all about people; different people stimulate me and inspire me.

What is it like to be a young designer in your city/country? 

Here in Florence there aren’t many young designers around. But I’m proud to be ‘based in Florence’, though I’ve heard some negative things from young designers in Italy. However, I do believe that designers can create a trend no matter where they are based.

Mies Nobis by Millicent Nobis

Mies Nobis is jewellery label created by Australian Millicent Nobis. Her collections, inspired by the shapes of bones, horns and teeth will be showcased during the Designer Market.

Preview of the HORN collection
Picture by: Alberto Maria Colombo

Schaffenskraft by Daphne Hobbelen

Daphne Hobbelen is a Dutch artist who takes her inspiration from Munne, an artist that developed an interdisciplinary approach to art. Munne had the habit to wear overalls and store them in boxes for later use. Daphne got the idea to re-use those textiles and give them a new life. Her label Schaffenskraft (Creating's force) shows that recycling textile can lead to unexpected creations. Daphne will present Schaffenskraft at the FASHIONCLASH exhibition.

Picture by: Lisa Klappe

Catarina Oliveira

Preview of Catarina's collection
Picture by: Elio Nogueira

Catarina Oliveira is a young – 21 years old! – designer from Portugal. Her aim is to fully explore menswear. Catarina was discovered by FASHIONCLASH's artistic directors, Nawie Kuiper and Branko Popovic, during the ModaLisboa, Lisbon Fashion Week. Her latest collection, UNFOLD, will be showcased at the FASHIONCLASH Festival during the Fashion Shows.

What inspires you in general? 

My references are a combination of what I identify myself to and the message I want to transmit. It can range from an artist’s work to a person who crossed my path on the street this morning. I assimilate everything I find interesting.

What place or city do you find inspiring? 

I guess that the city itself isn’t the most important thing. The most important is what I’ve lived there. I can’t really say which city inspires me, but the fact that I lived between Viana do Costelo and Oporto in the last three years really influenced my life and, of course, my work.

What is it like to be a young designer in country/city? 

I’m finding out what it’s like to be a young fashion designer in Portugal. It’s great that there are several platforms during the Portuguese Fashion Week allowing us to display our work. All the concern and support we are given motivates us greatly.

9th edition of D(esign)-day

Accessible design at 9th edition of D(esign)-day in Maastricht

D(esign)-day is a unique and surprising podium for designers that design and create. Their one-of-a-kind limited edition concepts are produced with sustainability as the unifying theme. The event is held in the Timmerfabriek, a historic, industrial location in Maastricht.

The ninth edition of D(esign)-day will start with the traditional opening dinner on Friday 30 May, followed by the Designers for Design auction. Both are an excellent opportunity to meet participating designers and other interesting people from the media and business communities.

The FASHIONCLASH streetstyles: part 2

Part 2 of our Maastricht Streetstyles series! This week again, discover some of the wonderful people of Maastricht. Café Zondag and Take 5 are still on the list, and sorry people, but Uggs are apparently a serious no-go!

Lies Wambacq

Lies Wambacq is a Belgian jewellery designer. She makes silver or gold jewels in an organic and baroque style. Lucky for you, you will be able to purchase some of her creations at the FASHIONCLASH Festival Designer Market. 

Yoni Lefévre

Preview of Yoni's work

Dutch designer Yoni Lefévre focuses on the visual communication of a message in a social context in her work. Her collection will be presented during the exhibition and aims to change our understanding of aging. Unfortunately, she won’t be present herself as she will be travelling in Indonesia and Australia! 

Hi Yoni! What inspires you in general? 

I’m always inspired by documentaries, both movies and photo documentaries, about honest and pure stories of people’s lives. It’s the little things in life and the story behind an image that’s worth documenting. 

What place or city do you find inspiring? 

I lived a little while in London and I thought the community aspect of this city was very inspiring to see. They stimulate a lot of small interventions and social organizations that help the area. I believe that change starts locally. 

Hana Frisonsova

Hana is fashion and accessories designers from Prague, Czech Republic. She grew up with science fiction and hand-made techniques, which she defines as her specializations. Her collection will be showcased during the Fashion Shows.

Hi Hana! What inspires you in general? 
Dancing like crazy, the view from my window, biking around the river, strange encounters. Everything basically.

What place or city do you find inspiring? 
At the moment, I’m inspired by Prague and some of its places are reflecting in my work. I like the strong historical background, the underground places and the contrasts between the romantic side of the city and its roughness.

What is it like to be a young designer in your city/country? 
There is only a small community of designers here. It’s not hard to go public, but it is hard to find customers, money and investors. We are mostly using our creativity to make things out of nothing.

Dutch Dance Festival 2014

Dutch Dance Festival (Nederlandse Dansdagen) presents their new campaign image for the Dutch Dance festival 2014, created by graphic designer Esther Noyons and photographer Annaleen Louwes.

Save the date for one of the hottest festivals in the Netherlands. 3-5 October 2014 in Maastricht.

Projects Distinguished Dreams & (OLD)Fashion(ed) that are developed in cooperation with Dutch Dance Festival will be on display.

For more informartion and updates
http://www.nederlandsedansdagen.nl

Kate Langrish Smith

Meet Kate Langrish Smith, an English designer and artist. Her work that will be presented during the Exhibition is engaged with the sculptural process and implementation of mark making. She works with casts made directly from the body.

Kate at work

Shoe Design Challenge powered by Invito: the winning designs now in Invito shops

In 2013, in collaboration with Invito, FASHIONCLASH challenged young talents by asking them to develop a shoe concept in which creativity and sustainability are coming together.
In October 2013, the “Shoe Design Challenge powered by Invito” jury existing of designer Bas Kosters, founders of FASHIONCLASH Branko Popovic, Nawie Kuiper and Laurens Hamacher, as well as Invito formatmanager Jasper den Hertog, reunited and agreed upon two winners: Monique Schraven for the women’s shoe and Malou Fool for the men’s design. Since the 19th of May, their two designs are being sold in the Invito shoe shops!

Malou Fool, Monique Schraven and Chris van den Elzen who received an honorable mention 

KOMBOKOLOR by Izabela

Preview of "Chaos keeps me alive"
Picture: Michal Polak

Today we introduce you to Izabela Jankowska and her label KOMBOKOLOR. Izabela is from Gdansk, Poland. Her latest collection, “Chaos keeps me alive,” full of colours and happy patterns will be showcased during the Designer Market. 

Hi Izabela! What inspires you in general? 

Lots of different things but mostly colors and symbols. 

What place or city do you find inspiring? 

There are many fantastic cities and places, but big differences are what inspire me the most. This is why I live in the countryside, where it is quiet, green and where everything happens slowly. When I get fed up with the countryside vibe, I simply go to the city. This duality is very interesting and inspiring. It gives me a lot of energy. 

What is it like to be a young designer in your city/country? 

Like I said, I live in the countryside and probably nobody knows what I’m doing. I like it that way, where I can stay hidden from the outside world. 

The FASHIONCLASH Streetstyles

In the month of April, the FASHIONCLASH Team walked the streets of Maastricht looking for the people living in the city. We ended up with portraits from people of all generations, and asked them a couple of questions concerning their "hotspots" in Maastricht as well as about Maastricht as a Modestad, a fashion city. Here are the first shots of our series. We can already tell you that Take 5 and café Zondag are amongst the most popular places in the Limburgse city. 

Mode 4

The four girls graduating this year from the Fashion Design track of the Maastricht Academy of Fine Arts and Design (MAFAD) will be presenting their graduation collection during the FASHIONCLASH Festival. Gelena, Dusty, Lara and Milou are now experiencing a rather stressful period as they have to wrap up everything before the end of June. With all this work, they were nice enough to take the time to answer our questions. Thank you girls!

From left to right: Dusty, Milou, Lara, Gelena

Sasha Nassar

Sasha Nassar is a womenswear designer from Jaffa, Israel. With her latest collection she wants to show that the Arab woman can have her own "Arab Spring." You can discover her enlightening and inspiring collection during the FASHIONCLASH Fashion Shows.

Hello Sasha! Please introduce yourself. Who are you? Where do you come from? What is your field of specialization?

I am Sasha Nassar from Jaffa, Israel. Jaffa is a unique port city with mixed population and geography – there is old next to modern, there are Jews next to Arabs. It is a city that challenges the concept of beauty. Although it is rugged, it captures the eye and mind of everyone visiting the city. Next to my childhood home, in the old port of Jaffa, I have watched how thousands of people define who they are by what they are wearing. Choosing to be unique or look alike, I found that clothing and textile are some of the most fascinating things. Made out of still objects, they have a life of their own. My passion for fashion expresses my desire for people, diversity, and the freedom to be your true self.

Where are you based?

Paris.

What inspire you in general?

My grandmother, Jaffa - the place I was born - Middle East culture and history.

Ciara Monahan

Ciara Monahan is a womenswear and accessories designer from England. She specializes in digital print, laser-cut Perspex embellishment and her signature use of “blindingly bright” colours. Her collection will be presented during the Fashion Shows.

Hello Ciara! Where are you based? 

Above a bustling market street in Brixton, London.

What inspires you in general? 

My surroundings, just noticing life's little quirks. I got really excited that the colours and patterns on my shoes matched an unusual looking worm that was just chilling out on the pavement one morning. There's inspiration in pretty much everything if you keep your eyes open to it.

What place or city do you find inspiring? 

London is such a hub of inspiration. I'm lucky to live here, you only have to take a few steps out of the door and inspiration will hit you in the face. Pretty much literally.

Olga Ozieranska

Olga Ozieranska

Today we introduce you to the Polish multimedia artist Olga Ozieranska.

Hello Olga! Please introduce yourself. Who are you? Where do you come from? What is your field of specialisation?

Hi! Im a multimedia artist. I'm from Warsaw, Poland. I mainly  work on   photography, installation, video and performance. I like working in  material such as  wood, paper, plastic. I love surrealism and abstractionism.

What inspires you in general?  

Emotions, childhood, tales, forest, sounds, and textures.

What place or city do you find inspiring?  

Iceland.

What is it like to be a young artist in your city/country? 

It's not easy to earn one's living as an artist.  Young artists  often need to work in other professions to earn money and  find time to create. Its really difficult, but many of my friends live in this way.

What attracts you about the FASHIONCLASH platform? 

Full freedom of expression, diversity, modernity and high level.

The FASHIONCLASH Exhibition is curated under the theme of ‘Age’. How does your creation relate to this year’s theme?

In my opinion one of the  most inspiring periods of  our life is  the childhood. My work of art  recalls that  carefree, joyful  time. Colourful, moving forms  are made form tissue paper, which reminds me of the vitality and energy of children.

Distinguished Dreams

This year during the FASHIONCLASH Festival, Dance will meet Fashion in a special collaboration between FASHIONCLASH and the Dutch Dance Festival (Nederlandse Dansdagen). The project was made possible thanks to the BNG Bank and the BNG "Cultuurfonds" in the framework of its 100th anniversary and its project Eeuwige jeugd, "Eternal youth."

Picture from the rehearsal of the 15th of May
Picture by: Branko Popovic

VERWEVEN by Nina Willems

After last year's success, Nina Willems will present a VERWEVEN project during the exhibition curated under the theme of "age." The outfits resulting from the project will be shown on the catwalk.

FASHIONCLASH side program: "Fashion frictions" by the Fitting Room Projects

The “Fashion Frictions” by the Fitting Room Projects will be featured in the side program of the 2014 edition of the FASHIONCLASH Festival. Taking on the challenge of representing the increasing number of fashion installations where the subject and not the object prevails, fashion theorist Anna Elisabeth Kruyswijk formulated a sequential project line for collaborative test-cases.

Olga Jazepova

Today we have the pleasure to introduce you to Olga Jazepova, an Estonian Footwear Designer and Trend Forecaster. She will participate to the Designer Market.

Hello, Olga! Please introduce yourself. 

Hello FASHIONCLASH Team, it is a great pleasure of mine to be introduced in your blog! My name is Olga Jazepova, I am an Estonian Footwear designer and trend forecaster, a creative traveller. I was born in Tallinn, Estonia 25 years ago, where I began my artistic and design path.

Where are you based?

I just moved to Tilburg, the Netherlands, some weeks ago.

What inspires you in general?

I am inspired by changes, growth and motion. You can find those three actions practically in anything that evolves and is driven by pure energy and passion for expanding, gaining strength and new heights. For me, life is an equivalent of movement, travelling, learning new things, experiencing foreign cultures, traditions, sounds and tastes. Life in general inspires my mind.

What place or city do you find inspiring?

I love travelling and meeting new people, so it is very hard to pick up one. But Japanese heritage always was the key of my interest. Speaking about cities, Tokyo and Kyoto are the ones that inspire and balance the simple sensitivity of beauty with an innovative spirit.

AVADEM by Anouk van der Meij

Anouk van der Meij is a 24 years old Dutch designer based in Utrecht. She founded her own fashion label, AVADEM, in September 2012. Her label stands for more comfort and spirituality in the (fashion) world. With loose fits and lots of layers, her goal is to make people wearing AVADEM feel happier in their own skin. Her collection will be presented during the Fashion Show Programme.

Hello Anouk! What inspires you in general? 
Spirituality, nature and our society.

What place or city do you find inspiring? 
Anywhere surrounded by nature and my studio are places where I find most inspiration. I haven’t found a truly inspiring city yet, because most cities are too crowded for me. I need the quiet to think, reload and get inspired.

What is it like to be a young designer in your city/country? 
Challenging, but I guess it’s the case in any city.

Would you agree if we claimed that you are obsessed with oversized clothing? Why? Why not? 
Haha, “obsessed” makes it seem like it’s a bad thing. I have to agree I love the look of oversized and loose fit pieces a lot. It has this nonchalance and toughness to it. But it’s not an obsession, more a lifestyle. AVADEM is all about combining fashion with comfort. I try to achieve this with oversized pieces and lots of layers to give some breathing space to the body.

Bora Hong

The Faces Wall

Bora is originally from Seoul, South Korea, but she now lives and works in Berlin. She graduated from the Design Academy in Eindhoven last year where she did a MA in Contextual Design. She mainly focused on social issues and especially beauty and body cultures. Her collection will be presented during the exhibition.

Hello Bora! What inspires you in general? 
Our behaviour in normal life and in public.

What place or city do you find inspiring? 
South Korea and its Cosmetic Surgery culture, on which I am now working.

What attracts you about the FASHIONCLASH platform? 
I’ve mainly worked on interior design and object design, but I consider FASHIONCLASH as the platform that can bring a lot of freedom in fashion. I would love to share some ideas about the themes of “age” and beauty with some inspiring people.

FASHIONCLASH Side Program: OFF STRAND

This year, the FASHIONCLASH Festival offers a long list of activities taking place in the whole city of Maastricht in its “side program.” One of those is the pop-up store OFF Strand, that will be located in the Mosae Forum from the 12th until the 15th of June.

OFF Strand is an independent initiative to create a collective pop-up showcase for young London based fashion, jewellery and accessories designers. Its aim is to offer a place in which designers, bloggers and the general public can meet and communicate. At the pop-up store in the Mosae Forum, the designers will present their current collections that will be available both for purchase and pre-order. We were lucky to get an interview with Anna Pitchouguina, one of the two founders of OFF STRAND.

Hi! Please introduce yourself. Who are you? Where do you come from? What do you do?

I am from Russia, but I grew up in Poland. Emanuele Copioli, the other person behind OFF Strand, is from Italy. We both live in London. I am a fashion designer while he is a graphic and creative mind. So, we are a great team to start up such a project. We both work on numerous projects at all times and OFF Strand is definitely one of our favorites at the moment.

10th edition of FashionPhilosophy Fashion Week Poland

FASHIONCLASH team traveled to Poland again for the 10th edition of FashionPhilosophy Fashion Week Poland, which as one of our partners. We have started a collaboration where we share our platform with aim to support emerging talent. During this edition of this biggest fashion event in Poland we had the pleasure to select a designer that will be added to the fashion show program of FASHIONCLASH Festival 2014. There where several interesting collections in the Off Out of Schedule program, eventually we picked the menswear collection by young label ZWYRD. In addition we fall for the stunning collection by PJOTR.

As always visit to FashionPhilosophy Fashion Week Poland is a great experience thanks to organization and warm hospitality.
More about FPFWP: http://fashionweek.pl

Here are some impressions

Marsha Kessels Jewellery

Marsha Kessels is a jewellery designer from the Netherlands and based in Maastricht. She designs objects and jewellery inspired by nature. The forest is her favourite playground. Her collection will be presented at the FASHIONCLASH 'designer' Market.

ODIO and Jakub Pieczarkowski

Photographer: Zbigniew Olszyna

Today we introduce you to ODIO and Jakub Pieczarkowski, who are part of the fashion show programme.

Hello! Where do you come from?

We come from different cities in Poland but we identify ourselves with Lodz, where we are also based.

What is your field of specialisation? 

Idea of material as a whole and variety of details that can improve it. 

What place or city do you find inspiring?

In a way every city and every place inspires us.

What is it like to be a young designer in your city/country? 

I like it so far, bur I do not find myself in the designers environment.

What attracts you about the FASHIONCLASH platform?

Everything that is shown at FASHIONCLASH is at the highest possible level, also the great level of documentation of each show and event.

KONY by Marija Janosevic

We introduce you to Marija Janošević and her label KONY, who is a Serbian fashion designer.

What inspires you in general?

Love, Life, Passion.

What is it like to be a young designer in your city/country?

It’s like you are all alone.

What attracts you about the FASHIONCLASH platform?

The lights, the camera, the opportunity…everything.

What is the concept behind your latest collection?

ACCEPTING differences, anxiety, origins, love, vulnerability.   

LIFE full of surprises, inspiration and creation. 

COLORS of Sun and Space, Earth and Heaven, and Joy and Divine.

Making of: Clash Project

Since 2009, the Clash Project has been one of the highlights of the FASHIONCLASH Festival. By allowing non-fashion designer to design fashion, the Clash Project perfectly illustrates FASHIONCLASH's concept - "connecting talent, disciplines, visions and cultures through fashion". This year, 10 designers were asked to present their idea of fashion. The pictures of their creations were shot Tuesday by Karen Kikkert, and of course, we were there.

Sanel, one of the models, and Karen busy shooting

Stieglitz by Pien Stieglis

Today we introduce you to Dutch designer Pien Stieglis and her label Stieglitz. You will be able to check out her collection at the Designer Market.


Hello Pien! What inspires you in general? 
I’ve always been impressed by the strong culture that exists within particular tribes. Thinking of ethnic groups, what strikes me most is the strength of the collective. I often think; where do I stand in this world that constantly changes, where you are confronted with new possibilities and choices daily? We hardly know what to do any more; a world with so many possibilities doesn’t necessarily make us stronger. When I look at, for instance the Mursi people in Ethiopia, I see a population that stands close to its own identity, which provides strength. For over decades they have been wearing the same colors and accessories. It is like everything has been set in stone, but at the same time is immutably beautiful. However, currently the existences of some ethnic groups are threatened. For this reason I want to be inspired by what is still present in the world. Our worlds, our ways of living stand so far apart. I therefore wish to combine both worlds in my designs and capture the beauty and simplicity of life, which will be symbolized in my collections. I hope that the Stieglitz tribe will represent, and make one realize, that the power of the tribes is still within us.

Georgia Xanthe Dorey

Georgia Xanthe Dorey is an English textile designer. She graduated from the Royal College of Art in 2013 with an MA in printed textiles. 

Hello, Georgia! Where are you based?

I live between London and the rural English countryside where my studio is based.

What inspires you in general?

Day-to-day use of texture, colour, shape and combinations that I see all around me.

What is it like to be a young artist in your country?

Exciting, hard and lonely.

What attracts you about the FASHIONCLASH platform?

That it represents an exciting moment in a designer’s career. The work on show has not lost its sense of excitement; the FASHIONCLASH platform captures new ideas and a new way of thinking.

The FASHIONCLASH Exhibition is curated under the theme of ‘Age’. How does your creation relate to this year’s theme?

‘Wrap’ is a series of cloths suitable for wrapping all manner of bodies, ages and objects, which provide protection and adornment. My work is an exploration into the human relationship with cloth and shape. Each cloth can be interpreted by the individual, regardless of age, gender or ability; each cloth can function in a unique way brought to life by the individual.

Marko Marosiuk

Photography by Marko Vulevic

Today we introduce you to one of our returning designers, Marko Marosiuk, from Belgrade, Serbia. His collection portrays an end of a love story, and it is part of our fashion show programme.

Hi Marko! What inspires you in general? 
I know it sounds cliché, but my biggest inspiration is love. I am always trying to tell a love story, or I get inspired by a movie, or a book, or a song that talks about a love story. And then, there are so many other things that I combine with this basic idea.

What place or city do you find inspiring? 
I still find Paris to be the most inspiring cities of all.

What is it like to be a young designer in your city/country? 
To be a designer in Serbia is still very hard. It is an economically poor country, and people still don’t believe in the culture of buying designer clothes, even though Serbia has so many talented designers. But it’s nice to know that people still like and understand my design.

KRJST

Photo Sébastien Delahaye

Today we will introduce you to the power duo behind the label KRJST. Their work is presented at the fashion show.

Hello, Justine and Erika! Please introduce yourself. Who are you? Where do you come from? What is your field of specialisation? KRJST was born in May 2012. Our brand is in the continuity of a Master’s Degree at La Cambre, in Brussels, where we met. We developed our creativity and learned to manage the different steps to create a collection, which requires endurance and dedication abilities to affirm and defend our opinions. We both are passionate about art on a more general level, and we both have different but complementary personalities. Justine has a tendency to produce more harmonious and detailed work, whereas Erika develops a more natural and experimental work. Since the establishment of our brand, some unbelievable people have joined the team; Pam Mertens, Monsieur Pimpant-Draftman and Sébastien Delahaye.

Your label is called KRJST. Where does the name come from?

The KR from Erika And the JST from Justine.

How did you two end up working together?

After we finished our scholarship at  La Cambre. Both of us were thinking what to do after graduation; how to manage ourselves, our thoughts and our beliefs, our love for art and fashion. After some pondering, many cups of coffee, we realised that we share the same ideas for the future.

Fitting at KRJST's studio

Do you have a philosophy for designing?

KRJST arises from the confrontation of different artistic visions. Indeed, we think of ourselves as a platform that invites artists with various skills and backgrounds to the dialogue. The textile and graphic research, as well as the development of innovative techniques, is KRJST's rallying point through the high-end collections of ready-to-wear for men and women. Our philosophy is to be found in the symbiosis of the elements and people who are part of KRJST’s project.

H O W L by Maria Glück

By Christoph Neumann

Maria Glück is from Bilbao, Spain, but lives in Berlin. She studied Fine Arts and specialized in sculpture. Eventually, she decided to follow the path of fashion. Her label H O W L by Maria Glück was founded in Berlin and offers menswear and womenswear with a sustainable approach. Her collection will be presented during the fashion shows, the Designer Market and the side program.

Hello Maria! What inspires you in general? 
Everything! Sometimes the most unexpected things. I guess that being so much of a city-neurotic, nature references always play a big role at the beginning of my collections. This is also because I have a great attraction to raw, basic and essential materials (not necessary textiles).

What place or city do you find inspiring? 
Any place, but I guess that where I live and work (Berlin) impregnates the character of how I work, and how my collections shape up. In any case, sometimes it’s a new thing that catches my eye, or a new book or city. But often it’s actually what is always there, day-to-day, which at some point gets all my attention as if I’d re-discover it.

Eunmi Kwon

Today we have the pleasure to introduce you to Eunmi Kwon, a designer from South Korea. Her collection will be presented during the Fashion Shows.

Hello! Where do you come from? 

I am from the Republic of Korea.

What is your field of specialisation?

Fashion Art.

Where are you based? 

I'm based in London. That's where I worked the most so far.

What inspires you in general? 

Various art exhibitions.

What place or city do you find inspiring? 

What is found behind cities.

What is it like to be a young designer in your city/country? 

Korean fashion has been doing good with business. The social environment has been getting more supportive and better, but is still relatively poor for fashion artists.

Stefanie Barz

Meet Stefanie Barz, a young fashion and costume designer from Berlin. She studied at the School of Art Berlin-Weissensee. She will be presenting her collection at the exhibition.

Audio > Vision, Stefanie Barz
Picture: Florian Penke/ Model: Dina

Hello Stefanie! What inspires you in general? 
It can be anything, but I am particularly interested in phenomena of culture and environment, so mainly people and nature. The source of inspiration is very important, as it is the starting point of my working process. I develop the whole concept around it. Theoretical aspects and thoughts are associated with pictures that provide me with ideas for the colours and the forms. My latest collection is in that sense an unusual experiment: I got inspired by music and by my favourite songs that I then transformed into fashion – seeing by listening.

STEINROHNER

Photographer: Christine Kreiselmaier

Today we introduce you to Inna and Caroline, the two lovely ladies behind the label STEINROHNER.

Hey Inna and Caroline! Please introduce yourself. Who are you? Where do you come from? What is your field of specialisation?

We are Inna Stein and Caroline Rohner our label is called STEINROHNER. We both graduated from the Art Academy Berlin Weissensee in 2013 with a Master’s Degree in Fashion Design.

Where are you based?

We are based in Berlin.

What inspires you in general?

We are inspired by old photography, movies and architecture, we both are open-minded for everything. All things can be inspiring; especially we are looking for structures in all kind of items.

What place or city do you find inspiring?

Inna: My favourite city is Istanbul, it has so many layers and different parts of the city. There is the contrast between old and new, rich and poor.  

Caroline: For me it is difficult to announce one specific place. I like the feeling of being somewhere new, to get to know a new place and be surprised.

What is it like to be a young designer in your city/country?

In Berlin it's still not too expensive to rent a studio, also you can find a big variation of shops for sewing and nice fabric stores. We have also the possibility to screen print and laser cut in our university.

What attracts you about the FASHIONCLASH platform?

We like the whole concept and also the designers, who are working very experimental and creative. We think it is something very special for the Netherlands.