Tag: fashion
LITTLE STYLE :: Sweaters and Skirts
You know the best thing about these two outfits? Both sweaters and both skirts were bought at different thrift stores…each during separate shopping trips…across three different states.
DESIGNER SPOTLIGHT :: A Conversation with Minor Edition
If you’re a creative individual, there’s a temptation to imagine other creatives relaxing on Eames chairs in spacious studios Β — while you work late into the night at your kitchen table. Β Of course, this perception is far from reality. In this week’s installment ofΒ Conversations with Designers, Ipshita Chatterjee ofΒ Minor Edition keeps it real with talk of chaos, balance, and how she turns roadblocks into inspiration.
Image Credit: Minor Edition SS12
Walk me through your creative process — I guess you could call this the “Which came first, the chicken or the egg?” question. Do you have a finished product in mind from the start, and then execute a series of steps to achieve this? Or do the ideas evolve and take life as you go through the creative process?
The entire design process evolves very slowly. I have a sketchpad (and lots of papers everywhere) where I sketch designs, as and when Iβm inspired. They are usually quite messy with a thousand tiny ideas scribbled alongside. When I sit down to actually create a collection, it starts with a theme. I re-visit those sketches with the eye of a critique, and source the fabric samples in various colours. I sew a dummy of the dresses and try them on my (now five year old) daughter. Her feedback is very important to me. The final designs come to life in due course.
At one time or another, all creatives experience that “hitting a brick wall” feeling, where the ideas just stop. How do you deal with creative slumps and roadblocks?
I love creative slumps and roadblocks as long as there is no next minute deadline. They are a very good opportunity to take a break, whether it is just a long walk or a day off, it allows me to think things over and return recharged. Last week, I spent one day crocheting a scarf, tidying up and meeting a friend for coffee. This cleared my head and helped me with a few decisions the next day.
Let’s talk trends. How do trends impact your design experience?
Trends did not impact much in the current collection. They were inspired from my own childhood and the dresses my mum made for me. Minor Edition was born out of the need to provide something unique and different in terms of colour and design.
Minor Edition’s headquarters are your kitchen table and your studio/your daughter’s playroom. How do you maintain a sense of balance?
Life is a bit chaotic and I wonder if there is a sense of balance. In theory I am very organised and compartmentalised. In reality, I am in one hand, answering the phone while shoving the toys in one corner with my other hand, completely for health and safety reasons. I do make sure that I clean the kitchen the night before and put away breakfast bowls before the school drop off. My studio doubles up as a playroom and it works quite well. Luckily, I have managed to convince my daughter not to touch them. She has her own little stash of pink and dotty fabrics to play with, if I work when sheβs around. Working late at night is a regular thing for me. Glad I love what I do.
What does collaboration look like for Minor Edition? What path does the fabric take on its journey to become a finished garment, and how many people are involved?
Minor Edition collaborates with two other ladies who are based overseas. They are mums of little girls themselves and share my passion of pretty dresses for little girls. These two lovely ladies run their own companies employing a few people and in their own workshop. They are the people behind the scene who translate my design into pretty little dresses.
What’s the one piece of advice you’d give to fellow creatives?
Enjoy what you do and work really hard.
Minor EditionΒ | on Twitter | on Facebook
HANDMADE :: Fox Hat
And with this hat, the cobbler’s child has shoes ;)
DESIGNER SPOTLIGHT :: A Conversation with Lithuanian Childrenswear Designer Mummymoon
It’s time for another installment ofΒ Conversations with Designers! My aim with this series is to inspire and encourage fellow creatives — and either introduce you to talented people you might not have otherwise met, or help you get to know your favorite creatives even better.
Today, we’re talking to Ieva from the gorgeous brandΒ MummymoonΒ about the clothing business she runs alongside VΔjΕ«ne.Β Ieva lets us take a peek at her creative process, and shares how she’s influenced by her children, the country of Lithuania, and trends — or the lack thereof.
Welcome, Ieva! Let’s talk about your clothing brand. What prompted you to start Mummymoon?
Boredom. I am very active in nature, I have to be busy 12 hours a day β it makes me feel complete. After I had my first baby, when I got used to being a mother, I came to realize that I struggle with just being at home all the time. As she got older, I found it difficult just being at home or playing outside with my daughter. I started to express myself here. I always wondered what I would do when my children get older. Maybe back to making films, or interior designing or even photography? But it happened, when another life was growing inside me, I felt a desire to start sewing and making clothes for little people. It was only one example of this kind of business in Lithuania at the time β MUKU, so it was hard to imagine it will grow into something big one day. It was more like a hobby for me, a way to express myself. However, looking back now, we have our distributors and agent in Korea, Japan, have a little shop in the capital of Lithuania β Vilnius. We have teamed up with other 6 designers and opened a YΓ©YΓ© store in Paris. So I can firmly say β donβt be afraid to dream as dreams come true!
Nuobodulys. Esu begalo veikli, turiu buti uzimta aper diena 12 val. ir tik tada jausiu pilnatve. Kai atsirado pirmas vaikas, kai apsipratau su motinos role ir supratau, kad paagus dukrai man darosi anksta buti vien tik namuos ir lauke kartu su vaiku – emiausi realizuoti save cia. Iki to laiko masciau, kur eisiu, kai vaikai paaugs. Ar atgal prie kino, ar prie interjeru, ar..fotografija? Bet taip nutiko, kad pastojus ir pradejus glausti pilvelyje antraji vaikuti Rapola – mane kazko pradejo traukti siuvimas ir mazuju rubeliu kurimas. Lietuvoje tokio verslo pavyzdziu buvo tik vienas – MUKU, tad buvo ganetinai nedrasu svajoti apie kazka daugiau, nei hobis. Bet siuo metu mes turime distributorius Korejoje bei Japonijoje, turim parduotuvele Lietuvos sostineje Vilniuje, bei kartu su 6 dizaineriais ikureme Paryziuje YΓ©YΓ© store. Tad…reziumuoti galiu drasiai, kad svajoti reikia! Svajones pildosi!
Walk me through your creative process — I guess you could call this the “Which came first, the chicken or the egg?” question. Do you have a finished product in mind from the start, and then execute a series of steps to achieve this? Or do the ideas evolve and take life as you go through the creative process?
Sometimes the egg comes first, sometimes the chicken. Creation is like life, it falls into how you live the time. Our creative process is based on our childrenβs moods or if we simply have time to create or not. It might not sound very interesting but you would not like to hear a fake, made up story, would you?
You can never know how one or the other item of clothing, a detail, a shade will come into life. I always sit down with a pencil and a piece of paper when I get a chance. The desire to create…it is always there, it never goes away. Sometimes I get angry with myself for not making more time for this but I want to give myself to my children first and then to other part of my life β mummymoon.
Kartais nuo kiausinio, kartais nuo vistos. Kuryba kaip ir gyvenimas. Kiekvieno susidelioja taip, kaip pats gyveni. Musu gi – viskas pagal vaiku nuotaika. Yra ar nera laiko. Skamba labai neidomiai, bet ar jus norit pagrazintos istorijos?:)
Niekada negali zinoti, kaip atsiras vienas ar kitas rubas. Viena ar kita detale. Vienas ar kitas pustonis. Sedu prie popieriaus ir piestuko kai tik yra tam laiko. O noro…jo yra visada, jis niekur nedingsta, kartais pykstu ant saves, kad nepasidarau jo daugiau, bet norisi atsiduoti vaikams, o tik tada savo gyvenimo kitai pusei – mummymoon. Continue reading “DESIGNER SPOTLIGHT :: A Conversation with Lithuanian Childrenswear Designer Mummymoon”
Babiekins Magazine: in Stores October 9th!
It’s alllllmost here…the very first print issue of Babiekins Magazine!
Cover photo: Kelly Roper Photography
The issues are en route from the warehouses as I type this, and will be sold in every single Barnes & Noble store in the US, beginning Tuesday, October 9th.
In the US, you can also check Books-A-Million and Stater Bros. If you’re in the UK, copies are available online at Lapin & Me; in Brasil, Supersoniko, and in France, D’Arthur Γ ZoΓ©.
I’m particularly thrilled about a little piece I wrote on my childhood in the former Yugoslavia, and about some photographs the wildy talented Deb Schwedhelm shot of Aveline and I. (I’ve had to keep that a secret since April.)
There’s lots more, of course; each page is bursting with fresh content from dozens of incredibly talented people. (And did I mention how proud I am of our Editor-in-Chief for including a verse in her Editor’s Note?) Oh, I can’t wait for you to see it!
So, here’s the thing. I’m hoping to see the entire stock SOLD OUT. Wanna help me do that? :) You can find Babiekins Magazine in the fashion section of the magazine rack.
DESIGNER SPOTLIGHT :: A conversation with Swedish children’s clothing designer Anna Nordqvist of Lobilo
Today (Happy Friday!) I’m delighted to share a chat I recently had with Anna Nordqvist, the designer behind the Swedish children’s brand Lobilo.
Anna, I’m so happy to talk to you about your clothing brand! When did you first get the idea to start Lobilo?
Anna: The idea started when my daughter was about two years old. She, as many other children, was very decisive with what she wanted to wear: only clothes with prints. I did not really liked the ones I found in stores, so I started at first to hand paint on some of her clothes. She liked them, and so did many others, and that is how Lobilo was born.
I’m curious, is there a story behind the name Lobilo? What does it mean?
Anna: ItΒ΄s actually a secret…but I guess I can tell ;) I tried to teach my husband to say “I love you” in Russian. But he could not say it correctly, instead he said “Lobilo”, and it become our way to say “I love you”.
That’s so great! I always enjoy hearing what goes into a name.Β
You describe Lobilo as “play, love, and a lot of fantasy”. I see the playfulness — how did the concept of fantasy influence the autumn collection?
Anna: I guess fantasy is in everything I do. Ever since I was a little girl, I have always been very imaginative and I think I still am. Childrenβs imagination is so fantastic and it is something that should be encouraged. The autumn collection is called “Secret Friend”; the influence is from the children’s book and movie The Secret Garden (written by Frances Hodgson Burnett). The children in this story keep a lot of secrets and the story is very inspiring for your imagination. I hope that the prints on my clothes can do the same: inspire children to fantasize more.
Can you share your design process? What inspires you as you design clothes, and where do you get your ideas?
Anna: Before I start to design a collection I go and think about it for weeks, but the time to sit down and draw it never seems to come. So when I do have the time, the collection is almost already finished. In this collection, the shapes on the designs are inspired from the clothes that are worn in the movie mentioned above. The one thing that takes the most time is the prints…I do them over and over again.
I get inspired of a lot of things that I see around me like art, movies and sometimes even things like dust ;) You never know when the inspiration will hit you. But something that is very important for me in the process and that inspires me are feelings. What I mean by that, is, for example — for this collection secrets are a main issue, and how it makes you feel to keep a secret, and share a secret with someone.
Oh, it’s been so fun getting to know more about Lobilo. Where can readers purchase your clothes?
Anna: At Lilla Mode. They ship worldwide, and soon Lobilo will open its own web shop.
Thanks, Anna! Readers, check out these links — and head over to Lobilo’s Facebook page to leave Anna a comment!
LITTLE STYLE :: Elsewhere today…
You can find me on the Babiekins blog today, talking about Hanbi from down under. How cute is Melina’s little pose?
P.S. Did you miss Henri’s Walk to Paris and β Kik-kid?
The Oaxacaborn Blog 