Text by Kasia Bobula
How old are you?
23
How long have you been designing?
For about four years.
Where are you based?
I live in Paris at the moment.
Why menswear?
It’s a gut feeling.
What inspires you at the moment?
Live footage of the Sisters of Mercy, Zao Wou-Ki’s paintings, Vintage issues of L’Uomo Vogue, vintage Versace, Amy Arbus’ book of 80s New York street fashion, Panorama bar in Berlin, Dana International and Diana Vreeland.
What was the inspiration of your last collection?
I was looking at the use of light in Spanish artist Eduardo Chillida’s work and also in Rothko’s paintings and was fascinated by the way they create darkness, and by the profound feeling of purity that emanates from it. Then I felt the same thing looking at Janine Gordon’s moshpits photographs, this really simple, raw, close to spiritual quality. I’m fascinated by skin heads, metal heads, ravers and other subcultures for the kind of rawness that their lifestyle exudes. So this was the emotion I articulated the collection around. That and the beautiful Kuwaiti oil fires images from Werner Herzog’s film Lessons Of Darkness. I used the Sisters of Mercy for the soundtrack. I used a lot of textured leathers where different shades fluidly mix into each other creating smoked or dusted surfaces. I played with the idea of bondage becoming part of the architecture of the garment. I used organza, a very feminine fabric, for its translucent quality because I think it adds something sensual.
Have you worked for any other designers in the past?
At the moment I’m working at Louis Vuitton menswear.
What was your favourite outfit from your youth?
I probably had every possible style as a teenager but I went to private schools with rather strict dress codes. Oddly, the uniforms and Ivy school-type clothes I had to wear left a deeper scar than the raver/punk outfits I’d wear on the weekend. I kind of dress like an old man.
What are your plans now?
At the moment I’m working at Vuitton menswear while doing my personnal stuff. I think it’s important to see and learn how this industry works. The Royal Academy is great to develop a creative process and an artistic identity but it’s like living in a fantasy world where we can design anything without thinking of the outside world. The industry is almost a taboo there, no one ever speaks of it, the idea of designing desirable clothes for actual costumers is completely repressed by a fear of loosing a drop of originality.
What is your dream job?
If I got to collaborate with a lot of interesting people on exciting projects I’d be happy.
Can we buy your collection anywhere? If so, where?
My menswear collection is available at RA Antwerp, a new concept store Romain Brau and Anna Kushnerova just opened in Antwerp.
Are you involved in any outside projects in other fields?
Honestly I wish I had the time to do more, it’s awful to feel like there’s no time in your life anymore for improvisation and spontaneity. What I’d love to get involved in again is film.
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