The Cube collection of the new fashion designer, Mina Lundgren, is a textile exploration into the relation between the cube shape and the body and how they can be related to each other. She has chosen to work only the shape of the cube, whose characteristics lay extremely far from the body’s and to see how these two extremes can interact. Mina Lundgren is also exploring how the static cube shape is changing when executed in different textile materials, bringing simple and complicated constructed garments together to create a unit. She talked to ozonweb for herself:
1. Tell me a little about yourself. Where are you from? What’s your educational background? What are your general professional and non-professional interests?
I’m a Swedish MA fashion student currently doing my first year. My educational background lays in both craft and in “pure” fashion orientation. I believe that these two paths have given me a unique approach to fashion. It helped me to understand that a technique or a material is not locked to a certain expression. In my work I’m interested in investigating the possibilities of shape and abstraction as a uniting factor as an approach to cultural and social expressions. I believe in the subtle characteristics of form.
My interest outside work, other than spending time with the people I love, off course in a lot of ways lays within the fashion field. For example I love spending hours in front of ebay looking for those special one off pieces.
2. What’s your favourite part about conceptualizing a design?
One of my general drives within creating fashion is in certain ways to challenge the current fashion agenda. Who decides what and why something is wearable for example. As a designer your aim is to create an expression that you believe in and use the responsibilities that come with designing.
3. Who are some of your favourite designers and what are some of your favourite clothing stores/blogs/websites/magazines/books?
I’m a big fan of Hussein Chalayan and Issey Miyake. They have both manged to challenge the fashion agenda in their own way and created unique expression in all aspects from material to form. I also like looking at street style blogs, such as Jak and Jil and The Satorialist, where fashion is taken on by everyday people. To see how people actually choose to wears clothes is both inspiring, but also important information for the designer.
4. Where do you get your inspiration and what are some of your fashion goals?
My inspiration often starts with interpreting a theory that I then apply on geometric shapes. For example, my graduate collection take start in minimalist artist Donald Judd theory about three dimensional space. My goals for the future is to eventually start my own label. It is important for me to be able to develop and strongly realize my concept for the aim of my design before starting something of my own. Until then I wish to be able to work in the industry to gain more experience and knowledge.
5.What advice do you have for aspiring fashion designers?
Don’t give up! Believe in yourself and your concept. Also don’t be afraid to take a harsh critique. Is is very hard to deal with at the moment of hearing it, but will only makes you stronger in the long run. Be wise and take the advice of people that dare to tell you the truth.
