Laura: jacket by Bobby Kolade, “cigarette pants” by Anna Bornhold. Su: turtleneck by Wood Wood, trousers by Weekday.
Photography: Wilkosz & Way Styling: Veronika Dorosheva
Hair & Makeup: Alicja Wilkosz using MAC Cosmetics Models: Laura Winter at Seeds and Su Maier at Izaio
An innovative exploration of textiles secured Anna Bornhold the prestigious Chloé prize in 2015. The German designer not only has creative solutions for classic design pieces but also a pretty healthy sense of humour. Some of her most curious designs include “carrot pants” and “cigarette pants” which look gorgeously similar to the things they’re named after. Bornhold’s award-winning look as well as her collection “Fashion Imitation” were produced out of a special textile that the designer developed herself. The textile is made of single threads stitched onto a porter fabric. Using this special fabric she created garments that look like iconic fashion design pieces such as classic Levi’s 501 jeans, Dr. Martens boots, Birkenstock shoes, or Converse chucks. “To me, the act of imitation is significant,” she says. “I am consciously imitating everyday classic clothing through high manual effort in order to highly value the characteristics of everyday occurrences.” This way, Bornhold’s collection applies a Baudrillardian slant to the fashion industry with the imitation and the copy. We talked to the designer to find out more about her collection and design approach, and the meaning of fashion.
Sleek: What is your fashion background?
Anna Bornhold: I come from the north of Germany, I started off by studying art and then, in 2009, I switched to fashion. I graduated with a BA in fashion design from the University of Hannover. In April 2015 I earned a master’s degree at the school of art in Bremen. Before, during and after my studies I did several internships in art and social institutions.
Left: jeans by Anna Bornhold. Right: “carrot pants” by Anna Bornhold, transparent top by Weekday
Left: Laura: jacket by William Fan, socks by Weekday, “chucks” by Anna Bornhold. Su: blazer by WE Fashion, socks by Weekday, chucks by Converse. Right: Su: lace-up boots and knitted sport socks by Anna Bornhold.
Left: “cigarette pants” by Anna Bornhold. Right: blazer by Bobby Kolade.
You won the Chloé award at the festival in Hyères in 2015. Did you expect it or was it a surprise for you?
It was a very pleasant surprise for me. I didn’t expect it at all, because not just me, but all of award nominees created a wonderful Chloé outfit in their own personal way. For my Chloé look I wanted to create an image of effortlessness and easiness: something that is easy to put on and easy to do.
What is so special about your collection in terms of fabric, silhouettes and shapes? What was your design approach?
I think what is so special about my collection is the idea behind it, the humour (the irony that is expressed throug design) and the textile. The silhouettes are rather classic, so technically there is not much groundbreaking in the design. But the story behind each outfit is what actually makes the collection so special. The design process was very intuitive and inspired by personal ideas, thoughts and questions. For instance, I asked myself why a certain silhouette is called „cigarette pants“ even though it doesn’t resemble a lighted cigarette at all.
It was very important for me to develop my own textile rather than to buy one. I see myself rather as a storyteller than as a fashion designer. The story behind each outfit is very important for me. I want to be able to explain why a certain garment from my collection looks the way it looks. A standard answer such as “because it’s sexy” wouldn’t be satisfying for me.
Bottom: “jeans” by Anna Bornhold, shoes by Frisur. Top: original Levi’s 501 jeans, boots by Dr. Martens.
On left: “denim” vest by Anna Bornhold. On right: hat by Soulland, turtleneck by Wood Wood, “spacesuit” jumpsuit by Anna Bornhold, boots by Dr. Martens.
How did you come up with this innovative textile technique that you used to create your garments?
Well, everything started with me having too many yarns on the reels: they were not enough for sewing, but they were too many to be thrown away. I just started to play around with yarn. This is something I love the most: to do something without knowing where it goes and to hope that at the end it all comes together and it turns to a nice story.
How do you see the future of fashion? How will the fashion industry evolve in the next decades? Personally I believe in sharing! We have to share knowledge, ideas and skills to break the mould.
Interview by: Veronika Dorosheva