28 year-old designer Stine Riis is the winner of H&M’s first fashion design contest. The Dane’s collection “Decadence & Decay” convinced the jury (including designer Christopher Kane and British journalist Hilary Alexander) with its clear cuts and interesting combinations of luxurious fabrics.
Starting this upcoming fall, 15 of her designs will be on sale at H&M, and along with a monetary prize of 50,000 Euro, Riis is a promising newcomer off to a good start. Sleek caught up with Stine in Berlin.
Sleek: What did you do before you studied fashion in London?
Stine Riis: I took a two-year course in design technology. It mixed the business side with technology and fashion. It’s good if you want to start your own business as you get an idea of running a fashion label. We learnt all the computer and PR skills we needed but after the degree I noticed that I really love to use my creative side so I decided to focus on that. That’s why I moved to London.
Did you like London?
I enjoyed London a lot. I still miss it. I came back to Copenhagen because my boyfriend still lives there and when you want to start your own brand it is easier to be at home. It’s cheaper to rent a studio there and I get support from my family. That’s really something you need when you work so many hours. I’d like to move back to London one day, but I think right now I’m trying to focus on Denmark and then I’ll see what happens.
When did you realize that fashion design was what you wanted to do?
At a very young age. From the age of three my mom let me decide on what to wear so that I wouldn’t put up a fight every morning. I watched a lot of fashion movies, bought magazines and always drew clothes.
What was the process behind the collection that won the H&M award?
It was my graduate collection. I was thinking a lot about me as a new designer, coming into this industry and how I want to portray myself. I was looking at two artists: Robert Morris and Donald Judd. They focused on the materials they used. It should be an object for the viewer and not for the artist. So I tried to take that idea and put it into my collection by using good quality fabrics for example. It was really important that it was wearable and not just a crazy idea. I was looking at different materials that change over time like metals that go rusty. That’s where my color inspiration came from. But also I wanted to design something that could last more than just one season because I prefer to wear my clothes for years. I tried to do some sort of classic design but in a more modern way. I am always looking at men’s wear and tailoring.
Would you want to do men’s wear?
At the beginning I thought I would design men’s wear. I applied at Central St. Martins but didn’t get in. I used a year to re-do my portfolio and realized that the female body is so much more interesting to work with. As a designer it’s good to have an idea how it feels to wear the clothes you design. It’s just so much easier to design that way. A lot of my garments are unisex. My jackets could easily be worn by men as well.
You use a lot of different fabrics…
I’m constantly collecting fabrics. I found some in Copenhagen and some in London. I would go to fabric stores once a week. It’s a constant development. When you are starting up you can’t just order from Italy because the quantities are too small. I just go around and look. Often I get my ideas from the fabrics, colours, combinations of colours and textures. Looking for fabrics is an ongoing inspiration trip.
Your designs combine the futuristic and the traditional. How do you do about doing that?
I always have something old and new in my inspiration. For the new collection I’m looking at John Chamberlain the artist. He did sculptures of old automobiles. They look like they stand still but are in motion. Then I’m looking at issues of Vogue Paris from the 1930s for jackets. It’s how I choose my inspirations. I’ve collected my own small library and folders of images.
Does being Danish go into your work as well? And if so, how?
I definitely have a Scandinavian aesthetic. It’s quite minimalist and always concerned with quality. But then living in London for three years has influenced me too. I remember when I thought how everything is so fake, ugly and dirty there. After a while I learnt to love it and now I love to mix the two. I find the contrast between the really polished and clean with the more gritty interesting. At the beginning I didn’t get the London aesthetic…why do people want to look so ugly? Then you learn to love it and now I think Danish people all look the same and all dress the same. I miss London’s versatility.
How did your participation with the H&M competition come about?
They emailed asking me if I want to participate in the first UK round. They were at my graduate show but at that point I had no idea about the award.
What would you have done if that hadn’t happened?
I would have applied for jobs. I always wanted to start my own fashion label but I think that winning the award gave me the courage to just jump into it straight away. Meeting Christopher Kane and Hilary Alexander and them telling me that what I’m doing is quite good meant a lot and gave me the confidence to try and pursue a career of my own.
Interview by Grashina Gabelmann
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