The Cool Kids At SF1OG

SF1OG was founded on the branches of designer’s Rosa Dahl restricted creativity at university, as a sign to finally break out of the system to tell her own story. Her narrative includes a sustainable approach to using materials, sourcing deadstock fabrics while filling the pieces with emotion by incorporating family memories in her collections. One day, Dahl received a package labeled as SF1OG, Seitenflügel 1. Obergeschoss (side wing first floor), the apartment where she lived and started the label, was where the random accumulation of letters and numbers found its meaning. Since then, three years ago, the studio moved a floor up which could also have changed the name to SF2OG, but Rosa Dahl stayed true to her beginnings. Unapologetically pursuing her own vision had intrigued her business partner Jacob Langemeyer from the start, leading to a long lasting collaborative working relationship. With Rosa executing the design process while Jacob deals with the economical side, SF1OG has its own spacious showroom now – located on the ground floor.

Entering the space feels like stepping into a white box, like a crime scene without the evidence, only the traces of the latest collection named UNTITLED, which was shown in the Feuerle Collection, are seen on the wall and on rails. 

SLEEK: Can you explain the concept behind UNTITLED? 

Rosa Dahl: UNTITLED presents a colour spectrum without colour to keep the focus on the craftsmanship. I am a big fan of colour theory, every colour conveys a specific feeling, that’s also the reason I left it out and why this whole room is white; to not give away any information. 

S: How does that reflect in the materials you used?

RD: There was a dominant use of leather not only because of the luxurious aspect, but because I like the process of looking into where something is coming from and giving faulty products a new life. Highlighting the imperfections is a small challenge t have the most fun with. To incorporate a softer touch in this collection consisting of little colour and rough textiles, I used mesh which was dyed to bring some sense of flow. Curved lines and seams were inspired by wood work I did with my father when I was younger and perfectly match how I work with creating silhouettes. First, I design a classic cut and then I think about what feeling I want to bring into a clothing piece. These alterations are reflected in the shape of the trousers, the cutouts and the hem; everything is connected within each other.

S: Many consider your pieces, including this collection, as apocalyptic. Is this the effect you were aiming for?

RD: It’s very interesting that people perceive my brand as apocalyptic since it isn’t what I intend to design. More so, my pieces are about evoking emotions, just like I feel a connection to the clothes, I want the audience to do the same. This collection was about telling a story of how I got to my design approach and where and how creativity is born. But sensing something to be apocalyptic is still a strong feeling and is, after all, what I want to achieve; creating a space where people take their time to confront their thoughts instead of only consuming.

Jacob Langemeyer: Also it is a coincidence that everything takes place during the war in Ukraine. The current political and economic state does occupy our minds and probably inspires our work subconsciously. In the first collection PP1P, Rosa addressed her grandma’s flight and expulsion during World War Two, integrating part of her family history in her design. Again, conceptualising her own memories, UNTITLED draws inspiration from her childhood and handcrafting with her father, making every piece feel like a personal artefact of the past.

S: What did a day of working together with your father look like? Does it still affect your current design approach?

RD: We had this ritual every Friday of working together in his studio. Everything we used was lying around the house, mostly wool, leather or fur scraps to create an artwork, a sculpture or even jewellery. This project got the name „Wollekunst“ (wool art); a small collaboration between my dad and I. It taught me the process of investing handcraft in a seemingly useless object to turn it into something meaningful. For me, material sourcing comes before designing, it is a crucial step that decides how a piece will turn out with the main focus always being on the process and craftsmanship taking on actual form.

S: Does this work relation with your father influence how you are approaching teamwork today?

RD: I just let things happen naturally. Every person that is contributing something to SF1OG is at the same time friends with us and that will always be the case in the future. I want the people that I’m working with to also feel happy and appreciated in the process. We always talk about dreaming of having our little production in my studio, a seamstress for example. I really admire when someone is a master of their own craft.

S: When googling SF1OG, the first thing written on the search line isn’t the brand’s name, but instead “Sustainable Fashion”. You see sustainability as a priority by using deadstock and sustainable fabric. How do you approach incorporating these fabrics in a meaningful – rather than forced – way?

RD: It is again a natural process. Since design doesn’t come first, we think of sustainable materials as a starting point. Before every collection, I take a look at what possibilities and materials we can source, often it’s something I get from my family like linen or old tablecloths. Wool and leather are coming from manufacturers who sell their faulty productions at a lower cost. Considering used materials first and then starting the design process, means that sustainability is never an afterthought but instead at the forefront. 

S: How do your two other product lines align with that?

JL: Our product lines include the “Multiplied Line” und die “101 line”. The first one being upcycled or from sustainable materials made pieces, while the 101 line comprises upcycled pieces, sometimes runway pieces, that could be made to measure.

RD: We want to further continue this concept. After a show, Jacob and I always discuss which pieces are fitting to be multiplied and where we can source more of that material, since the resources aren’t endless. When designing a collection, we also consider doing something accessible besides our runway pieces which are more of a means to display my creative outlet.

JL: It is about a balance between creativity and the economic aspect, of course in correlation with sustainability. In the end, we produce pieces that should serve a purpose, something that people would love to wear all the time until it falls apart, which is actually the most sustainable way to consume clothing.

S: Since a lot of Berlin brands have left the city, for example Ottolinger, do you plan on keeping to showing your collections during Berlin Fashion Week?

JL: First, it can be said that we are extremely thankful for the exposure and support we get in Berlin. With winning the Studio2Retail Prize, it enabled us to finance all of this. Also, a lot of people are telling us that they are grateful for our work here and we’re still striving to push the fashion scene here. Still, we need to think about the bigger picture and shows internationally are definitely realistic, from both a communication and buyer point of view. 

RD: Going to Paris all of a sudden wouldn’t feel right, we barely know people there and in Berlin we have built our own circle. Of course, it would be a dream for every designer to show in Paris, but we don’t want to force it and until then we also want to bring some change. I am a strong believer in the saying “anything is possible”. Everyone thinks that Berlin Fashion Week isn’t relevant, but there is such a big fashion community here. People are so enthusiastic about our label and the support we receive is so valuable that we don’t want to lose it.

JL: I’ll have to add that we don’t associate ourselves with the official Berlin Fashion Week though. We have an off-site show and are doing our own part in participating there.

RD: Yes, it is so important for us that everything; the concept, the models, the location is from us and expresses what our brand is. A show in Berlin? Definitely yes. A predetermined Berlin Fashion Week runway? No.