Q&A

SHOWstudio: How would you define your aesthetic?
Sandra Backlund: My clothes are often sculptural, but I also put a lot of time into the finish and fit. I like to consciously dress and undress parts of the body; I am really fascinated by all the ways you can highlight, distort and transform the natural silhouette with clothes and accessories. I cannot stand the whole “what is in” and “what is not” conversation, and I do not design with the purpose to please everyone. People in general should be more self-governed when it comes to fashion.

How would you describe your creative approach?
With the human body and traditional handicraft techniques as the main starting point, I improvise to discover ideas of shapes and silhouettes that I could never come to think about in my head. I do not sketch, instead I work with a three dimensional collage method where I develop some simple bricks that I multiply and attach to each other until they become a garment. I allow myself to loose control and try to be aware of any mistakes and ideas along the way that can bring me beyond what I knew before. One garment breeds the next one and in the end the collection is like a three dimensional mind map.

What is the most challenging aspect of design?
I don’t like the way mass production, mass consumption and making fast and big money is poisoning modern fashion, but I don’t think it is possible to solve anything by just being rebellious. You need to focus more on how to exploit both the positive and negative aspects in a creative way to get somewhere. In the beginning it is also important to try not to worry so much about what other people might expect from you and instead spend a lot of time experimenting on your own to find out what you like and what you are good at. I think that many concentrate too hard on just living up to the image of being a new fashion designer, instead of actually working as one.