Wednesday, June 11, 2008
ÁSI - designer of the week
Ási has got the whole fashion package – he is a successful designer for the Icelandic label e-label, he has done a lot of styling for different magazines and projects and his amazing illustrations have been showcased both in magazines and exhibitions.
When did you first get interested in fashion designing? It wasn’t a certain turning point in my live, the love of fashion has always been a part of me. For example when I was seven years old I lived in Sweden and was going to the movies I wore a pilot jacket and did my hair just like James Dean’s.
Where did you study? I tried a lot of things before I ended up in Arts Department in FB. I never planned to study fashion design; at first the choice was between Acting or Arts courses in Iceland Academy of the Arts (LHI). I had been making my own clothes and drawing some ideas and simply decided to apply – and suddenly I am a fashion designer. When I started in LHI the Fashion Design department was relatively new so every semester the education got better. We were lucky since many guest teachers from abroad taught us, those were designers that are already working in the field. Also, what is great about LHI is that when we apply for internship abroad the head of the department, Linda Árnadóttir, finds companies for us. This is rarely done for the students elsewhere.
I learnt incredibly much in LHI and my skills improved dramatically. I went four times as a intern, most students only go once. I worked for Martine Sitbon and Thomas Engel–Hart that are both in Paris and I went twice to ThreeAsFour in New York
Tell us about the projects that you have been working on after you graduation?
I have been able to stay very busy and working on various projects since school. I have done a lot of styling for different magazines, I made the costumes for “Who is it” video for Björk.
Last summer I showcased illustrations in Arnhem Fashion Biennale in the Netherlands with Gareth Pugh, John Galliano, Lanvin, Cassette Playa and Victor and Rolf. My illustrations have been published in a few magazines abroad, currently I am working on an editorial for a Chinese magazine. I also did the cover for the band Sometime. I did the styling and designing for Sylvia Night when she was competing in Eurovision. That was hard work indeed: photo shoots, happenings and press meetings, and the list goes on and on. During the last year I lived in Copenhagen where I was the assistant design editor for Cover, that is one of the hottest fashion magazines in Scandinavia. I have designed for the Icelandic clothing label E-label, and it has been very successful. Our latest collection sold out and our summer collection is selling out fast.
What kind of a collection is E-label? E-label is owned by Andrea Brabin and Ásta Kristjáns who also are the owners of Eskimo – the model agency. Two years ago they contacted me and told me their idea of creating a concept label, E-label, which in future will not only sell clothes but also items related to lifestyle, including vitamins, cosmetics etc. The latest collection is the second one that we design. We just got the samples for the autumn collection and we are very excited to start selling in the coming months. The concept for the clothes is that you can use them for every occasion, be it for work or partying. I am happy to state that the concept works. The catch phrase for the collection is “…for the busy life of the modern woman”. We only sell E-label on the internet, so we can lower the prices of the clothes. People outside Reykjavík are very happy being able to buy designer clothes, and have them sent straight to their door. We have also received orders from abroad, even though we haven’t advertised outside Iceland.
What´s next? I´m doing a project for the flight company Icelandic Express, where I´m making accessorize for the the flight attendants. In the middle of July, I´m having an illustration exhibition at the designer store Liborius. The exhibition is called "may hair be with you".
Then the plan is to move to London this fall and just plainly have an adventure.
Photos: Saga
Clothing from KronKron, except for the spiked cape by Arna
Arna Myspace
Ási myspace
e-label
Posted at 9:50 AM |
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