Viktor Smedinge was one of six designers chosen by Cathy Edwards from the Central Saint Martins MA show for our Exclusive story, The Masters. A look from her...
Viktor Smedinge was one of six standout designers chosen by Cathy Edwards from the Central Saint Martins MA show for our Exclusive story, The Masters. A look from her collection was styled by Edwards and photographed by Ben Toms, and here the designer reveals ideas behind his inaugural collection.
Where did the idea for the circular detailing come from?
The circular detailing came from the idea of creating volume in a light way avoiding heavy fusing and bonded fabrics. I found this lapped horsehair canvas that I loved the structure and feel of and started draping it on the stand. I found that the fabric naturally stayed in the shapes of the rolls without any reinforcement and everything built from there.
Did you feel constrained working with two colours?
No. I love colour but early on I felt like I wanted my collection to have a quite rough feel. That was also what first attracted me to the main fabric, so I decided to keep it in its natural beige and not dye it. The black came along as a contrast to the canvas to further highlight the shapes and create a depth to the looks.
Does your previous work have a structural quality?
Some of it has, but not always. What I'm most interested in is the cut of a garment and the silhouette you can create with or without structural shapes.
The dresses contained shortened arcs in the front, what made you chose to put them here as opposed to the back?
Since some of the sleeves and coats are quite big and structured I balanced that with the revealing arc shaped slit at the front of the dresses; I wanted to show some skin without being too revealing.
See all the designers chosen for our Exclusive, The Masters here.
