New page: Portfolio

Check out the page I've made for my portfolio here. Like I also mention there a portfolio should always be a work in progress and so is this one.

I have waited for a long time, trying to figure out how I wanted it to look like, getting the right things and all the time I've felt like it wasn't good enough.
But not so long ago I realized that I shouldn't be satisfied. That that is not the point of a portfolio. Or anything for that matter. You can never get somewhere if you don't take the walk. You never get better if you don't practice. Being scared, intimidated or expecting yourself to be perfect will only stand in your way. So now it's out there. I am still not very happy with it, but it still feels nice. And I'll keep working on it and make it better and better and better and keep updating it again and again.

I hope this inspires you to also do whatever you dream of, take the first step, practice. And realize that you will only get to where you dream of by taking each step on the journey. 

A fashion photo shoot

I just did a photo shoot with my designs from the past year or so, some pieces much older. I wanted to get some really cool and professional pictures of my work for a portfolio. 

I am so lucky that my brother Kaare Smith is a photographer and wanted to help me with it. (Check out his website here)

I then asked my good friend Marit if she wanted to model in my clothes - I am honored to say that she felt honored. (Read her blog here) 

I had never done something like this before. Kaare also never tried to shoot for fashion, he's a journalist photographer - captures the moment in its truth. Marit had tried modelling once before some years ago, but that is not something she does either.

So all of us being pretty unexperienced we didn't really know what to expect with this shoot. I thought that would make it even more interesting, a real low-key photoshoot out in nature and in an abondoned industrial building with only rookies.

It was awesome! Everything just worked. I was kinda on the side line while Kaare and Marit worked magic.

Here's some shots from the day.

 

The quick reader might notice that the last picture is the dress I made in my bachelor project.

wrap myself in shades

New tee

I quickly made this new tee the other day. Hope you like it.

Am printing and can't stop

Am currently taking a course in Illustrator, Photoshop and PadSystems. The course is intended for people working in fashion, so it's all about making technical drawings and patterns for printing fabric. On the school they have this textile printer, and let me say it is fabulous. (something that I don't usually say, but really, it is!) It is only money that keeps me from printing and printing and printing. 
(For those of you who don't realize it, I want to point your attention to the fact that our clothes are usually not printed in this way, but in the old school silk-screen-printing way like Andy Warhol's images. It is not a printer but a person, - just the more reason to be impressed and apprecciate the work.)

I made this print, the first one that I finished, which you see being printed as the picture was taken. 

The inspiration is from water crystals, microscopic constellations in water which shape is decided depending on which thoughts are directed toward the water. You can see on the crystals how positive thoughts create completely different constellations that negative thoughts. (so be good to yourself, you are mostly water)
After a long designproces where I basically dissected pictures of water crystals I finally decided on this print. 


It will soon become a dress - well actually I plan on making two dresses, one in a sharp clean and minimalistic cut with a deep back and one to wear on top, if you feel like more adventure, which will be a much more extravagant, flowing draped dress.

 

More of

 

The post card I made for the event that was held for our bachelor projects. 

Front and back side, with text about my project on the back. 

Let's make it work, Let's spread sustainability

Some time has passed since we handed in and presented our bachelor thesis and product, and the date of our exhibition event is approaching. 

My focus throughout my degree has been the fashion industry, primarily on design and pattern making. With my strong interest in sustainability, it felt natural that my bachelor should concern sustainability in the fashion industry. I decided to create a garment that was designed to convey a message of sustainability. This was also the starting point for the written part of the project. To explore how to convey this message through clothing, it was necessary to explore what sustainability in the fashion industry really entails. In addition, I have a sociological angle on how we consume and on how we carry symbols of who we are through our clothes.

There is no specific definition of sustainability, but there are many theories that deal with how we can change our ways to produce and consume. I can conclude that there are so many ways to work with sustainability in the fashion industry that you can not work with all at once. I can mention organically produced materials, minimization of transportation, recycling, fair trade and focus on working conditions, information regarding environmentally friendly maintenance, zero-waste (this means that there is not created any waste material by pattern construction but that everything is being used in the clothing piece), multi-functional design and much more. For the same reason it is also almost impossible to call a product 100% sustainable. However, one should use as many methods as possible and make a genuine effort to protect the environment and create good working conditions.

Like Kate Flecther writes: 

Business as usual, or more to the point,

fashion as usual, is not an option.

As a fashion company I believe it important to consider sustainability but of course also the customer. The most important thing for the consumer is design, price and availability. If you want to sell sustainable products, they must therefore be attractive and beautiful. Consumers today are using clothing as part of their self-realization process and it is therefore not surprising that the design is essential when shopping.

With the dress I have made I sought to communicate a sustainable message. But based on my research, I came to realize that it is not certain that such a message would be welcomed by a buyer. There is also the possibility that symbolic value loses its deeper meaning when used in clothing context. 

Later I'll put up pics with me in the dress. It does suit me better.

bachelor under a glass bowl

Finally the paper is finished, printed and sewn in Japanese book binding style and the last chance of changing anything is up. (Which leaves me a nerve wreck, goddamn perfectiosnism)

I look up and though I'm not yet done (there's still a dress to be sewn and a presentation to prepare for) I can for a short while take a look at the world around me. I have been almost isolated with my project for the past months not spending my time doing much else but the daily yoga.

I will later on write more thouroughly about my project, which I hope you'll find interesting. For now, here's a picture of the actual paper. 

Sustainable fashion

Sustainable fashion, to change the whole way the industy works has within the past year or so become my major passion. I just started to write my bachelors paper and obviously this is what it is about. Though as you might know the subject of sustainable fashion/clothing is huge and extremely complex. In my paper I choose to focus on making my suggestion of what sustainability in the industry means - since it's a widely discussed topic and there are tons of different definitons of the concept. Also I am writing about what the concept means to the consumer today and how you can communicate a sustainable concept through a garment. I will of course tell you much more about it all, but this was a short introduction.
As part of my examination of the subject I have created a short questionnaire I'd love for you to answer and send to your friends. Find it here.

shadows

shirts og light

so pure and sweet

IVANAhelsinki

IVANAhelsinki has this summer a sailor theme going, very well put together collection. I found these two pieces the coolest. The black one has embroidered loose chains sewed onto it, and this white one abve is made entirely of rope, I'd assume it's more a show piece than something to wear since it's very heavy.
I also love the logo, though I don't think it matches so well with this collection as the logo represents something closer to nature than red/white and blue/white stripes sailor style.

A trees memories from the roskilde festival

Think..

Another part of the theme reduce, reuse, recycle. These necklaces are made of old bike tires. Unfortunetly I can't say the same about the chains used.

idle...

Picture from a random street in Bruxelles. I love the big letters. 

I have been quite idle on this blog for quite a while now. Have no specific reason why that is, it has just not been on my mind to post whenever I had the time. Even if I do have pics to share on this space. Probably, I can say, that it won't be long til' the next one..

Floors of Bruxelles

(And I don't care that the correct English way of spelling Bruxelles is Brussels, Bruxelles is just much better)
I've just come home from an absolutely wonderful trip to Bruxelles and London. And I believe I've especially fallen in love with Bruxelles.

These floors are part of the impression of a style I found inspiring. Every place you walk into has it's own unique floor decorations, all seem inspired from something like a mix of old greek history and l'art nouveau. Simply marvellous!
I fell in love with these floors as I did in the architecture of the little streets filled with history and memories from hundreds of people living there or walking the streets through history.
I think it's the perfect mixture of old meticulously made buildings, decay, and new subcultures being embraced (charming in spite of or maybe because of the occasional and unpleasant smeel of pee from street corners). Maybe that impression is what I get after just being in Bruxelles for only five days, maybe it would also be what I'd get if I lived there for a longer period. Who knows.

Trapped Balloons

Walls of Stockholm

Somewhere in Östermalm you might come across this beautiful wall full of personality. I wish they did it like that today...

Paper sewing kit

I don't know if doing this as preparation for making a sewing bag to sit on a belt is normal or if it is procrastination, when I should be working on this project, that I actually find really interesting, since I've planned it myself...