Curator: Daniel Gil de Lamadrid

Stina Randestad is a Stockholm based designer who has been gaining a lot of attention recently for her unique textiles, and barrier-breaking dresses that are both futuristic and sculptural. Randestad graduated from the Swedish School of Textiles where she showed her collection that gained her international recognition from huge names in the fashion business like Vogue, and i-D Magazine. Her current collection, “Hybrids”, has everything from cotton ribbed dresses with orange hair tiering down each level of the garment like water, to an interesting cropped neon sweater that beautifully blends together ribbed cotton with holographic green textile billowing down each of the sleeves making it both eye-catching, but wearable. In her interview with VOL UP 2, Randestad talks more about her collection “Hybrids”, her thoughts on the future of the fashion industry, and what’s next for her brand.

Links:

Website: http://www.stinarandestad.com/about.html

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stinarand/

Where are you from?

I’m born in the city of Örebro in Sweden but have lived for the past 9 years in Stockholm. 

How did you get into design?

I’ve always been a crafty person, always preferring to build, draw, and make things rather than playing with the toys I had. My grandmother gave me tape for Christmas as a gift for example. My interest in clothes started with reading about historical clothes, so I started drawing and sewing copies of 18th and 19th-century clothes. 

How would you describe your style as a designer?

Sculptural, wearable, tactile

Who or what inspires your work?

I’m a fan of Hussein Chalayan and Iris van Herpen whose work is very artistic in different ways, but both develop their own technology and techniques to create garments. On the other hand of design, I also really like Walter van Beirendonck whose work is very colorful and streety in a way and that also appeals to me. 

In general, I’m attracted to color, textures, and playfulness.  

Who or what inspired your latest collection?

My collection Hybrids took off with a series of experiments trying to see if I could create my own materials by combining two different ones, creating “hybrids”. So, there were no typical inspiration behind that collection but instead built on plain dry design research. Working in this way, creating an interesting material first and then think of what sort of garment it can become, created unexpected results. 

What advice would you give others pursuing a career in fashion design?

Have fun! Fashion school is such a struggle sometimes, but the best results I’ve gotten is when I play and do what feels good. And talk to your classmates. I’ve learnt so much from the lovely people I’ve had around me in school and from friends I’ve met through the industry. I believe in inclusivity and sharing of ideas.

If you could dress anyone in the world, who would it be and why?

Björk has been on my list for a long time. My “hairy dress” ended up in Beyoncé’s music video to My Power but was worn by another artist named Busiswa, so it would be fun to actually dress The Queen sometime. I have an idea to make something really extravagant for a male artist, not sure who it would be though? 

If you could change anything about the fashion industry, what would it be and why?

The normalization of unpaid work. 

Where do you see fashion going as a result of our current times?

Well, I suppose fashion is moving into the digital space quicker now than before. Garments doesn’t have to be physically worn to be able to dress a body. I’m imagining of a future where we have gotten used to the endless possibilities of creating in a virtual space, but a fear is that we will feel disappointed by the reality - that fabrics only moves in a certain way, that there is gravity i.e.   

How do you feel about the fashion world becoming more size inclusive and how important is being size-inclusive to you?

I think it’s great! I’m a curvy person myself and I feel good when I see my body being represented in fashion. My garments have a quite inclusive fit. Many different bodies and types of persons have worn my garments. I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way, what a sad loss that would have been! 

How important is sustainable/ethically made fashion and where does that fit in terms of your own design process?

I think sustainable and ethically made fashion is very important when it’s being consumed by the masses. I have felt worried for quite some time about how to solve the sustainability question for myself and what I do. I make garments on demand for artists and the collection Hybrids I exhibit, compete with in fashion competition and lend out to photo shoots over and over. I haven’t produced anything yet and sold it commercially. I sew everything myself. It’s difficult to find sustainable fabrics in fabric stores and when you order from fabric mills directly there is usually a minimum of meters one needs to buy, and since I only do one piece I don’t need that much. 

What do you see happening next for you?

I’m making some new garments right now to put up on Instagram, so let’s see who’s interested!