Discover a new way of creating art with fabrics
THE ARCHIVE: How did your path towards fashion and design begin?
BENJAMIN: I was around 15 years old and had to complete an internship for my studies at school. I worked for a small fashion company and my shirt designs were selected for their new range. That small success gave me the confidence to choose fashion design as my degree and from there I learned about designing clothes and explored the potentai of fabric as an artistic medium.
TA: What was the first work of art you created using fabric?
B: Around the same time, at school, I was painting in the artroom and there was an old cleaning cloth next to me. I picked it up and squashed it straight into the painting and continued painting over it, pushing it into a three-dimesnional texture. The end result wasn’t particualrly successful, but I think that small action may have lead to bigger ideas of actually ‘painting with fabric’.
TA: How is it to work for great brands such as Givenchy, Coca-cola, etc.?
B: Each opportunity presents a new challenge and that’s by far the most interesting aspect for me.
TA: Could you tell us about the process you follow for your creations?
B: I rarely follow a set way of working – I can only describe the process as one of playing with ingredients and seeing how they can be grouped together or play off each other, especially in response to common or general perceptions, so that something fresh hopefully results.
TA: What part of this process do you enjoy doing the most?
B: The initial stage of developing different ideas and thinking as freely as posible – as if there are no limitations…as there aren’t any. I try to leave ‘the how’ until I’m fired up enough about the idea to figure that out later. The actually making process is often less enjoyable and extremly challenging…but all the more satisfying when acompleted!
TA: What inspires you?
B: The unknown and the undiscovered.
TA: What does your workplace look like?
B: A mess.
