Steffie Christiaens Interview

___What is the one sentence that describes what fashion means to you?

A journey to find something new, an eternal search that is never ful-filled.

___If you could design anything else other than fashion, what would it be?

I would like to design a building to explore shapes and design in relation to the wider space around the human form.

___How do you feel about experimental fashion as art as compared to the fashion necessary to produce for commercial success?

It’s natural that I feel more excited to work on experimental pieces, but I also like to challenge the commercial possibilities. I like to make people recognize something experimental in the simplest of things.

___ What is your overall approach to design?

I always start with a concept, with a process that starts most of the time with research using vintage garments combined with an energy source that has the power to change them in different ways, such as wind, water or heat. By re-imagining these archetypes of clothing with this force, I capture the coincidence by taking pictures. Those pictures are my starting point to work on new silhouettes, lines and fabric directions.

___What are your future goals in fashion?

To build a strong and thriving business so that I can continue to realize interesting projects and collections without restrictions and to be self-sufficient.

___Where is the most unique or surprising place you have been inspired for materials or patterns?

I was hugely influenced by an abandoned industrial island I visited in St. Petersburg, Russia. There was an amazing energy, with all sorts of strange creative, passionate people engaged in all manner of unexpected activities. There were dramatic contrasts of isolation and togetherness, an ebb and flow of energy.

___What kind of woman/man do you design for the most?

I design for people who are independent and can interpret their own style through each piece—not an army of clones. They are artistic and strong.