WHEN DID YOU FIRST BECOME INTERESTED IN FASHION?

I was 16.

WHAT IS YOUR DESIGN BACKGROUND?

I studied at Beckmans College in Stockholm, then assisted at Whyred, going on to Acne and Tiger of Sweden where I designed menswear.

WHERE DO YOU SEEK INSPIRATION?

Art, architecture and street fashion.

WHAT ARE YOUR OPINIONS ON ORIGINALITY IN FASHION DESIGN?

Originality comes with a free mind.

DO YOU RELATE YOUR LIFE EXPERIENCES TO YOUR DESIGN WORK?

I think design work makes an impact on life experience, designing for me is a way of life. It is my day to day life and my long term goals.

WHO  HAS BEEN THE BIGGEST SUPPORT IN YOUR DESIGN CAREER?

My boyfriend.

HOW DO YOU SEE THE FUTURE FOR INDEPENTENT DESIGNERS?

Access to the global market is growing which offers opportunity for small businesses. This creates new challenges such as creative marketing.

HOW DO YOU MEASURE SUCCESS?

In happiness and in creative goals.

WHAT WAS THE LAST ART SHOW YOU WENT TO?

Åsa Cederquists “Vo-ca-bu-la-ry” at Wetterling Gallery in Stockholm.

WHAT WAS THE LAST TRACK YOU LISTENED TO?

Paul Kalkbrenner “Sky and Sand”

WHAT WAS THE LAST GIG YOU WENT TO?

Lykke Li.

WHAT WAS THE LAST FILM YOU WATCHED?

Men Who Hate Women.

Photographer: Amy Troost
Stylist: Alastair McKimm
Hair: Bok-Hee / Streeters
Make Up: Sil Bruinsma / Streeters
Model: Meg McCabe / Marilyn
Stylist Assistants: Zara Zachrisson & Michael Vendola

Alexander McQueen was a huge inspiration to so many of us. I was always drawn to his fearless and confrontational approach, and his shows were the most emotionally provoking I had ever experienced. He will be remembered as a fearless designer with extraordinary talent, and as someone who pushed the boundaries of fashion to the very limit.

WHEN DID YOU FIRST BECOME INTERESTED IN FASHION?

There was never really a moment when I discovered fashion or design,
it all sort of evolved. I was always in art classes as a kid and then
theater and dance, where I became interested in costume design.
Everything kind of merged into one and took off. Although, I remember
I started paying attention because I loved the Gucci Fall 2003
campaign.

WHAT IS YOUR DESIGN BACKGROUND?

I attended three colleges, Maryland College of Art, Parsons New York
and Parsons Paris.

WHERE DO YOU SEEK INSPIRATION?

It really depends, sometimes I try to start from a conceptual
standpoint but it can also be just as simple as a book.  I think it’s
important to be personal but keep some humor. For example, some
inspirations have ranged from Oscar Wilde poetry to Disney cartoons.

WHAT ARE YOUR OPINIONS ON ORIGINALITY IN FASHION DESIGN?

It’s a tricky line.  I remember my first year painting class, my
teacher said that if you liked what someone next to you was doing,
steal it! because no matter how you try it will never turn out the
same, and that’s the beauty. Some of the best self taught artists
started by copying the masters, but in fashion crowds are so quick to
jump on a reference or accuse an individual of copying.  I think the
most important thing is that the intention behind the design is
genuine.

DO YOU RELATE YOUR LIFE EXPERIENCES TO YOUR DESIGN WORK?

I think it’s hard not to. I think I’m extremely sensitive to my
surroundings and when looking back I can notice how it shaped the
result. I try to continue to draw and paint because it’s easier to
work out personal things, there needs to be a some kind of line drawn
when designing clothing because the goal is to have someone want to
wear it, even if it’s very small.

WHAT WAS THE LAST ART SHOW YOU WENT TO?

I just went to the contemporary museum in Montreal, but the last
exhibition I saw that I really loved was the Francis Bacon
retrospective

WHAT WAS THE LAST TRACK YOU LISTENED TO?

Home by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros.

WHAT WAS THE LAST GIG YOU WENT TO?

Deer Tick at Bowery Ballroom.

WHAT WAS THE LAST FILM YOU WATCHED?

Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants…2

Raised in Southern California, menswear designer Joel Knörnschild has put his passport into heavy rotation, residing in Florence, where he studied art, Innsbruck, Austia, and Tokyo, among other places. Joel named his clothing line, K.Z.O., after his expat Japanese grandfather, Kazuo Iwasaki. The conceptual conceit behind his collections is equally reverent, reinterpreting the narrative logic and dramatic mood of film and music into clothing that has the same here, there and everywhere sophistication of its creator. Here, we speak to Joel about his take on contemporary fashion.

Alastair McKimm: When did you first become interested in fashion?

Joel Knörnschild: I think that fashion and the creative spirit go hand-in-glove.  There isn’t one exact moment that I can say was a monumental “light-bulb” experience….Well, maybe the time I got in trouble days shy of my 16^th birthday by the department of labor for working a job as quality assurance under-age at a sewing contractor in Los Angeles.  That may qualify as a defining moment…

AM: What is your design background?

JK: Growing up in the mist of Southern California’s fashion surfwear business.  I can remember working for my Dad in the late ‘80s in the production room for a $1 an hour.  Where were you then Department of Labor?  Also found the happy medium of creating environments and working with bands by directing music videos for musicians in the US and Japan.

AM: What is your opinion on originality in fashion?

JK: The possibilities of originality in fashion design are endless; the designer’s point-of-view is the engine of a specific brand or fashion house. I look at what Jun Takahashi from Undercover is doing. He does a pant that in its most basic form has two legs, but is also has a really strong point of view.  I see Jun in every piece he creates.

AM: What was the last track you listened to?

JK: Department of Eagles “No One Does it Like You,” Beach House “Master of None,” and Neil Young “Cripple Creek Ferry.”

AM: What was the last gig you went to?

JK: Grizzly Bear with Beach House at the Palladium and Daniel Lanois playing with Brian Blade at the Troubadour.

AM: What was the last film you watched?

JK: Where the Wild Things Are. It was melancholy but I loved the social dynamic of the monsters and “King” Max.  Like Rodney King said, “Can’t we all just get along?” The scene where Max is poking his head through the miniature world created by Carol was mind-blowing.

Known for iconic t-shirts and a nihilist-chic aesthetic that directly mirrors downtown New York’s perennial infatuation with paradise lost, Obesity and Speed have perfected a style that eschews luxury for uncompromising independence. Creating men’s and women’s collections, partners Luz Olko and Josh Conner ransack punk America to create looks that highlight a degenerate take on elegance. Here, we speak to them about their creative inspirations.

Alastair McKimm: When did you first become interested in fashion?

Lyz Olko and Josh Conner: One thing just led to another, I don’t think there was a direct interest in “fashion”, but more a redirection of interests in other things.  It is another medium of making things that are specific to “us”.

AM: Do you relate life experiences to your design work?

L&J: Yes, because what we make is derived from our interests and influences, which we’ve found through our personal experiences. We also experience new things every day which in turn influences what we are making at that time.  It’s nice to be able to change, and grow.

AM: Who has supported your career and creativity the most?

L&J: The biggest support in our design career (other than how much we rely on each other) has been our friends, who are our family. They are everything to us.

AM: How do you see the future of independent design?

L&J: In the future cities will become deserts. Roads will become battlefields. Mad Max.

AM: How do you measure success?

L&J: Dot. Dash. Don’t Crash.

AM: What was the last track you listened to?

L&J: When we first met, almost ten years ago, we made each other mix tapes. Here is a song selection from each. (some of these are from memory, I listened to mine so much the tape finally snapped after 5 years.)

From Josh to Lyz:

The Cure: Lovesong
L7: Shitlist
Patti Smith: Rock and Roll Nigger
Dusty Springfield:
Misfits: Bullet and She
Minor Threat: Filler
Siouxsie: Peekaboo
The Ramones: Judy is a Punk
Nico: These Days

From Lyz to Josh:

Bikini Kill: Rebel Girl
Nick Drake: Pink Moon
Minor Threat: I don’t Wanna Hear it
Misfits: Hybrid Moments
Dinosaur Jr: Feel the Pain
Lush: Ladykiller
The Cure: In Between Days
Cat Power: Cross Bones Style
The Buzzcocks: Ever Fallen in Love

AM: What was the last gig you went to?

L&J: Patti Smith

AM: What was the last film you watched?

L&J: We watch a few films every day, but here’s the last up to the minute one (and a favorite): Another State of Mind.

A true new talent, American designer Michelle Copelman graduated from Parsons School of Design in New York a scant 5 months ago. Quick on the rise, her design sensibility blends a “yes, please” take on color with an eye for how creative young women in New York want to look (original but not daffy, classic but not kitsch, etc.). Here, she speaks with Alastair McKimm about her process and practicality.

Alastair McKimm: When did you first become interested in fashion?

Michelle Copelman: I believe I was 3 or 4 and I used to cut up my clothes and ask my mom to help me sew new ones for my baby dolls.

AM: Where do you seek inspiration?

MC: It’s always something new but it starts with a mood, something emotional that drives the collection. I’m always drawn to eccentric and powerful women; they become part of my vision and me. The collection starts to tell a story and I am just here to create it.

AM: What are your opinions on originality in fashion design?

MC: My first day at Parsons Tim Gunn told a crowd of eager freshmen, “You are not here to reinvent the wheel.” That being said, everything has been done, but true originality comes when you put your own twist on things, when you represent your own style, that’s originality. Only you can be you.

AM: Do you relate your life experiences to your design work?

MC: Of course, how could it not? Everything and everyone who surrounds me has an influence on my work and me, but I always keep my philosophy and vision in mind. I would never want to steer away from who I am.

AM: Who has been your biggest supporter?

MC: My mom.  She is the one who always encouraged me and pushed me to be creative. She is the one who introduced me to designing. Style is in my genes, for that I am forever thankful to my parents.

AM: Ho do you see the future of independent fashion design?

MC: Competitive.  Everyone wants to be a fashion designer and for some it happens over night.  Creating a philosophy and vision is so important to insure longevity and a brand that your customer can always come back to.  More attention needs to be placed on that rather than trying to make a quick buck.  We need to go back to the basics, go back to valuing individuality and style.

AM: How do you measure success?

MC: How many people I can influence with my style.

AM: What was the last art show you went to?

MC: Robert Frank’s “The Americans” at the Met

AM: What was the last track you listened to?

MC: “House Jam” by Gang Gang Dance

AM: What was the last gig you went to?

MC: Bear Hands at Cake Shop

AM: What was the last film you watched?

MC: “Brideshead Revisited.” The cinematography and is just absolutely beautiful, I could watch it over and over.