According to designer Ann-Sofie Back, her middle class upbringing in “boring” Sweden is responsible for her initial attraction to fashion…as escape. Her Swedish roots can’t be wholly discounted though, as they seemingly have a hand in her signature clean, laser-sharp design ethos. Her vision — unwavering since her label’s 1998 debut following her graduation from Central Saint Martin’s MA program — is centered on a simplistic, Nordic-informed interpretation of the avant-garde, making cerebral fashion something that even relatively tame dressers can get behind. With a lot of designers content making ambiguous statements instead of strong, definitive ones, Ann-Sofie Back’s confidence in what she does rubs off; making an Ann-Sofie Back piece, even with all its fabric, a smartly sexy statement. OAKAZINE spoke with Back – who, apart from helming Ann-Sofie Back Atelje and the more casual, but equally inventive sister label Back by Ann-Sofie Back (available at OAK), also serves as creative director of Cheap Monday (also available at OAK) — about moving back to Sweden, shitty airport books, and the importance of surrounding oneself with annoying people. — Text by Stefanie Weber. Interview after the jump.
Ann-Sofie Back Atelje, is an exclusive, concentrated eveningwear collection for the thinking woman. BACK, the diffusion line, is based on successful ideas from the main line, reworked and updated with a more casual feel.
I design clothes for women that really dress for themselves, independent with a sense of humour.
In the past I didn’t — it felt almost like incest to me. I think I am more removed from the process now, and try to look at what I do from other peoples’ points of view. That has weirdly made me wear my own designs more.
I think my designs attract this type of person as well and my designs mirror this person’s personality.
It has never been painful — I have always done what I wanted to. Now I want to be more clever with how I use my ideas — make my designs more attractive to a wider audience while still retaining strong ideas. This is a joy though, I love it!
What I have experienced is that my designs are timeless; people wear the garments over and over. What I do stands a bit on the side. This has not been a conscious choice on my part. Involuntarily I shy away from the obvious trends because I know I’ll bore of them quickly because of the overexposure.
Your work is never done, it changes all the time. Just when you think you understand it, it moves away.
I had a very middle class upbringing, and it was a way of fleeing the boredom and commonness.
Since I have moved back to Sweden (after 12 years in London) I think the reasons for my initial interest in fashion have made themselves heard again.
I’m not sure I would.
Mostly really annoying ones.
