1

S A N D R AB AC K L U N D

2

IN THE LAST FEW YEARS SWEDISH SANDRA BACKLUND ESTABLISHED HERSELF IN THE FASHION SCENE AS A KNITWEAR DESIGNER. HER WORK IS METICULOUSLY CRAFTED THAT EMPLOYS AN EXCITING COM-BINATION OF ART, SCULPTURE, CRAFT AND AS SHE STATES HERSELF THERA-PY. OFTEN BACKLUND CONSTRUCTS HER PIECES/GARMENTS IN SECTIONS CREATING AN ALMOST SCULPTURAL APPROACH.

BACKLUND ENJOYS EXPLORING THE HUMAN FORM THROUGH FASHION. SHE DOESN’T CREATE HER GARMENTS BASED ON PATTERNS, BUT DESIGNS AS SHE KNITS PRODUCING A MORE ORGANIC AND STREAMLINED RESULT. “I LIKE TO MAKE THE PIECES AS I GO, YOU DON’T HAVE TO TAKE THINGS APART. YOU CAN IMPROVISE WITHOUT HAVING TO DECONSTRUCT. SHE BELIEVES THE HANDICRAFT PROCESS AND THE HANDMADE FEELING ARE VERY SIGNIFICANT. BACKLUND EXPERIMENTS WITH A LOT OF DIFFERENT MATERIALS AND TECHNIQUES TO EXPRESS HERSELF THROUGH HEAVY WOOL “COLLAGE” KNITTING.

BACKLUND’S DESIGN AESTHETIC IS SCULPTURAL, ARCHITECTURAL AND DYNAMIC. STRIVING TO EXAGGERATE AND ACCENTUATE THE FEMALE FORM . BY FUSING FUTURISTIC DESIGN WITH TACTILE AND FAMILIAR MATERIALS BACKLUND HAS MANAGED TO TRANSFORM THE VERY MEANING OF KNITWEAR INTO A PIECE OF SCULPTURE, A PIECE OF MOVING ART.

3

“ I C O N C I O U S LY D R E S S A N D U N D R E S S PA R T S O F T H E B O D Y T O S E E K D Y N A M I C S H A P E S . I L I K E T H E S O F T N E S S

T O G E T H E R W I T H S H A R P S I L H O U E T T E S”

4

5

J O H A N R E N C K P H O T O G R A P H Y

6

S

“ A C O M B I N A T I O N O F S C I E N C E F I C T I O N A N D

S H E L T E R E D , WA R M P I E C E S O F F A N T A S Y”

7

SSSB

8

S

SSSBACKLUND’S COLLECTIONS ARE OFTEN CHARACTERISED BY A STRONG THREE DIMESNIONALITY THAT ENHANCES THE NATURAL SHAPES OF THE BODY. HER DESIGNS ARE VOLUMINOUS YET CONTROLLED AND ARE EXAGGERATED TO HIGHLIGHT CERTAIN PARTS OF THE BODY.

9

SSSSS

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

O L A B E R G E N G R E N P H O T O G R A P H Y

W O O D E N P E G S

17

LATELY BACKLUND HAS INTRODUCED ALTERNATIVE MATERIALS INTO HER COLLECTION, CREATING GEOMETRICAL AND SCULPTURAL PIECES. THE START-ING POINT IS ALWAYS, AS SHE SAYS, THE MATERIAL AND THE TECHNIQUES.

18

O R I G A M I D R E S S

19

20

K A T H R Y N H E N R Y