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Friday 15 February 2013

EXHIBITION| Hellen van Rees





Former Fashion Scout One to Watch winner, Hellen van Rees has done nothing but impress since graduation from Central Saint Martins with her weaved, three-dimensional pieces. Exhibiting her AW13 collection between the 15th and 19th February at our Freemasons Hall, we caught up with the Dutch designer to talk about her new collection, unique aesthetic, and Susie Bubble.


What inspired the new collection?

It's a continuation of the previous one. I've added some new colours and weaving directions like weaving in three directions at once. I've been looking at modern art again but translating it more into graphic pieces with lots of contrasts with black, white and lines.

So you feel you've really found your aesthetic and it's here to stay?

Yes, I think the tweed and weaving is something I'm going to continue with. Exploring different way of doing that. I think it's something I have that nobody else has and it's really recognisable so it's something I want to keep.

Who do you design for?

That's always a very difficult question. I think I always have myself in mind, if I had more money to spend on my wardrobe!

Susie Bubble just came to see your work. What did she say?

She said she really liked my work from graduation. She looked at all of the previous pieces and the new pieces. It was very positive. She took a lot of pictures, wanted me to send my fashion film over so it's really good.

What impact has being One to Watch last season had?

It's been really good because it was my first collection since graduating and it was difficult to see how I was going to present it properly to the right audience. Ones to Watch has been really helpful in getting to a fashion stage immediately.

Interview by Josh Walker (@josh_walker_)
Images by Kris Elliott (@kriselliott)