Obscur 2011 Spring/Summer Collection
Perhaps not the typical aesthetic you’d associate with Swedish design, Obscur’s 2011
Perhaps not the typical aesthetic you’d associate with Swedish design, Obscur’s 2011 Spring/Summer collection takes its inspiration from the ruggedness of nature and its own natural beauty and translates it over a notable line of leather apparel. Washed lambskin provides its own unique characteristics with some interesting silhouettes and shapes. Founder Richard Söderberg also speaks with Dazed Digital regarding some interesting parts of his brand and Swedish design.
Dazed Digital: How you became interested in fashion? / where do you seek for inspiration?
Richard Söderberg: I live in a very small city in Sweden and draw very little inspiration from there. Most of the time, I imagine myself being somewhere else when designing my clothes. It’s almost because I can’t get anything out from my surroundings I live in, I design my own satisfaction and in turn have learned to love this process… Perhaps, being inspired constantly by my surroundings in a global hub, would have prohibited me from working in the intricate way I do now.
DD: What do you think about Swedish fashion?
Richard Söderberg: I would like to quote a good friend here. He once told me that Sweden is not about fashion, Sweden is about trends. In a way, I can relate to why he expressed himself this way. In Sweden, we have has several labels coming up, showing in Paris, London and beyond, and they have developed quite a following. Naturally, this is one way to go. In my opinion, by creating trends or hypes, if you will, you cannot refrain from compromising on your own artistic integrity. Of course, I understand that with a larger international label, one has shareholders and a board to answer too, but for me, OBSCUR is a place where we work intensely close with our producers, fabric vendors in Japan, our team and the entire design process. Integrity, sincerity and creativity in a small capsule studio, is what I prefer, and at times, this is far to find in Sweden. Of course, there are many creative younger designers around, that add to the exception
