Ones to watch: If you don’t already know about Ostwald Helgason, here’s why you really should
View the Spring 2012 collection »
Ostwald Helgason, the London-based label made up of German-born Susanne Ostwald and Icelandic Ingvar Helgason, is making some serious waves. Both have fashion backgrounds—Ostwald with a Fashion Design MA from Germany’s Burg Giebichenstein and Helgason with a combination of design, management, and tailoring—their individual interests in fine art and new technology come together in clean, modern shapes with a distinctly unique edge.
The brand began in 2008, and was noticed for their digital prints, both subdued and bright, covering most of their pieces. For their Fall 2011 collection, the duo focused on a more subtle use of colour and fabric than usual, with blocked mohair sweaters, leather skirts, and dip-dyed polka dot dresses, with what can only be playful references to Helgason’s Scandinavian upbringing. For next spring, the duo took the fabric focus even further, with a 100 per cent cork textile showing up in form of a bomber, knapsack, T-shirt, and even in shoes. A watery looking digi print rounding out the collection had us over the moon, or at least up the creek (get it?). They’ve also combined cotton netting with delicate floral appliqués, seen here in a silk dress worn by Susie Bubble to the British Fashion Awards.
Re-making modern silhouettes in unexpected textures, they make familiar pieces undeniably cool. This duo get better with each passing season, and we are expecting to see much more of them across the pond.
Ostwald Helgason is available online at Opening Ceremony and Browns. The resort collection will be surfacing on Bronws this week.
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