The Closet Of Alexandra Frida

Fashion Designer Alexandra Frida

Alexandra Frida is an Amsterdam based fashion designer. Her ready-to-wear label embodies Alexandra’s thrill for adventure and embraces comfort, sensuality and classic feminine expression. Her message to women around the world is to follow and chase your dreams. With the FRIDA feather print she passes on her message by giving women wings! Get to know this creative lady a bit better through this interview and have a peek in her closet.

Name a few of your favorite things
Adventure, family & friends, laughing, good food & drinks, dancing!

Yourself in 3 words
Impulsive & adventurous, driven, happy & positive.

You and fashion?
Fashion has always been part of my life. It is both my hobby and my job. I enjoy almost anything that has to do with fashion from clothing itself, to fashion concepts, music and fashion, art and fashion, photography and fashion and so on. Its an experience for me.

Returning theme that runs through your work?
The returning theme in my work is my story, my fairy tale as well as my feather print. The print may not always be as obvious or only a print but it will always be there.

Who or what is your source of inspiration?
My source of inspiration is experiencing life, adventure and travels and my labels identity. The fairy tale I created never fails me on inspiration.

Could you share with us the creative process you go through when designing a collection?
Usually I already know a year before the collection is presented around which character I will create a collection around. I have a huge life size mood board in my atelier. For each character there is a mood board, full of little treasures, images, fabrics, techniques and once I have decided which character I want to design for I will start imagining a look that fits her. From there on I will design the entire collection on paper with writing and little scribbles that no one understands but that are very clear to me. This is sometimes done within 30 minutes.

After this the team and I will start making samples and usually then more outfits or variations are created.

Once the materials, techniques are sourced, the samples are made (which are al made in house because I need to seethem made, feel them, I need to be able to put my hands on them, cut in them when needed, form the pleats etc) we will get the whole team together which includes myself, my creative producer Beatrice, assistant Anna and we will take two days to first discuss the collection and then we will have a fitting and start putting sample and fabric together. Every detail is discussed.

In what way is culture of importance for you when you design a collection?
My fathers career brought us around the world, next to the fact that he and my mother always travelled a lot and have a love for visiting and experiencing all parts of the world. So when their family was complete, together with my brother and sister they took us all around the world.
My work is influenced by the inspirations I have gotten during my travels. Whether it’s a picture I take, a rock I find during a hike, a fabric technique or even just the smells or colors of a country. I take it all back home and place it into the world of one of my characters. I think through the coming years, many different cultures will be touched upon and brought forward in my world but not in an obvious way.

How do you define your style?
I always find it hard to define my style since it can be different every day. I know my body and know what fits me and what doesn’t. I know the colours that suit me and always keep this in mind when choosing my own personal style. Depending on my mood and state of mind, I can be dressed very casual and comfortable in a pair of Levi jeans, sweater and sneakers or more classic in a black dress with a blazer or leather jacket. I barely wear heals and almost always sneakers. I don’t see myself as an extravagant dresser but do always have a personal and different touch to my style. I am open to new styles but my basics such as my golden jewellery never leave.

‘Chase your dreams!’

In what way are you conscious about recycling or sustainable fashion?
I try to stay as conscious as possible but its not my first concern to be honest. I am at the moment more socially aware in fashion. I am working for example with families in India which produce fabrics for me by hand. It is the living for their whole family and keeps their traditions going. I also try to do things such as choosing my fabrics as conscious as possible, not wasting materials, reusing them when possible.

SHOP THE CLOSET OF ALEXANDRA HERE 

What exciting projects can we expect?
Tonight at 8 PM: the final of the Denim Awards !
Also im very excited about opening the Alexandra Frida store in the Pijp in 2016.

Starring: Alexandra Frida
Photography: Iris Duvekot
By TNC creative: Kim Erich