erik olsson

Industrial workers’ everyday lives were documented through Jean Hermanson’s camera lens; a narrative of fellowship and unhealthy environments. But what I principally see is unedited reality.

With my graduation project I want to examine the possibilities of bringing together aesthetic expression and practical functionality and protection. Will the fashion industry, in future, have to provide people with protection against outside pollution? In several of the world’s largest cities people already use face masks because of the levels of pollution. Such protection is rapidly becoming part of people’s everyday wardrobes. What will this mean for fashion’s aesthetic function and its ability to provoke feelings? Can we unite its practical function with fashion as a form of expression?

While working on the project I have asked myself whether I can design a collection which will enable the wearer to feel protected with due regard to our troubled social climate and the turbulence in the social media. In contrast to all of the edited images of reality I want to create a collection that is real to me and is intended to be used and to age with the wearer. The textile fabrics have an outer layer which will become more beautiful with time, at the same time that they should feel comfortable next to the skin and should create a microclimate between garment and wearer.

BA fashion graduate collection 2019
beckmans college of design, stockholm sweden