Sofia Bianchi's collection 'was a love letter to contemporary visual arts, celebrating the body's ability to move visualized through draping, wrapping and twisting techniques.' - Harper's Bazaar, October issue under Global Young Talent.
Your collection “Anamorphosis” was influenced by Contemporary Visual Artists. Were there any specific Contemporary Visual Artists that inspired you more than the others?
Definitely Yes, Conceptually, I took inspiration from the Norwegian artist Malin Bülow and the British-Cypriot-Turkish Fashion Designer: Hussein Cahalayan. They create performative installations in which humans resist and submit to tension created by stretchy lycra suits. The idea of tension, and playing with gravity when creating my pieces was very connected to their world. In terms of shape, the Installations from the Mexican artist Martin Soto Climent was another source of inspiration. He creates sensual, anthropomorphic sculptures with minimal intervention. I feel a strong connection between his work and mine.Especially in the techniques of folding, stretching and twisting of stretchy material.
Definitely Yes, Conceptually, I took inspiration from the Norwegian artist Malin Bülow and the British-Cypriot-Turkish Fashion Designer: Hussein Cahalayan. They create performative installations in which humans resist and submit to tension created by stretchy lycra suits. The idea of tension, and playing with gravity when creating my pieces was very connected to their world. In terms of shape, the Installations from the Mexican artist Martin Soto Climent was another source of inspiration. He creates sensual, anthropomorphic sculptures with minimal intervention. I feel a strong connection between his work and mine.Especially in the techniques of folding, stretching and twisting of stretchy material.
Would you mind telling us more about why exploring the skin and fabric, body and garment relationship is important to you?
The body is my central theme, everything we do will finally affect the body. Everything I build and design in a way reflects the body. Elasticity, movement , the organic, is what represents my work. To allow elasticity, I create garments that adapt to the body creating ease of movement and a second skin feeling. The stretchiness of the materials shapes the body, allowing our natural shape to stand. Any elastic material, when filled with something, moulds and adapts to the shape of the volume that is inside. And that's where the relationship between the body and garments comes from. Our bodies are resistant and elastic just like my pieces. I am a great lover of yoga, pilates, body building and dance; and I am surprised by how my body reaches positions that I would never imagined. How resistant and elastic our bodies are if we work on them.
When did you begin your journey in fashion?
Since I was young my favourite game was to dress up. So I always had that innate love for fashion and styling. My grandmother was a dress maker and my mother learned from her when she was young. By that time, sewing was something that you had to do, specially if you didn't had many resources. So in my case, it was something that women do, but not seen as a profession. I started Law, in Buenos Aires, Argentina. And after two years, I realised it wasn’t for me. I was the hole class thinking about ways to change the teachers look instead of understanding anything about criminal law. Something in me knew that it wasn’t the right path. I came to London, for a 1 month Fashion Design course at Central Saint Martins. This experience awoke my creative side and made me understand that Fashion Design is more than creating a garment. I was convinced that this was what I wanted to pursue. In 2017, I moved to Milan, Italy to start a BA in Fashion Design; and this is when the journey begin.
Since I was young my favourite game was to dress up. So I always had that innate love for fashion and styling. My grandmother was a dress maker and my mother learned from her when she was young. By that time, sewing was something that you had to do, specially if you didn't had many resources. So in my case, it was something that women do, but not seen as a profession. I started Law, in Buenos Aires, Argentina. And after two years, I realised it wasn’t for me. I was the hole class thinking about ways to change the teachers look instead of understanding anything about criminal law. Something in me knew that it wasn’t the right path. I came to London, for a 1 month Fashion Design course at Central Saint Martins. This experience awoke my creative side and made me understand that Fashion Design is more than creating a garment. I was convinced that this was what I wanted to pursue. In 2017, I moved to Milan, Italy to start a BA in Fashion Design; and this is when the journey begin.
You use many different techniques when styling your designs, which techniques were your favourite to style?
I play a lot with tension and with gravity. The techniques of twisting and distorting something that is flat to create texture is something I enjoy a lot doing. I explore a lot how a material behaves and how I can arrives to a specific shape. I love creating something new from an existing material without adding anything, just by changing it. That’s the reason why I named my collection Anamorphosis. Anamorphosis is a gradual change in form from one type to another a distorted projection.
I play a lot with tension and with gravity. The techniques of twisting and distorting something that is flat to create texture is something I enjoy a lot doing. I explore a lot how a material behaves and how I can arrives to a specific shape. I love creating something new from an existing material without adding anything, just by changing it. That’s the reason why I named my collection Anamorphosis. Anamorphosis is a gradual change in form from one type to another a distorted projection.
For your final graphic final line up, the illustrations were made to look like you. Do you mind telling us what that represents to you and its relation with your collection?
I always use my body as a template. I drape on it, twist fabric, layer garments, and analyse how the different materials behave directly on the body. Using a mannequin doesn’t give me the same sensation as when I use a real body to drape onto it. I used to make my friends wear lycra suits and draw lines on their body, like a body painting to come up with different ideas of shapes and cutouts. I decided to make a self portrait of me, because during lockdown I was by myself finishing my collection from home. The only body that I saw naked was mine, the only interaction with a body I had, was with my own. So I decided to reflect this idea of how my body and I related by that time to come up with my final line up.
I always use my body as a template. I drape on it, twist fabric, layer garments, and analyse how the different materials behave directly on the body. Using a mannequin doesn’t give me the same sensation as when I use a real body to drape onto it. I used to make my friends wear lycra suits and draw lines on their body, like a body painting to come up with different ideas of shapes and cutouts. I decided to make a self portrait of me, because during lockdown I was by myself finishing my collection from home. The only body that I saw naked was mine, the only interaction with a body I had, was with my own. So I decided to reflect this idea of how my body and I related by that time to come up with my final line up.