In His Own Words: Designer Lars Andersson

Lars Andersson is a Swedish fashion designer who creates clothes inspired by the most grounded parts of society: from the nomadic tribes and ethnic clothes he uses as his aesthetic inspiration to his knitwear, which he is very fond of. His background is colorful and dynamic and Lars has gone through many things to come to do what he does today.

In this Attire Club interview, we discuss his background, his inspiration and what he’s planning on doing next!

 

What can you tell us about your background?

Lars Andersson: I was born and grew up in Sweden in a small town called Lindesberg. I studied two years of fashion in Sweden before at age 19 moving to Paris for 6 months. While in Paris, I applied to the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York. I was accepted and moved there to start my studies in fall ’94.

At an early age in Sweden, I learned both how to sew and knit, as this is part of the Swedish educational system. And in kindergarten, this was also something that was taught to us. Also, both my mother and grandmother knitted so I wanted to do it too.

It was not until I was about 17 that I decided I wanted to study fashion. I had seen a movie, Slaves of New York, and I wanted to create that fashion show. It was very dramatic.

 

You mentioned in another interview that you that you were part of the New York underground clubbing scene. What can you tell us about those years?

LA: I had been living in NYC studying for about a year until I started going out. The club I started going to was Squeezebox. It was a gay rock’n’roll club, with live drag performances every week. It was fantastic. Skinny good looking boys, many wearing makeup, talented performances by the downtown drag queens and amazing music. It was all very inspiring, and during this period I started doing clothing for many of the drag queens who were performing. All looks were fueled by this environment. Lots of PVC, fake leathers, lace up, straitjackets etc.

 

Did it change your perspective on life and creativity?

LA: This was my first time I was ever doing clothes for anyone. It was intoxicating to see my creations on the performers on stage. I could not get enough of it.

As for creativity, it put me on a path of more performance-based clothing for a while.

However, at the time I stared doing my collections under my own name and I had fallen in love with knitting. I had taken a machine knitting class, bought a knitting machine, and basically spent all my time knitting away. Quite a difference from the days of club clothing.

Aesthetically, I guess the one thing that remained was my love for a bit of drama.

 

Who or what are your main sources of inspiration?

LA: I’m heavily inspired by different cultures, religions, tribes and nomads from around the world.

I have spent lots of time in Kathmandu, Nepal where I do my full fashion knitwear, and since last year, I also spend a fair amount of time in Kolkata, India where I do my wovens and cut and sew.

Both places are amazing for inspiration.

I love the older women wearing the sari, and how in winter they layer them with their shawls and cardigans, my autumn-winter 2018 collection was very much inspired by this look.

And for the men, the lungi and t-shirt. They look very chic wearing this.

And many older men wear the super lightweight cotton kurta with the dhoti, which is also another fantastic look.

There is an endless amount of inspiration in these places.

 

How would you describe your design aesthetic?

LA: Minimal, timeless, urban bohemian, nomadic luxury, craftsmanship, modern classics infused / inspired by nomadic culture, ethnic tribes and religion.

What are you currently planning to do in the next months?

I’m currently developing my cut and sew jersey collection that I will be debuting on my webshop in the next couple of weeks, I’m working on my samples for my men’s spring 2019 collection which I will show at Tranoi, Paris during the men’s market event.

Actually, I am very excited to bring back the men’s collection. Been a few years since I last did it.

 

 

Thank you!

Fraquoh and Franchomme

 

 

 

 

 

Discover more of Lars’ designs at larsandersson.net

P.S. We want to hear from you! How do you connect to Lars’ designs? Which do you like best? Why? Share your feedback, questions or thoughts in the comments below! For more articles on style, fashion tips and cultural insights, you can subscribe to Attire Club via e-mail or follow us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram!