Anne Karine Thorbjornsen

Anne Karine Thorbjornsen revels in a little carelessness. The CSM graduate channels this through her designs, having worked with heavily draped fabric in her final year collection to craft a feeling of clothing slung over the body. A concrete palette of grays and blacks is sliced with shocks of tangerine and industrial blue – a combination that reflects Thorbjornsen’s love of the unforced beauty of commonplace landscapes and objects. The designer spoke to Dazed Digital about her processes and shared a sneak preview of her new collection.

I have never really been draping that much before, so it was a surprise to find that that was what I was doing for my final graduate collection. It was a very visceral process, working with the material in a loose experimental way, to see what happen would happen

Dazed Digital: How did you become interested in fashion design?
Anne Karine Thorbjornsen: I remember when I decided to pursue a career in fashion but not why I decided to. It wasn't a dream since childhood, all I remember is that I one day, aged 19, I decided that fashion design was what I wanted to study. My dad is an architect and we'd always been encouraged to draw and paint. I liked clothes, so it just happened naturally.

DD: What fascinates you so much about draping and hanging fabric?
Anne Karine Thorbjornsen: It is something I've been into for a while, the feel of something falling off and being heavy. I like the look of carelessness about it. I have never really been draping that much before, so it was a surprise to find that that was what I was doing for my final graduate collection. It was a very visceral process, working with the material in a loose experimental way, to see what happen would happen.

DD: What other things influenced the collection?
Anne Karine Thorbjornsen: I started my research by photographing desolate London scenes from dilapidated buildings to trash and rubbish and forgotten, left out items such as scrunched tarpaulin and bin bags. I like unforced beauty, something that randomly has become.

DD: Can you tell me one of your favourite things about working with fabric?
Anne Karine Thorbjornsen: I like the way fabric works by itself, how you can aid it to create a movement and feel, rather than forcing it into a shape. Like with the 'prints' – they are glued on wood cut outs that I also worked with on my BA collection. It is about structure and creating shapes and tension.

DD: What are your plans next?
Anne Karine Thorbjornsen: I am currently working on a new collection that I will present in February. The aesthetic will be similar in vein but fresher, again working with add-on draping but developed and evolved into something new.