Dazed Digital didn't make it to Stockholm Fashion Week this season but we did have to follow up on the only non commercial show on the schedule, the Beckmans College of Design show. As opposed to a graduate show, it actually showcases the work of second year fashion students, to mark the middle of their bachelor's studies. This season, fourteen students presented collections of 3-5 outfits focused on knitwear. Perhaps it's no coincidence either that Beckman's recent and impressiv expert also happens to be knitwear extraordinaire Sandra Backlund.

We profile a selection of the students and ask about their views on knitwear and Swedish fashion in general.

Emilie Steele
What was the concept behind your collection for the show?
My idea was based both on ordinary people looking just the same, and on the old-style architecture in the city. When you look at the roofs and towers you can easily see the similarity of knitted materials. “Would you be one of the many rooftops, or would you choose to be a tower -standing out?”
 
Did you have any preconceptions about knitwear that you had to overcome?
I didn’t really, but a lot of people take for granted that it’s a fall/winter collection if it’s knitted, and some have said that they couldn’t see the typical knitted material in my collection.
 
How would you like to see Swedish fashion develop in the future?
I’d like to see the Swedish fashion become more daring and “unsafe” with its designs. Too many labels look just the same to me.
 
Maria Melinder
What was the concept behind your collection for the show?
The concept behind my collection is based on the comparative game being played in everyday life. The desire of displaying a fancy front - true or false - deliberately decorated with coded symbols of prestige. With a wide variety of status references randomly picked from there original context, from different parts of the world, mixed together in prints, structures and colours.

How would you like to see Swedish fashion develop in the future?
Well I really think it needs to get away from this melancholic, clean, safe, greyscale thing that has been going on for ages. I'm hoping for a lighter less serious mood!

Fanny Ollas
What was the concept behind your collection for the show?
My collection “Are you going foxhunting, dear?” is about traditions and rules and how we carry them with us weather we now about it or not. It’s about men and traditional men’s clothing. It’s about devoting lots of energy to details and old values, making you disregard the true and honest picture of someone.  
 
How would you like to see Swedish fashion develop in the future?
Swedish fashion is in some way so commercial and very much adjusted to the trendy people at the streets of Stockholm. It’s the same things all over again and a lot of the designers seem afraid to do anything that won’t sell. I think there is a new generation of Swedish designers who don’t want to conform to the ideal of “Scandinavian minimalism”. I hope that people in the future will be more open to that fashion can be a lot of things like art and more non-commercial projects and that you don’t only have to dress in black, grey and dark blue. I never understood that, here, where it is so dark, here you need colour and humour in your clothes, but few people seem to agree…
 
Carina Sahlin
What was the concept behind your collection for the show?
With this collection, I have experimented with different ways of enclosing the body and with the concept of membranes. My inspirations have been Christo, claustrophobia and the insides of the human body.
 
Did you have any preconceptions about knitwear that you had to overcome?
I didn't really have any preconceptions about knits, but I did know I wanted to steer clear of cozy wool sweaters and tedious tricot.

What would be your dream job after graduating?
If Mr. Margiela hasn't done his last show, I'd love to work at the Maison. In the future - my own brand of course.