09 Mar Objective reinterpretation. Interview with Selina Rottmann
Fashion designer Selina Rottmann is part of the AFA support programme, her work will be shown during AFA – Austria Fashion Awards on the first day of Take – Festival for Independent Fashion and Arts.
She finished her studies at Hetzendorf Fashion School in Vienna one year ago and has been working independently on menswear ever since. While her first collection featured oversized, deconstructed garments which mainly revolved around Ian Curtis’ aesthetics, she now channels old photography books as inspiration source for her current creations. Selina invited us to her stunningly beautiful vintage-styled apartment for a short talk about her work and future plans.
Alexandra: Selina, how did you decide to focus on menswear?
Selina: As a woman I think it is easier to design men’s clothing because in a way, it is more objective. Also, there is a lot of creative space left to do something different and crazy. Menswear is usually perceived as straight and having many rules, so it is fun to break these rules. But also small changes can be interesting.
Selina Rottmann (c) Felix Abrudan
Alexandra: What are some of these “crazy” items that you added to your first menswear collection?
Selina: For my first collection, I deconstructed typical male garments like suits.
Felix: Where do you usually draw your inspiration from?
Selina: At the moment my main source is photography. For example August Sander – he was an important portrait photographer in the early 20th century and I find his work extremely inspirational. I also recently found a Ukrainian prison photography book which I’m using as an inspiration source for my current collection. I like the juxtaposition of colours and the cuts of the convicts’ uniforms.
Selina Rottmann, Alexandra Vaduva (c) Felix Abrudan
Alexandra: Coming back to your dedication to menswear, can you describe the typical man of the 21st century in a few words?
Selina: The man of the 21st century is not a strong man for me, but that doesn’t mean it’s a negative characteristic. I like to see him as a combination of male and female attributes.
Alexandra: Are you looking forward to the Take – Festival for Independent Fashion and Arts? What does your future participation at this event mean to you?
Selina: I am definitely looking forward to presenting my collection at an event that doesn’t only involve fashion, but also other contemporary art forms. Also, I think the location is amazing – certainly another reason to be excited about it!
Alexandra: What are your future plans?
Selina: I am currently working on my portfolio because I would like to do an internship at a bigger fashion company somewhere abroad. At the moment I am still focusing on menswear and discovering all the aspects related to it, but maybe in the future I will start working on womenswear as well.
All photos by Felix Abrudan.
