fashion

“In video games, nothing interested me more than character creation.” Since Polish fashion designer Maja Bączyńska founded her eponymous label, she's been gracing the world with her sometimes sleek, most of the time maximal and opulent silhouettes. In the interview, Bączyńska sheds light on her playful pieces featuring frilly and sculptural textures, unexpected twists and reference layers, and clever and uncompromising tailoring.

Mikhail Ermakov and Dahlia Kurmanguzhina, the self-titled “digital fetish artist couple”, are relationship goals in more ways than one. In the interview below, the duo talks about the organic mutuality and reciprocity of their creative processes, the touchingly introspective and respectful way of co-creating that was cultivated with immense care, Slavic folklore, and more. Get lost in their shiny, alluring, and squeaky world.

“Complexity isn’t always necessary for impactful design.” Being a Swiss citizen of Vietnamese descent, Duc Siegenthaler has been navigating the ebb and flow of blending in and standing out since childhood. SWARM Mag interviewed the founder and Creative Director of the Siegenthaler label about avoiding reducing modularity to “a gimmick”, constant self-discovery, indulging in play, and more.

Mossy, mouldy, earthy – all these adjectives give you a very rough outline of the garments the Copenhagen-based Solitude Studios craft and sometimes even grow and ferment. Their A/W23 collection, Wood Wide Web, hints at the recently popularised notion of “mycorrhizal internet”, the sprawling matrix of mycelium that connects fungi and various members of the plant kingdom, ferrying nutrients and other kinds of “information”.

The goal of “bringing visions to life”, so essential and ubiquitous in the art world, is often hindered and challenged by compromises, most often on the technological and material side of things. But putting Susanna Pugliese's fantastical fashion sketches next to the near-identical final garments is a testament to her commitment to fulfil this goal no matter its labouriousness. Read on for the interview with the Italian-born fashion designer in possession of a wide range of artisanal skills.

“My practice is a lot like my compost bin.“ Welcome to the ever-germinating and sprouting world of Beth Williams, a disabled designer and multi-disciplinary artist who specialises in knitwear, living textiles and soft sculpture. With the designer, we discussed their pivotal creative concept, Uzumaki's World, the use of innovative compostable yarn, striving to get one's voice heard in predominantly able-bodied fashion spaces, the immense power of community, and more.

Aleksandra Blinova’s dedication to the craft of hand-making shows in every piece she creates, be it couture or jewelry. Her masterful insight shows not only in the success of her brand, but also in the way she crafts her words and answers. So dive into today’s interview with the fashion designer to find out about Aleksandra’s influences, symbolisms, and profound views of the future.

Based in Skopje, North Macedonia, the Ludus brand is recognisable by monochrome swaths of draped fabric with occasional subtle gradients and straightforward, crisp silhouettes inspired by timeless tailoring. SWARM MAG sat down with the brand's founder Dragan Hristov to chat agender fashion, unapologetical approach to design, nurturing inspiration, and Slavic textile crafts.

"Hĕracha" means "a girl" in Chuvash language. Isenkkel and Vella Akhtimer founded the art group and fashion brand HӖRACHA to explore the possibilities of contemporary art entangled with fashion design. In an interview with the artists below, get a primer on Chuvash folklore, traditions and fairy tales that are deconstructed and reinterpreted to find points of contact with the universal human experience.

“The creation has the soul of the creator.” Juhee Park, a young knitwear designer currently residing and working in France, introduced us to her layered amorphous sprawling creatures that seem like they stepped out of her personal glamorous mythology.

Have you ever seen ceramic artworks that could stare into your soul? Well, now you have. The idiosyncratic, whimsical and vibrant vases and decorative sculptures by Italian ceramist and illustrator Jimmy D. Lanza are always ready for a face-off. Meet the artist whose creation sits on the living room coffee table of Chiara Ferragni.

Mio’s dedication to zero-waste fashion shows in every stitch she makes. Her garments in turn carry an air of innocence and fantasy, completely in line with Miochi’s aspiration to create a safe space, one where childhood nostalgia and sustainability combine into a greater whole.

Is your life lacking softness, colours, fantastic and lush fairy-tale landscapes? Here's your antidote to gloom – enter the whimsically organic, plushy and summer-inspired creations by Anna Hieronymus. Enjoy the interview with the idiosyncratic fashion designer below.

Maisie Broome's fabrics and garments, created with the mesmerising technique of water transfer printing that is oh-so-satisfying to watch, arrest the imagination and make us feel like we're slowly sinking into a drippy, swirling, vibrant vortex. Enjoy an interview with the multidisciplinary artist and designer in which she shares her grounding processes, approaches to innovation or the importance of having the time to evolve.

The mesmerising videos of Dutch textile designer Joana Schneider cutting open sections of her rope tapestries, which then blossom into vibrant yarn flowers, gained a fair amount of virality across TikTok and Instagram. Besides these, Joana sculpts and exhibits richly coloured objects out of salvaged and recycled ropes using traditional techniques such as pluis netting and dolly knotting. Enjoy an interview with the inventive designer below.

Kong Yue is one of the notable fashion designers who emerged from the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp, Belgium. His vibrant and statuesque creations are produced with the help of highly sustainable practices, which the designer developed himself, without compromising the desired aesthetic.

With definitions of her work spanning “a structure or form that combines multiple living organisms or biological elements” or “a hybrid organism created through synthetic techniques”, Xinyi Tao’s fashion design imagines a biomorphic future where the line between wear and wearer is completely blurred. Explore this material interbecoming in today’s feature, accompanied by an insightful interview with the cutting-edge artist.

“It’s not only music. It’s a world. It's a search for ambitious identities. It’s a creature community. It's an eco system. A queer mythology. It's more than a dream.” From the sheer and ruffled creations of Livia Rita, avant-pop singer, musician and performer, designer and self-proclaimed Alpine witch, emerge the cutest of specimens fostering social change and otherkin utopia.

“I will continue to question our existence and try to be appeased in a crazy and violent world.” Armenian-Iberian accessory designer Mara Tchouhabjian is the author of intricate and ornate headpieces, using fabric, beads, embroidery, wire or natural woven materials. Enjoy a down-to-the-point interview with the artist below.

Zexian Liu's playful, vibrant and mix-and-match outfits and shoewear rife with prints, patterns and textures invite both the wearer and the viewer to enter her world of contrasts, randomness and celebration of the simple beauty of just looking around us every day. We are delighted to bring you an interview with the fashion designer below.