INTERVIEW #25 SASKEYE STUDIOS

Based in: Aarhus, Denmark

Founded in: October 2018

Founded by: Saskia Kjellström

Webshop: www.saskeye.com

Price range: Hard to say since I am still exploring and doing custom jobs, approximately 500 DKK - 5000 DKK

Instagram: @saskeyestudios

Hi Saskia! First of all, what you create is pure magic. It’s hard not to smile and beinspired when scrolling your feed. So, when did you start making your own clothes?

Thank you so much! That’s exactly what I want with my instagram. When I was young my best friend's mother started working as a sewing teacher in my school. Since we were already close I loved having sewing classes with her and she was letting us be a lot more creative than our previous teacher and sewing became so fun. She put up a fashion show in the school hallway and I made a long sleeved boat neck top that was dark green with red seams and I felt so proud and empowered by that experience, I even wore it for the yearly class photo. She was always so beautiful and kind and she had sewn her entire wardrobe and I think unconsciously that became a life goal for me. I did not start making a lot of clothes for myself until my mid-twenties when I worked on getting back from a long depression and started visiting my grandmother in Italy more often who is also very skilled in sewing and a big life inspiration.

What is your sustainability profile, and when did that turn into something relevant for you?

I have always cared to stand up for those whose voices aren’t listened to and to be an advocate for justice. It started when I became a vegetarian at the age of ten because I felt so much for the animals and didn’t want to eat them.
I thought the grown ups' world was hypocritical; why were we taught to be kind to animals and at the same time treat them the way we are? And when I was in my early teenage years when my sister started to involve herself in an organisation for clothing factory workers rights and this opened up my eyes for the backside of my favorite thing; clothes. The more I grew up and learned about the world around me through the understanding of intersectional feminism, racism, capitalism and climate change the more I felt a need to live my life in a way that supported positive change in these matters.

“ I did not start making a lot of clothes for myself until my mid-twenties when I worked on getting back from a long depression and started visiting my grandmother in Italy more often who is also very skilled in sewing and a big life inspiration.”

You’re not only creating upcycled designs, you’re also teaching people how to sew with blog tutorials, online workshops and physical courses. Why is that important to you?

Before I started sewing I bought a lot of clothing second hand but I didn’t know that I was far from understanding the process behind how clothes are made. How much skills, craftsmanship, creativity and labour there is behind a piece of clothing. When trying to make clothes for myself the penny dropped and I realized that the Western world's problematic relationship to clothes is that we have moved so far from the creation of clothes that we have an ignorant perspective on it. I get frustrated when I hear people say that some clothes are ”too expensive”; not understanding the work behind it and expecting a cheaper price and someone else to pay the rest of the real cost. And I get equally disturbed when people pay an insane amount of money for something unoriginal and in bad quality just because of the label on it.
I think teaching people to sew can open up their eyes to this; seeing the real value in clothes. And I thrive in enabling people to be creative and inspire them to make things that make them express their uniqueness.
I think that being creative is a really good way to ease the urge to go out and buy new clothes and sewing has a lot of positive mental effects as well.

“I have always cared to stand up for those whose voices aren’t listened to and to be an advocate for justice. It started when I became a vegetarian at the age of ten because I felt so much for the animals and didn’t want to eat them.”

Your bio on Instagram says ”Sewing & Upcycle”, could you explain a bit more about the whole concept?

When I design something it’s very often with a piece of fabric in my hands and almost always from second hand. That piece can be a pile of plain fabric but it can also be fabric that is already made into a piece of clothing. Upcycle doesn’t have to be sewing, it can also be to print or embellish an existing piece of clothing and make it into something new and more exciting; giving it new value. But most of the time I sew things from scratch; I really enjoy seeing something come to life from a flat fabric.

How would you describe your own style?

The opposite of minimalistic natural colored Scandinavian style. I like to wear things that make me smile. If you see me walking down the street one days it’s very likely that I am wearing a lot of bold colors, chunky shoes, gold jewelry and an oversized phone case. I am very attracted to the 70s, 90s, kids clothing, princess dresses, all things glittery and streetwear. The more contrast in the things I wear the more comfortable I feel because it makes it hard for people to put me in a box.

Who or what inspires you the most when coming up with design ideas?

My starting point is always ”what would be my dream piece” combined with the fabric that I have. My dream doesn’t always have to be extravagant, it can be as simple as ”a dress I feel comfortable and beautiful in”. When I then share my design I am always positively surprised that more people want to buy and wear that piece; because in the end us humans are quite basic and we share many of the same needs and wants.

What’s your favorite upcycled design you’ve created so far?

That’s a tricky question, I have so many favorites but one is definitely the corset I made for Arantxa Álvarez for her performance on “Allsång på Skansen”. Not only was it the wildest thing ever to see my design on such a big television show, worn beautifully by Arantxa, but the upcycling part was also such a crazy and fun experience. 

I got the job just a few weeks before the performance and I was going to Italy the day after to visit my grandmother and I couldn’t bring any of my tools or fabrics. So I had to improvise with what I could get my hands on and after a week of designing and researching materials in town I found this tiny piece of digitally printed sample fabric on the market of Pisa.

It had a bunch of different squares with the same pattern but in different colors and wasn’t bigger than a snowboard. I didn’t know when I bought it that it was going to become the corset but when I came home and tried the pattern pieces on the different fabrics I had found it was so clear that it had to be that piece.

“ Upcycle doesn’t have to be sewing, it can also be to print or embellish an existing piece of clothing and make it into something new and more exciting; giving it new value.”

If you dream big, which I hope you do, where would you and your concept be in 5 years?

I wish I could have a big house, maybe her in Scandinavia or in Italy, that was colorful and light and optimal for sewing, designing and having workshops. A big space with big cutting tables, space for all materials and ideas.
I wish that the house could be a meeting place for over the top craft projects and for inspirational craft productions. I wish I could film sustainable sewing & design videos and write books. I wish there would be a big garden full of flowers where you could get your hands dirty in the soil and hiding places for reading and near to the water for sewing break swims.

What do you think needs to change now in the fashion industry to make it more sustainable?

I think everyone in the ecosystem needs to help out with taking responsibilities and changing behaviors. Politicians need to make laws to protect the earth and the people, businesses need to innovate their business model to something sustainable, customers need to stop buying new clothing that they aren’t committed to longterm to.

What do you believe is “greenwashing” and what can producers and consumers do to avoid it?

When companies are trying to sell more by selling a feeling of being sustainable when the reality is that their actions still aren’t sustainable. I think both producers and consumers need to educate themselves more and really understand the problem on a bigger level. It can be a jungle but there are a lot of great initiatives that gladly helps with making it easier to navigate in it such as Fashion Revolution.

What would you advice consumers to do who seeks to create a sustainable closet and lifestyle?

You have to start with getting to know yourself so that you can build a long lasting wardrobe. What you want is minimising buying new produced pieces, so if that is something you do often then try to understand why you are doing it; what feeling it gives you. And research what impact buying new clothes has on the world. With knowledge comes power to change your behavior. Check your wardrobe and really investigate what pieces it is that you use the most and why. If you know your style, comfort and needs it much less likely that you will buy clothing that will end up hanging in your wardrobe without being used. If you have the possibility to join a clothing library than that’s a great way to research your style and what you like without buying new produced clothing.

“You have to start with getting to know yourself so that you can build a long lasting wardrobe.”