INTERVIEW #77 SY.GYTT
Hi Lova and sy.gytt, welcome to A Sustainable Closet. Tell us about your lovely brand?
I have always loved clothes and fashion, and somehow sewing has always been something that I thought of as a me-thing, something that suited the idea of who I am, even though I never did it outside of the craft classes in school. When the pandemic hit I felt the need to do something that wasn't connected to my literary studies and that wasn't rewatching old tv shows – sewing felt like the natural option. I didn't have a sewing machine, so I went to visit my parents who have one and in just a few days I sewed my three first pieces. I loved it, and as soon as I got back home I bought a machine. I spent the summer of 2020 making clothes and I still haven't stopped, so now I have sy.gytt, a place on the internet where I can gather all things fashion and sewing. For me, sy.gytt is about combining my life-long interest in style with my ambition to live more sustainably while getting a creative outlet where I can use my hands instead of just my head.
Are you currently selling your creations?
This Christmas I had my first "shop" on my Instagram story where I sold pieces I had sewn for myself that I was no longer using, which was really fun! I plan on doing it again soon. I also sew pieces upon requests that I get in my DM's, which are always open!
We LOVE the name sy.gytt, How did you come up with it?
It was my dear friend Josefiné who told me to make an Instagram for the clothes I was sewing and suggested that it should be called Sy Gytt. A few years ago there was a dating show on Swedish television where a guy meant to say the german "Sehr gut" but pronounced it as "sy gytt". He said it a lot during the episode and it became one of Josefiné’s favourite jokes and a perfect name for a sewing account!
Tell us more about the production of the garments, where do you source the fabrics etc??
I get my fabrics at thrift stores or at fabric shops. I try to use mainly second hand fabrics such as curtains or table cloths, sturdy fabrics which make for really great mini skirts or voluminous dresses, but it is much harder to find second-hand fabric in softer qualities or in bigger volumes, so I do buy newly produced fabrics too. When I do, I usually opt for natural fibers with some sort of organic label. Ever since I began sewing I have been obsessed with the fabric called "Indisk bomull" sold at Ohlssons Tyger, a great sturdy checkered cotton fabric that I have used to sew all kinds of garments. All the clothes are sewn by me in my Malmö apartment.
Where do you find your main inspiration?
For my overall aesthetic, I find inspiration in memories of clothes that I wanted as a child, and I try to make the vision that eleven-year-old me had of her future style come to life. I was deeply into Blair in the Gossip Girl show at that time, and that still echoes through what I now make.
I always look through the fashion shows at Vogue.com of brands that I like as soon as they are up, which gives me a lot of inspiration for silhouettes and colour combinations. Right now I am really liking the Danish brand Saks Potts and the Swedish brand’s Stand Studio and Rave Review. I also have a huge saved folder on Instagram called "to sew" where I save everything that I come across that makes me think "I could make that myself". I also follow different fashion schools such as Beckmans, and seeing the students' collections is always super inspiring.
What are your dreams with sy.gytt?
Mainly I want to keep sewing and develop as a seamstress/designer. Right now I am focusing on getting better at pattern drafting. I took a course in it at ABF last fall and it was so much fun. I have also started to receive requests for custom pieces which is really fun, and I do as much of them as my spare time will allow me.
I also have ideas of maybe starting a clothing line, but it would be under another name. What I like about sy.gytt is that it is for me on my terms - and post as much as I want, I sew as much as I want and I sell what and when I want to sell. If I were to create a legitimate clothing business it would be in a new form, as to keep sy.gytt just for me.
What do you think needs to change in the fashion industry to make it more sustainable?
The labor politics need to improve – the underpaid labor that makes the clothes is what makes fast fashion possible. I usually don't advocate that much for consumer responsibility as I believe that the capitalist system that allows for fast consummation and the exploitation of workers runs much deeper than what can be changed by deciding not to buy a certain shirt, instead, I think it is important to bring to light the conditions under which clothes are made and the implications inflicted on the workers and the environment by the fashion industry and to vote for parties that advocate for worker rights. In my opinion, the only sustainable consumption is no consumption, but then I also want to have pretty things, so making the clothes myself is a way to navigate between these two notions. Of course, I also buy newly produced clothes, which is bad, but I try to only buy things that I don't have the ability to make (yet).
What would you advise consumers to do who seek to create a sustainable closet and lifestyle?
Learn to make the stuff you want! I encourage everyone to take a class, not only do you acquire a new skill but you also get to meet new people. In Sweden, there is a tradition of "folkbildning", people's education, with organisations such as ABF (Arbetarnas Bildningsförbund - The Workers Educational Association) that offer all kinds of craft classes in a really lovely environment where you learn together as a group.
Best thing about sy.gytt?
That it stems from a genuine interest of mine without it having to be connected to my self-worth or primarily making money. I have always written a lot, and writing has become such an integral part of my self image that the act of writing now is mixed up with my feelings of self-worth. The act of sewing is pure enjoyment, and I also get great clothes at the end.
What's up next?
In the spirit of encouraging people to learn to make what they want, I really want to get into selling the patterns I make and use for my garments so that they can make them themselves. In my opinion, I have developed the perfect mini skirt-pattern, so my plan is to learn pattern scaling and practice it on the skirt pattern to then be able to sell it.
This fall some friends and I are planning an exhibition in Malmö, where we will show the creative things we do, so I am now in the process of planning what pieces I would wanna make for it and how to present them. It is making me think of the garments in a larger, more spatial context, and I am really excited to see how it will affect my process.
Who else should we interview?
The Copenhagen slow fashion brand Binné, makes really pretty and well-sewn made-to-order pieces from only vintage, deadstock or second-hand fabric!