photo by Calle Stoltz

Discover Sandra Backlund, a designer who turns knitted clothing into a piece of art. Mostly famous for her three-dimensional collage knitting perhaps it would be more appropriate to define her as a sculptor rather than a fashion designer. Her desire to discover different materials and techniques as well as her passion for quality and tradition make Sandra’s clothes one of a kind. Her artistic skills transform knitwear to unique fascinating fashion items.

photo by Calle Stoltz

Photos by Peter Farago

The handicraft process has always been very important for Sandra Backlund’s work. Sandra has been experimenting with a lot of different materials and techniques, but it is her three-dimensional collage knitting that is most significant. Up until just recently Sandra Backlund has been doing everything herself by hand, only selling her designs on orders directly from customers, made to measure. For about 1 1/2 year ago Sandra was connected to the long tradition of Italian top knitwear and apparel production. The challenge was to add to the collection some unique pieces inspired by Sandra’s hand made collections that could require only a limited amount of manual work.

photo by Ola Bergengren

Photos by Peter Gehrke

Photos by Carl Bengtsson

“It was of course a big step for me to go from working alone in my studio, inventing pieces while doing them myself by
hand, to suddenly be working with a team of experts within a field of fashion that I never before have had the chance to get to know. I was overwhelmed by all the possibilities I saw and even though I will never give up doing my hand knitted signature pieces, I now see how to develop my collections in ways that I never thought was possible.

photos by Johan Fowelin

photo by Ola Bergengren

photo by Annika Aschberg

For the Spring/Summer 2011 collection, the ongoing journey towards a more complete and balanced collection where
handmade special pieces can stand side by side to more edited styles in a natural way, continues. As always the startingpoint is the materials and techniques. They help me find the right shapes and silhouettes. The most important for thiscollection is the metal yarn. I have been looking for that for more than six years, and now I finally found one made of 100% copper that is both beautiful and wearable.”

SS11- photos by Thomas Klementsson

 

Sandra Backlund

info

Sandra Backlund is a fashion designer with an exam from Beckmans College of Design in Stockholm, Sweden. She
founded her own label directly after graduation in 2004 and has been working full time with her collection since then. The handicraft process has always been very important for her work. Sandra has been experimenting with a lot of different materials and techniques, but it is her three-dimensional collage knitting that is most significant.

In 2007 Sandra Backlund was the grand prix winner of Festival International De Mode & Photographie in Hyeres, Sandra’s work has recently been selected for exhibitions like “Hair Du Temps” at la Galerie d’art du Conseil General in France, “Paper Fashion” at MoMu in Antwerp and MUDAM in Luxembourg and “Swedish Fashion – Exploring a New Identity” at Fashion and Textile Museum in London and Museum of Contemporary Art in Tokyo. In 2008 she was selected by Franca Sozzani of Vogue Italia to be her protégé for the Protégé Project presented in Florence and again in 2009 for the Cittadelarte Fashion B.E.S.T project together with Italian artist Michelangelo Pistoletto. Except from her own line Sandra Backlund has also made some special knit wear pieces for other brands like Louis Vuitton and
Emilio Pucci.

Source: www.sandrabacklund.com