Interview by Giovanna Galleno

As I told you in my last article The Fashion Week is a tribute to the talent of the fashion world and La Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana, as part of the activities of Milan Fashion Week, hosted at the UniCredit Pavilion the collections of 17 young designers to give a space to the new talents that have too many things to “say” through their collections.

All these designers had the opportunity of showing their collections to the visitors and meeting important authorities of this sector who visited the Fashion Hub Market. For me was a great experience, I was fascinated with the creations of the designers that came from different countries such as Korea, China, Netherlands, France and of course Italy. However, the collection of Liselore Frowijn impressed me the most because each piece send you and energetic message because of their colors and special graphics. Each garment is like a piece of art.

But what is the Liselore Frowijn brand? To answer this question first of all it’s necessary to know Liselore Frowijn, the fashion designer, who is “behind” each design. That’s why I share with you this interview that express the real meaning of a person who loves her “job”, who is capable of expressing so many thing through a kind smile.

Could you tell me how Liselore Frowijn is like?

She is very energetic, so she is always doing a lot of things, and she likes food and traveling, colors and people. She is really happy with her life and what she is able to do in Fashion.

Do you have a dream?

I would like to see that my garments reach as many people as possible in the world, and for this purpose, I hope to travel a lot and to meet many people because it really gives me a lot of energy to see as much of the world as possible. I’d like to explore it and to get inspiration of it, and to give the world something back with my collections.

What does fashion mean to you?

I think fashion for me is a way to communicate what I would like to communicate so it’s my platform. I like to collect all these images that I found inspirational, such as art and food and people and travelling, and to capture them in a new image which can be my collection, so it’s really a way to express myself as well.

How did your fashion project begin?

I graduated two years ago at ArtEZ Academy of Art in Arnhem in Netherlands and I got elected for a Dutch Fashion Competition which I won, and then it all started. It’s a bit like a snowball effect; I’m still kind of running down, and it’s great because many opportunities came along. I do some freelance projects for big companies.

I have done scarf collection with Mantero Seta in Como – Italy.  I design uniforms for a company in Netherlands and meanwhile I’ve also presented my own collection so It’s really an ongoing thing.

How do you get inspired?

For the collection S/S 2016, I was really touched by the color bands by Sol Lewitt, an American painter that makes beautiful monumental size painting with primary colors. I felt like I have to translate it into my own pieces of garments. I started to design all the fabrics and these are the silhouettes are developed after, so it is a collection by working on fabrics first and then the silhouettes.

The coloring inspiration of this artist touched me for the total image of the collection. Besided, I wanted to work with very graphic approach and primary colors together with very organic designs, like the cow-skin-pattern. It is really a combination of these two; organic and graphic, as a clash. Another clashing aspect I’m always working with is sport vs luxury, to find a kind of comfort but luxury; it’s always balancing on many aspects which results into an eclectic image.

What do you think makes your brand different?

That’s also a good question because many people say my work is different, and then it makes me wonder how it could be different, because my work is very personal, so this is the only way I know how to do it.

When I compare my work with other designers, every piece is like an individual piece and together they are like a layered painting of looks. To me it is very important to play with transparency of fabrics and to have a kind of forward and background imagination. I think a lot about each look, so it gets a lot of attention. My eclectic approach is an interesting play with all the pieces of garments, so there is a lot to see and maybe this makes it different from other brands.

How could you define your brand in five words?

I would to say it’s Eclectic, colorful, atmospheric, energetic and bold.

How do you see your brand in 20 years?

Twenty years,that’s a lot, I hope it’s like a very big brand but not too big that I don’t have any control, and I hope to work with a team and to be the creative director of this team. I hope we collaborate with many other companies, and maybe in 20 years is not only fashion or garments, I can imagine doing many different things like different products, or materials or art.

Last days, I also visited to Prada Fondazione in Milan and I was really impressed by the collection of art that Mrs. Prada collected. I hope in 20 years I’m going somewhere on this direction to collect art and to do many different aspects in this kind of work.

Finally, what does the Fashion Week mean for your career as a designer?

Milan Fashion week has been very good to me because last season I presented my collection in Paris with this show and in two days I will go again to Paris again, but it has been great being part of the showroom of the Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana. I met so many people and all from different countries, so it really gave me a lot of knowledge about how they like my work or not and many new opportunities I hope would bring me. It is really great to be part of this new platform.

On September 30^th, two days after of this interview, Liselore concluded her S/S 2016 tour with the official show at Paris Fashion Week – listed by ‎Mode à Paris (Fédération Française de la Couture du Prêt-à-Porter des Couturiers et des Créateurs de Mode).

Liselore Frowijn’s runway show was an injection of energy and style that impressed to the audience.

Here are some shots of her catwalk in Paris pictured by Peter Stigter.

 I finished this article wishing the best to a fashion designer who lives her passion and “cultivates” her soul being a person that communicate her energy and enthusiasm through her talent.

“The person born with a talent they are meant to use will find their greatest happiness in using it. ”

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

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Liselore Frowijn: http://www.liselorefrowijn.com/

Photos of the runway show pictured by Peter Stigter

A very big thank you to Rosanne van Wijk for being our photographer in this interview.