Keeping Up With Gen Next Designers At LFW Spring/Summer 2018: Helena Bajaj Larsen

Age: 22
Currently based out of: Paris

Design philosophy….
“My goal is to craft tasteful objects that incorporate a high level of creativity and intensive craftsmanship — two things that are often lacking in modern garments. I look at employing curiosity and aesthetics together so that experimentation becomes the basis for everything I produce. I’m constantly trying to familiarize myself with what appears foreign — be it a weaving technique in a different country, a music style in another or a way of cooking in a third. Every time I am placed in a new environment,  it feels as though I subconsciously accumulate a brand new visual vocabulary; a new palette of imagery I can draw from whenever I wish to sit down and feel inspired.”

Showcasing at Lakmé Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2018….
“Minimalist silhouettes have been placed in contrast with intricate hand-painted textiles in colour tones ranging from sharp metallics to earthy autumnal hues and silent greys. Each piece is unique as the print is 100 per cent manually done, using acid and pigment textile dyes along with a range of different tools.”

Inspirations….
“I tend to look to my environment — the colours, textures and patterns present around me as well as interiors, nature, food, people — they inspire me more than fellow designers. That being said, there are several veterans I have a lot of respect for such as Rohit Gandhi + Rahul Khanna from India and Mary Katrantzou, Christopher Kane, Rodarte, Proenza Schouler and McQueen internationally.”

Label USP….
“The fact that once you purchase a particular garment, you know that there is no one else in the world who will have the same one as all my pieces are entirely hand-painted, and so far I have not begun digitally reproducing any of them. They are artworks in themselves and anyone with a love of textiles and the arts would be happy to possess them. At the moment, there is no one else painting for me, so every inch of every garment is a direct manifestation of my own creative process.”