Interview with SAFAYANTHUERSTEIN

Interview with SAFAYANTHUERSTEIN

Article about German-french design duo Louise Safayan and Vincent Thuerstein including interview

When we last spoke to Louise Safayan and Vincent Thuerstein, they introduced us to their way of design thinking, their very own perception of fashion, and their love for local crafts. Graduating from the Royal Academy Of Fine Arts in Antwerp, the two are one of the most exciting and promising talents to have on the radar.

An essential part of their working ethics is to value the human factor behind every single step in the production line. From the idea to the final product, the human scale has to be the main concern.

As Louise and Vincent told us in our last conversation, they meet fashion from an architectural perspective. Only if well-conceived, the garments will evolve with us over time. This was already part of both of their Bachelor- collections. In the collection “Clan Destin”, Louise put the focus on protection to women who wore the garments, as well as binding them to each other - as social camouflage. Vincent’s “Mokushiroku” featured fabrics and techniques, drawing inspiration from various fields like architecture or Japanese fishermen.

For the aspiring designers, the research that is the foundation to creating a new collection goes beyond the borders of fashion.

Just recently they debuted their joint project
“T H E M I S S I N G E L E M E N T” in Berlin together with Beinghunted and Ecco Leather. The collection sees a more mature approach towards functional wear and an even more extensive selection of fabrics and materials. Drawing inspiration from the 1970’s surfing culture, Vincent and Louise stuck to their dogma of putting crafts first. Finding the right balance between experimental, all handmade production and keeping prices competitive in an industry that is highly industrialized and serialized isn’t easy as they tell us. But for the two, the true value lies behind the physical product:

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