Q&A ELINA PELTONEN

kuva Leena Aro

Elina Peltonen - A Master Degree student at University of Art and Design Helsinki, the winner of Diesel prize and just enormously attractive, creative and clever person. Her design is sensitive, thoughtful, unisex and full of modernity. I asked her few questions about her attitudes. I've always loved our conversations.  

me: 1. Difficult as it is, how would you describe your collection?

Elina: The language of silence is one that knows how to listen when the other centres act, so that it can construct itself as a reaction to the others, and not only as the self-determined action of its own talking” -John  Cage

 

Instead of shouting out a message my work tends to empower silence as its strength and possibility, an attitude which becomes an attempt towards something that could be called anarchistic sensitivity.

 

This (wo)menswear collection embraces a kind of masculinity, which gives men more the right as well as responsibility in the field of sensitivity. My inspiration comes from subtility, softness, clumsiness and the accidental. The aesthetic of silence is present in my work in the shapes, colours, materials and details that all communicate a sense of calmness and undefinability.

 

“Basically one wants to say something which cannot be said, so what one has to do is to make a poem where one can feel what is meant.”        -Pina Bausch

 

me: 2. Would you rather call yourself a fashion designer or a clothing designer?

Elina: This is a tough one. I am always most intrigued how the material and form combine and function in a wearable/usable/washable piece. This does not mean I find the artistic qualities of clothing less important, on the contrary.  I try to exceed the two fundaments of good design “beauty and function” and bring my philosophical problem solving visible. It is difficult to make content into fashion, but it’s possible.

 

me: 3. If not working in fashion industry where else to work?

Elina: I believe anything you set your mind to can be interesting.

me: 4. In my mind, the finnish media is not that supportive for young creative designers what it really could be. Do you think it should open its eyes wider?

Elina: I think its a bit of a general problem of finnish culture, a sort of over-modesty, which turns into quite negative and restricting attitudes. It’s a bit of a twisted case of inferiority complex. But ofcourse it’s also a two-way thing, a lot of young finnish designer’s don’t even want the attention of the domestic media.

me: 5. What is the most horrible thing that someone could think about a fashion design student?

Elina: I think a lot of the predjudice have to do with superficiality, egoism and ignorance. The fashion world is cruel though, I think there are alot of people like this turning important wheels. That however doesn’t mean it’s like this out of necessity, that it couldn’t change. If I didn’t believe the how you do it matters, I propably wouldn’t manage.

me: 6. Do you like fashion?

Elina: Of course, I love it. But I do hate it as well. I think it’s this very bipolar relationship that forces me to search, research and reresearch, not take anything for granted, to question everything constantly. It makes it really hard but also really really intresting.

 

me: 7. What fashion means to you?

Elina: It means passion. I would love to do it, fashion is so complex, so intrieging, so ambigious it will never leave me at peace and will always challenge me. But the passion works also the other way: I won’t do it no-matter-what. I would love to be part of it but with my own rules and regulations. All I do is try, really hard!