sylvani

My graduation collection was originally inspired by a fairytale: A girl tries to help her brothers, who were turned into swans, but she is almost too late and while the others turn back into humans, the youngest keeps one wing forever. I loved this story and decided to dive deeper into the idea of humans turning into birds, of metamorphosis, of being restricted, and ultimately breaking free.

I started with some clean silhouettes, high waisted trousers, structured jackets, accentuating the body and following the human shape. Then slowly, the shapes open up, layers upon layers of fabrics try to free themselves: Still held back by strict collars and yokes, but underneath that, tumbling down and breaking free. Unraveling from constrictions, turning against conventions. Unfinished hems and asymmetric draping let the fabrics do their own thing and fall as they please.

The colours echo the swan, the palette is simple: Whites and creams, with hints of peach, grey and nude. Layers of different transparencies create a variety of hues and an endless amount of shades. Like the plumage of the swan, a multitude of colours makes up this impression of one fairly solid colour, though it changes constantly, depending on the angle it is being looked at.

The main technical aspect of making the collection was embroidery (as well as freehand draping): We had to choose between several different techniques, and the logical choice was embroidery, as it brings me the most joy and adds wonderful textures to otherwise plain fabrics. I used feathers, felt, sequins, beads and of course embroidery floss to explore various techniques and add interest to the garments and another layer to the story.

I needle-felted a swan’s head and his wings onto a jacket and added even more texture with satin stitches and french knots. Different colours of raw wool, including white, cream, grey, shades of pink, salmon and peach all come together to create depth, accentuating shadows and highlights. I also experimented with hand-smocking and gathering and let myself not be restricted by traditional patterns. Feathers added another dimension and tied the garments back to the original inspiration.

I not only used different fabrics like tulle, chiffon, voile and organza together to create volumes, I also created more textures by leaving the edges raw, to unravel over time. Asymmetric draping and stitching lets the fabrics perform in their natural way, each falling differently depending on the weave. The voluminous shapes came together in an organic, freestyle manner, I let imperfection and coincidence lead the way.

concept & clothes: Liliana Schaber

photography: Lukas Jahn

models: Helena Schaber, Anicia Jahn

location: Schloss Hellbrunn, Trick Fountains

All images © Lukas Jahn