Rosa Bryndis: Rosa Winther Danison & Bryndis Thorstensdottir.

The work of Danish/Icelandic duo, ROSA • BRYNDIS has had my avid attention for a solid 6 months. Despite being a very young label, you can take it from me that the pair has struck a perfect balance between textile attention and architecture in garments. I was shamelessly captivated by the beautiful draping and knit-work in their first collection, and the latest installment goes above and beyond.

So, without stealing too much of their thunder, it was my absolute pleasure to catch up with the lovely Miss-es Rosa and Bryndis to give the low-down on what goes through their heads:

Hi guys! how’s it going?
The last period has been quite hectic. We are battling intensely with the next collection, which is very exciting. With a full time study and two jobs each on the side, it can be difficult to fit everything in to our schedule. We are slowly expanding our production and the hard work is definitely paying off.



How did you both start out with design?
 We met at a design course at VERA – The School Of Art and Design, while Bryndis was taking a break from The Royal Academy Of Fine Arts, The School Of Architecture and Rosa was applying for the Danish Designschool. We were two of the most ambitious students in our group, and quickly started working together. After spending many days and nights together at the school, we decided to combine our ideas and make our first multifunctional collar.

What would you describe as the ROSA • BRYNDIS vibe? 
ROSA • BRYNDIS is innovative and sophisticated – created to satisfy the multiple needs of modern women. Our collections are unique and experimental with a touch of the unpredictable. The designs are inspired of architectural and organic shapes that have the effect of creating slightly askew but yet feminine. We are focusing a lot on quality and luxury. Our materials are rigorously evaluated and carefully chosen. Our knitwear is handknittet – by our self, and out signature dresses are hand stitched. Our visual expression is that of a strong character.

What was your inspiration for your latest collection?
We really enjoy working with structures, movement and units. We always experiment during our creative process, which means that many of are styles are very different from the original sketch. This makes the process both interesting and a lot more fun. Hand knitting has become our niche. Our wavy knitwear was mainly inspired by the structures in the Icelandic landscape, together with a typical Icelandic house structure called: “bárujárn”. Our signature dresses expresses an escape from the ordinary. We like making our own textiles, experimenting with dimensions and challenge the sight.

< Which are your personal favourites?
We off course fancy a wide selection of our collections – but when it comes down to our absolute favourites, we don’t always share the same opinion. Bryndis’ favorite styles is “The Sausage Dress” – not a very flattering name, but it completely describes the wadding stuffed dress consisting of long tubes. The dress is from our second collecton, S/S10. Rosa’s favourite is the hand knitted dress JONINA, from the A/W’10.

Where do you see ROSA • BRYNDIS in 5 years time? One can never predict the future but we do only hope for the best. Our main goal is to have fun and enjoy all the goals we achieve. The best case scenario would be a ROSA • BRYNDIS store, situated in the center of Copenhagen. We would like to keep the door open for the Scandinavian and European market.

How would you describe the ROSA • BRYNDIS girl?
ROSA • BRYNDIS appeals to a very large segment. We don’t really have the eager to define nor distinguish between the verities of subcultures in society. The ROSA • BRYNDIS girl, can be any girl.

 

How do you feel about the huge wave of bloggers in the industry?
This particular subject is actually something we have discussed a lot. Bryndis investigates in the blog industry a lot more than Rosa. Because Rosa performs many of the economic and business related tasks, Bryndis has more time to explore the area. The 1st of April we decided to involve a third member of the duo, Johan Christian Chen, who is going to be our new business manager. This will give us more time to follow the many bloggers. We generally consider the wave off blogging as a very positive contribution to the world of fashion – it opens a new forum of opinion.

One of my previous interviewees, designers Clare Press of Mrs Press, would like to know: Tell us about your biggest hair mistake!
Bryndis once cut her hair very short – a boyish haircut, which is actually very modern in Denmark at the moment, and the decision still haunts her. Rosa, actually just cut her hair short. She has been playing with the idea for a long time, and woke up one day and thought: “Life’s to short to wonder if I should cut my hair” for another year”. Her biggest mistake was in 5th grade, when she decided to let her mother curl her hair, permanently, with a home kid.

And last of all, what’s a random question would you guys like to ask the next interviewee?
“I kissed a girl and I liked it!” Did you?



Thanks ladies!

(Isn't that last campaign shot fantastic? It should be printed in every glossy in the book).

Definitely make sure you take a stroll through their fantastic work right HERE. Rest assured you'll be hearing so much more about these girls!

P.S. Who's headed to VOGUE Fashion's Night Out tomorrow? If you're around, I'll be at Calvin Klein, MYER, Tiffany & Co., Salvatore Ferragamo, Forever New and 100Squared at various points in the evening - so come and say hi! Or just shop and make me jealous in general.

*love*

xx