Manon Kündig is a 29-year-old Swiss fashion designer who very recently
graduated from the Antwerp’s Royal Academy of Arts. Her master 2012 graduate
menswear collection called ” Bowerbird” is full of digital prints and acid colours.
Photoshop is probably one of the most important tools of her collection and
she confesses being completely addicted to online research. Like the bird, she
was inspired by to create her collection, bird stealing rubbish to create its nest;
Manon stole Google images to create her prints. We asked Manon about her work
and the relationship between the Internet and her collections. See more;
▼ Read the interview ▼
▼ Read the interview ▼
Dora Moutot (DM) interviews Manon Kündig (MK) / Click imges to enlarge_
DM: You just graduated from the MA fashion design of the school of Antwerp.
How many years did you study? How was it studying in Antwerp and having
Walter van Beirendonck as a teacher?
MK: It was really nice to study in Antwerp. I did the 4 years course in 5 years because
I did somehow lose sight of my priorities due to love and fun. Studying seems
like having a full time job, but I like to be versatile and still have a life. There is no way for me to be completely dedicated to my work in an academical way. I think
this was my strength. Also I have a really lazy side that I fully love and accept. I
mean lazy in action not in brainwork. Or maybe better said; going out can still be
considered as work for me. I was lucky to meet teachers that could understand
my different way of dealing with planning and leaving me free (not without
worries) to do my thing. Walter is a great mentor. He gave me lots of motivation.
Dirk van Saene also had a great input and I really enjoyed the complete freedom
and trust of this final year. I think this school makes you definitely strong and
makes you believe in your capacity. I also need to add that studying in Antwerp
stays really democratic. The fee is low in comparison to other “top” schools and
the quality of life is mild.
DM: Your collections are always very surreal and theatrical. What is your
fantasy world about? Where do you get your inspirations?
MK: My inspiration comes from things I live or discover. I mainly need to be fully
convinced, intrigued and passionate about a topic.
DM: I read that you were inspired by mohair fetishism while designing a micro-
collection during your time at school. To me, your BA collection Blowjob
looked like it was inspired by inflatable fetishism and black metal culture
and your MA collection called Bowerbird looked very inspired by the
digital art niche and the actual Internet aesthetic. You work seems very
inspired by fetish, niche and alternative culture. Do you research these
cultures online?
MK: You are completely right and I am completely addicted to online research. You
must agree it is extremely comfortable. Surfing is the only sport I practice. My
ass is made to sit. My back has slowly a bump. I even got a nerve blocked in my
left wrist because of my position while smoking and using the computer.
Fetish and “subcultures” are indeed giving me a great source of motivation and
fascination. I do like the particular and hope being particular myself too.
DM: Why did you call your last collection Bowerbird? What is the story behind
the collection? And why do you choose to do menswear?
MK: I do menswear because it is easy. Or maybe I can't really handle the female
fashion world as it exists. It would be a really different approach. I am actually
slowly feeling ready for it.
A Bowerbird is a bird.
I did discover it thanks to David Attenborough, (this bird) It was too good to not be used. It gave me so much freedom. I could act like a bird
and make a collection where everything is possible and imaginable. The aesthetic
of the bird has no hierarchy. Rubbish can be beauty. A cocktail. The bird picks
whatever is in his surrounding. It is what I did or always do. Therefore there are
lots of stolen google images. The Bowerbird is a commune looking small brown
bird acting like a peacock with his material goods. This behaviour is really close
to the macho-male showing off his car and t-shirt with a brand-tag. I live in this
kind of neighbourhood. Borgerhout. Borgerhout is called borgerocco in Antwerp
slang. The hood is majority Moroccan. I love the eclectic mix that can be seen
between the more traditional garments and the “megastore” clothes. A cocktail
like I said.Cheap fake fur bed rugs mixed with real snake skin. Posh silk with
nasty polyester. Digital prints with handmade marbling prints.
DM: Your last collection seems to be very inspired by the digital art/ digital
fashion niche. The “headscarf all over the body thing” became an online
trend that spread on Tumblr this year. The first time I saw something like
that was on the website of the headscarf designer Killian Loddo. I also
remember a shoot from Dis magazine called Patter recognition with the same idea. What are you thoughts about social medias, ideas and
aesthetics travelling online? How important is the Internet in your creative
process?
MK: I had no idea of these online trends because I don't like to start from a fashion
point of view and barely look at it. I should actually, I guess, to be aware of the
actual moment but I don't, because I feel somehow I would get parasited in my
working process. My online research is clearly not on fashionable sides. It is
the “real” aspect that fascinates me. For the head scarves I actually also “stole”
the idea from a silk fetish thing going on Flickr, it is damn serious. There is a
fetish for almost everything. Also the Bowerbird hides himself behind his bower
when the female comes to have a look and chooses a mate. I wanted no body or
physical aspect to be seen. No human, a pile of information for the eyes.
I actually feel sad when something like the mohair fetish is showcased on a
website like vice (just to name one). I guess I am selfish. I don't feel part of the
internet community, I am a voyeur. But I also use the internet to learn absolutely
everything I want. I mean techniques. People are nice to share their knowledge.
DM: How did you design design each prints? What is the process? What kind of
techniques do you use?
MK: For the digital prints Photoshop was a great tool with absolutely no limits. I do
like the possibility to get this strong acid colours feeling. I enjoyed losing track of time behind a computer. I even bought a new one that I call my Rolls-Royce to be
able to work with these big files. Also I am not a graphic designer, which makes
my computer work even more crappy and my files heavy for nothing. I like
crappy. I even printed on silk watermarks from Internet images, which I think is
nice. When I was 20 I was allergic to computers and it is why I chose fashion and
not graphic design when entering in art school. Funny how I changed. Now I was
happy to escape behind a screen for hours. You become autistic.
I also used marbling. Marbling is the same technique used in the covers of really
old books. It is full of surprises, never two times the same. It was exiting. Also
because of the dimension of the silk pieces I printed. It was a challenge. You
basically make a size filled with gelatine made from cooking Irish moss. Then you
drop paint with the consistency of milk on the surface of this viscous liquid. The
paint should float and different patterns can be drawn by making waves with
combs or sticks. Then you can finally lay on the surface the fabric that must have
been pre-treated and transfer the actual print.
DM: What do you want to do next? Are you planning on designing a new
collection? What is your dream job?
MK: I would like to create a new collection and still work for a big house in parallel.
Getting my clothes into production is the dream. For sure I will continue working
around prints because I am convinced by the hypnotic power of it and its endless
possibilities. I will also continue participating to happenings within an all girl
collective called LVMM, which is a great project and gives me lots of joy.
Interview by Dora Moutot for Triangulation Blog - August 2012
Dora Moutot is a young journalist specialized in fashion within the digital culture. She is the founder of La Gazette du Mauvais Gout where she writes about bad taste, eccentric and kitsch trends. www.doramauvaisgout.tumblr.com
