Bea Szenfeld, a Polish fashion designer made the most out of paper in her latest Spring/Summer 2014 collection titled “Haute Papier” showcased during this month’s Stockholm Fashion Week 2013. The designer is known for making extravagant forms and silhouettes, and her latest designs made entirely out of paper are breathtaking in their dynamic structures and huge proportions.
Bea Szenfeld, born in Poland in 1972, has been living in Sweden since childhood and studied at the notorious Beckmans College of Design, graduating in 2002. She shot into the limelight in 2003 after participating and winning the popular reality TV show Fashion House, similar to Project Runway. She won multiple awards with her unique and “out there” take on vintage style and secondhand materials. Szenfeld is known for her wild signature style and has also designed outfits for like-minded performers such as Björk. Her first show on Fashion Week was back in 2006, and she has produced numerous outstanding collections since.
Her latest, “Haute Papier”, is, of course, our favorite by far. Her way of manipulating such a delicate yet rigid material as paper is respectable and just mind-boggling. The collection plays on volume and humor, giving the spectator are a real show. Dressing the models into nude body suits, and encasing them in grand paper structures reminiscing the likes of teddies, bearskins, elephants as well as intricate geometrical and three-dimensional designs.
The interesting thing about the collection is that Szenfeld claims to not have used any form of 3D machinery or cutting assistance, but opted to use more of a hands-on way of working with a simple cut-and-glue technique. She has achieved to make a material with such delicacy into an army of strong and powerful looks, always having a tongue-in-cheek attitude. It’s refreshing to see paper used in fashion in such an imaginative way, really pushing the boundaries and not taking the easy way out. We can see her passion in her work, and can’t wait to see what she comes up with next!
Check out the amazing collection below. Let us know what you think, what’s your favorite one? We are in a debate over the cuteness of the teddy bears and the edgy geometric looks..
Photo source: Kristian Löveborg