Rumours state that before becoming one of Scandinavia's leading designers, Stine Goya was an abstract painter. Although inaccurate, it is easy to see how Goya’s captivating use of colour inspired the myth. In fact, Goya started in fashion as a model whilst studying print making at Central Saint Martins in London. The slinky body-conscious or fluid cuts of her own collection, or the capsule line she designs for the Weekday brand, demonstrate a keen awareness of women's bodies. But she does present a strong artistic sensibility through her distinctive pastel palette.
Goya’s colours remain unique and consistent whether she is taking inspiration from Amish farmers, Victorian circuses or African animals. This season, she showed her collection in a series of rooms with installations of flowers, antique beds, vintage toys, a giant stuffed giraffe and live birds, spiders and mice. Although she favours sorbet hues, particularly a soft sherbet-shade of tangerine, her clothes have a sexy bite, which makes them ideal for young, artistically inclined wearers.
In past seasons, Goya has shown on catwalks in both Copenhagen and Berlin. The opening of the new Berlin branch of Weekday means that her style will now be accessible to like-minded Berliners. Goya’s upcoming Spring collection with Weekday will mark the only return visit of a guest designer for the expanding high-street brand.
Here, we rest over coffee and croissants at the Skt. Petri hotel, after her new magical Copenhagen collection debuted to wildly positive reviews, and discuss the particular creative appeal of Berlin for a Danish tastemaker like herself.
Ana Finel Honigman: Your installation was extraordinary. My favorite part was the two tiny mice in the massive glass bowl. They slept through the whole show but then woke at the end and started grooming themselves like they were totally late for their modelling gig.
Stine Goya: We wanted to create a whole universe with live animals and interesting items arranged as if they were always there. We were thinking of having a pot-bellied pig in the show too. At first we wanted a model to walk with him and then we thought that we’d have him in a cage. But we were afraid that he would squeal and people might misinterpret him to be distressed. We wanted him to participate but we were worried press might think we were being mean, so he stayed at home.
AFH: Were you looking at Victorian cabinets of curiosities and similar references, or were the arrangements more improvised?
SG: We did look at images of Versailles; we were just running around trying to build up each room from things gathered at antique shops and elsewhere. We wanted it to be special. Copenhagen is extremely small and it is hard to find locations, which are new for the audience and create an interesting atmosphere for the clothes.
AFH: This ad hoc and magpie sensibility seems to suit Berlin a bit better than Copenhagen, which can sometimes feel a little too clean.
SG: Copenhagen is very small and can be a little too polished.
AFH: What about Christiania? That seems a bit more like Berlin, or what pockets of Berlin still offer although the city as a whole seems to be moving towards a more conventional polish.
SG: We want to hold on to Christiania. Although when I say ‘we’, I unfortunately am not referring to the government. Those of us in Copenhagen with more creative interests are eager to keep Christiania because it gives the city a bit of real charm. It is nice to build big shiny buildings. But people built the houses in Christiania as their homes. That personality shows. Strict, new architecture lacks personality and we need to keep that area where Copenhagen’s real charm remains raw and genuine.
AFH: Is that raw quality what attracts you to Berlin?
SG: Berlin is a developing place. It is developing because of the interesting and creative people who have gone there. It is still a little unspoiled. It would be wonderful to find a nice, untouched and unseen spot in Berlin to present a section of my collection in a future season. I want to build something unique for each show and it is hard to find someplace in Copenhagen, because of its size.
AFH: What does Berlin offer as a market, which differs from showing in Scandinavia?
SG: And it is closer to Europe than Copenhagen. As a designer, it was important for me to show in Berlin because it was a step into Europe.
AFH: How has working with Weekday opened you to different demographics of wearers?
SG: Working with Weekday has been wonderful. They are just good people and I really like their concepts. I always aim to dress a wide range of women. Younger girls love my colours and patterns but they could not afford my line. I do not produce enough of my own label to lower the prices. But I always try and create pieces that might work for women of different ages. Most of my garments would be best for women between 25-40. However, there are always items that work well with my mother’s generation.
AFH: Do you think your palette is particularly Scandinavian?
SG: I think that my colours are just mine. My production team is always frustrated because I am very particular about the shades and fine details in the colouring.
AFH: Your colours especially suit you. You’re really your best model. Do you think that your experiences as a model have impacted your style or your work as a designer?
SG: I do think that modelling was helpful because I was able to see the fashion scene from various angles. It was never my ambition to become a significant model. I was always interested in using it as a bridge to other things.
AFH: Most truly successful models have that attitude. Its sad but the girls whose aspirations are limited to modelling are often at a disadvantage against the girls with more interesting personalities, who can attract press and collaborate.
SG: Most of the models are just too young to really understand themselves or their own personalities. They don’t know what interests them yet and they become consumed with a job that only demands them to show their bodies and faces. But the girls who have started thinking about who they are, are the most interesting to work with.
AFH: Do you mostly try and work with older or more thoughtful girls?
SG: It is hard to develop a deeper relationship with the models but I do tend to work with the same girls and I know that they appreciate what we do together. I do not pay my models but they really enjoy working with me and my clothes. Most of the models come back every season. That makes me very happy. What matters most is that people really appreciate the experience of wearing what I make.
[Images: Stine Goya, all by Shoji Fuji]
