Between
Experimental Fashion Design Lab
Our story begins BETWEEN conversations, thoughts and minds, continents and places, arts and crafts; talking and making, absorbing time, space and existence.
We spoke to Migle and Julija about the concept behind BETWEEN and what’s ahead for the design LAB.
DeSCRIBE BETWEEN AND AND THE CONCEPT BEHIND THE EXPERIMENTAL FASHION DESIGN LAB?
BETWEEN is a concept that is not defined by demographics or product type. It’s universal.
BETWEEN aims to see more. What hides between the lines and words, and what lies between the past and the future, but it is not subordinated to time itself.
There are plenty of stories lying behind our collections. These stories refer to our traditional Baltic roots, while also provides a fresh view of today’s design field. They meet somewhere BETWEEN. It represents the collaboration of traditional crafts and novel design to create the new conceptual stories. Reborn of forgotten crafts is only viable when connected with innovative design. That what’s lying BETWEEN our creations.
What designs are you working on right now?
At the moment we are excited to present our new Fall/Winter 19/20 collection CASE 3 at Paris Fashion Week. We have been working on this collection extensively, but also in some kind of hypnoses, that means - we were enjoying this process so much. During the process of creating CASE 3, we have already started to create CASE 4 (Spring/Summer 2020).
TELL US YOUR STORY? HOW DID IT ALL BEgin FOR BETWEEN?
We were course mates in the Academy of Arts. After finishing our studies we did a lot of things separately and after several years we met for a coffee, and this turned into a decision to do something together. After a while, we found ourselves presenting our collections in Paris. We don’t really know how it happened!
TELL US ABOUT YOUR CREATIVE BACKGROUNDS AND HOW THEY DIFFER AND COMPLEMENT?
Julija graduated Product Design (MA) in the Vilnius Academy of Arts, Lithuania. During her studies she was focussed on a conceptual footwear design. Her previous education included Costume Design (BA) and Graphic Design (BA). She was awarded with a Baltic American Freedom Foundation scholarship in New York interning with “Rag & Bone” and “Vida shoes” companies at footwear and accessories departments.
Migle graduated Innovation and Technology Management (MA), Costume Design (BA) and Ceramics crafts. She was also learning jewellery design, as well as millinery making disciplines.
We both believe that it is never too late to learn something new and we’re both naturally curious and eager to understand new things. It’s a great gift to find a like-minded person on your creative way, and we both are lucky and grateful about this. To create together - is the most interesting and rewarding moment of all the time we spend together.
What inspires and drives you?
We watch, listen, talk and observe a lot. We travel, we dream, we read, we create. Inspiration comes from various places.
Sometimes you get inspired by surroundings or people around you, but sometimes your design comes from really random things such as a taste of coffee or a smell of grass. But mostly we don’t know the source of our inspiration. For us, it’s a constant never ending process.
Why do you do what you do?
We are constantly asking this question ourselves. Sometimes it seems useless, and yet – we are here, creating.
Even when we try to escape our creation processes, we find ourselves creating. We adore creating in different art and design fields, however, we found fashion – it is the field we have settled in for a while. We create, because we don’t know how not to create.
What advice do you have for emerging designers?
Never stop the process. Extend it to another one and never stop dreaming. Do not lose the possibility to notice these little signs, notes around you. Stay curious and stay true. Only the creations that are coming are your truth - they bring a message that someone will believe in.
