C.NEEON

Interview with C.NEEON

Berlin based c.neeon was founded by Clara Kraetsch and Doreen Schulz, who met in 2001 at the Kunsthochschule Berlin college. They produced their first collection under the c.neeon moniker in 2004, and won the grand prize at the prestigious Hyeres fashion festival in 2005. Designing both womenswear and menswear, the label is known for its bold color, geometric prints and unusual cuts.

youtube : pelicanvideo cneeon

- Can you tell us a little bit about yourself as a fashion designer and your brand.

C: Both of us studied at Berlin Art School called ''Kunsthochschule Weissensee''. Doreen studied fashion design, Clara textile design. For our final degree we decided to work together. The first collection had little success so we decided to found our own label. The name c.neeon is a combination of both our names. C stands for clara, neeon for doreen. (as a small child her sister couldn't pronounce 'doreen', she changed the letters and made it sound like 'neeon'.

- Can you tell us a little bit about the new Autumn/Winter 2009-10, what were your initial concepts?

C&D: The c.neeon collection is inspired by the Russian artist and fashion designer Sonja Delaunay, who cofounded the Orphism art movement in the first half of the 20th century. The collection draws from the movement’s experimental use of strong colors and geometric shapes.

- Regarding your S/S 2009 collection, can you tell us a little bit about the detail.

C&D: For their spring/summer 2009 collection c.neeon looks to the Sundays of summertime for inspiration.

A little sleepy, a little dreamy and tasting slightly of strawberry short cake with mounds of whipped cream and colored frosting. The clothes are playful and feminine, but by material contrast, also the play between the inner and outer, blended and broken. In the knitting there are slight reticular structures, and in the prints large, colorful butterflies on transparent chiffon.

- What is the most important facet to pay attention to in your designs?

C&D: It's the combination of the textile design and the patterns. You have to see them as a symbiosis, nothing works without the other aspect. 

- Do you have any favourite materials/fabrics and/or special techniques you enjoy using?

C&D: For us it's very inspiring to combine very different fabrics or materials. Every fabric has it's own character.  

- In the beginning, what actually made you get into designing?

C&D: Doreen grew up in a special family, her grandfather was a tailor and her mother did a lot of handcraft at home. Clara decided to do fashion design business whilst working together with Doreen at the university. Before she also thought to do some interior stuff. 

- How would you describe your style?

C&D: A mixture of sportive and feminine, colourful with strong graphics.  

- What are your opinions on the current Europe fashion scenes?

C&D: Very exciting, there are a lot of different styles and schools.

- What are your career plans, do you have any future goals?

C&D: We are preparing a fashion show in St. Petersburg in April, The German Goethe Institute invited us to present there. So we are really excited to get to know the people and culture.

- Do you have some words of wisdom for any young designers and our readers?

C&D: Oh, it's a hard question... everybody has to follow his/her own way.

Website : http://cneeon.de/

Written by Toshimi Takaishi