Flank Leder

Interview with Frank Leder

Frank Leder is a German Fashion Designer. He studied at London´s Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design, where he was awarded an MA with distinction. Leder developed his Brand while still in College, establishing himself in London with forward thinking Fashion Shows as well as contributing as Art Director and Stylist to Fashion Magazines like i-D and Sleazenation. Through these works, Leder dealt with his position in the fashion industry in an intellectual way. His work often breaks with the idea of a traditional method of presentation by proposing a different viewpoint. 2001 Frank Leder was awarded the Deutsche Bank Pyramid Award in England. Showing from 1999 to 2002 at London Fashion Week, he switched to the Paris Mens Fashion Week, after moving 2002 to Berlin.

2004 saw the launch of Frank Leders Womenswear Line, which Leders japanese wife Maki Inagaki signs responsible for. The Leitmotiv of Frank Leder is an authentic and concise expression of German culture and history. All collections have a strong concept, clear vision and integration of German cultural elements, often creating a whole storyline around collections, which work on different levels of perception.

- Can you tell us a little bit about the new Autumn/Winter 2008-09, what were your initial concepts?

F: The hinterland trilogy was starting out with the erz miner digging for wisdom and treasures deep in the hinterland mountain, has moved on to the butcher and his gasthaus, where he is serving homemade sausages and homebrewn beer, and found its conclusion in our new Autumn/Winter 2008-09 collection about vagabonds roaming the hinterland countryside. Basically I always am telling a story placed in the hinterland and has one or a group of specific characters as a focus point. To have the hinterland as on going theme for three seasons was important, in order to be able to give those topics the necessary space and time to develop and give it justice.

- Regarding your S/S 2008 collection, can you tell us a little bit about the detail.

F: We have garments inside the collection which were dyed with strong German beer and are presented inside and sold with an antique beer mug from 1930s. We dyed another group of garments with red German hinterland wine, maturing inside the wine for 3weeks and then washed, it became a nice grey tone with a hint of red. To give the butcher theme justice, some garments were packaged in metal tins, normally used for processed butcher meat. These tins were closed with an antique machine found by us in an old meat factory in the countryside. Some garments come with antique real silver 1920s cutlery. Another group is packaged like sausages and presented as such as always we used the highest quality German, Austrian and Swiss fabrics combined them with antique buttons from the 1920s-30s.

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

F: Our aim is producing sound and well-crafted cloths, which work on different levels of perception. They should be easy to wear, but on the same interesting to look at. That cab be achieved through the fabric, the cut or small, but essential details.

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

F: Important thing is the using of high quality wool, linen and cotton fabrics. I nearly never work with synthetic or unnatural fiber fabrics.

All buttons are antique dead-stock material and sometimes over 100 years old. Some materials like deutschleder/schladminger have become signature pieces in our collection, and are hugely popular. I like to use fabrics or items, which have a history, and have a story to tell. To work with those items, to give them a new meaning and modernity is our basic aim.

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

F: I wanted to be able to express my visions and artistic development rather than doing fine art, which was on my mind as well. I choose fashion design for one simple reason. Through my garments I can reach a much group of people as everybody who is interested in my work can buy a garment of us. In fine art, mostly only one original is produced and can only be afforded by a museum or wealthy client. So fashion design for me is a much more democratic way of expressing ones thoughts and has besides its idea a real function well.

- How would you describe your style?

F: Rooted in history, but essentially modern its approach.

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

F: To be honest, I’m not really following the commercial fashion scene as such. I’m more interested in strong individuals, being artists, musicians and designers who have something to tell through their work.

- Where is your favourite place to have relax or dayoff?

F: At the moment I like to roam the German hinterland from Berlin to the Baltic sea with my wife and our hunting dog ‘’Azuki’’.

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

F: We are working on different ideas and products, which come out of our German system and universe, but go beyond fashion design.

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

F: Stay true to yourself.

Website : http://www.leder-inagaki.com/

Written by Toshimi Takaishi