Frederik Liederley
SCHOOL
Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp
INSTAGRAM PROFILE
instagram.com/frederiklovric/
ABOUT FREDERIK'S COLLECTION:
In an era characterized by designers and brands prioritizing viral marketing and spectacle, in a landscape defined by an overwhelming abundance of content and the rapid dissemination of images through social media, i felt compelled to explore a different path—a return to the essence of form. This dissatisfaction with the prevailing direction of fashion design, marketing and consumption led me to try and carve out a distinct identity by adopting a quiet yet assertive presence amidst the noise.
To achieve this, i embarked on a pursuit of ‘the universal’—a concept which holds profound significance for me. I allowed myself to engage in futile labours, to value the exploration and creative potential of endeavours that do not necessarily precipitate into tangible outcomes. I’ve tried to create garments that resonate with the viewer and wearer on an instinctual level, to evoke a “primitive response”.
In my search of this elusive ‘universal essence,’ i’ve found inspiration in chinese scholars’ rocks, so called gongshi, whose dynamic topographies and ethereal asymmetries are reminiscent of rising smoke. Aspiring to capture this dynamic quality, i strive to imbue the garments with the characteristics of smoke—amorphous, ever-changing, and resisting precise delimitation. Embracing an instinctual approach to design, i adopted a stream-of-consciousness method akin to improvisational jazz — the unbridled utterance of impulses from within the subconscious.
While this free improvisational approach initially yielded remarkable results, the challenge of crafting preciselytailored pieces withoutthe aid of sketches, patterns, or fittings necessitated alternative design methodologies. I began implementing compositional techniques inspired by serialism, spectralism, and stochasticism. Drawing parallels to the manipulation of sonic qualities in these compositional methodologies, i sought to create impactful garments with simple shapes and intriguing textures.
My piece ‘1x8’ followed a serial approach, wherein the design process was anchored within a predefined framework. In this instance it materialised into a skirt where a single pattern piece was repeated eight times — much like a series of notes in a serial composition. Another approach was to structure the design process to a predefined sequence of the construction of the garment or the order of design decisions (for example deciding on: silhouette, then material, then colour.
It was through this mutability within a bounded field of possibilities, oscillating between structure and improvisation, between the stochastic andthe deterministic, that moments of sublime sartorial poetry appeared.
My creations are fundamentally guided by a set of core values that i hold dear—cut, construction, shape, and movement. Striving for purity through understated elegance, i consciously refrain from adding superfluous or distracting elements. I try my utmost to distill the designs to their essence. Surface embellishments or excessive details that do not significantly alter shape or movement find no place in my collection. In adherence to these principles, my collection is primarily comprised of a palette of blacks and whites, which to me are both just values of colorless. This deliberate choice aims to minimize distractions, allowing the core essence to take center stage.
