FAULT:: Congratulations on completing your studies at La Cambre, did you enjoy your time there?

Lea:: Enjoying is a big word. It wasn’t always a party, but the culmination of the work I produced at La Cambre has been a true pleasure.

FAULT:: How has the response been since making your debut last year?

Lea:: Pretty exciting!

FAULT:: Your graduation collection originated from what would normally appear to be a macabre and sinister topic – cemeteries. Why did you choose this subject?

Lea:: It could appear religious and macabre, but my interest is rather focused on the absurd beauty of the end of our existence and the confusing, mysterious places our body’s spend eternity. I chose this subject because it is the only place constructed in humanity on which time and technology has no grip. A place which does not urge for explanation and needs no other solution.

FAULT:: How would you describe your design aesthetic in three words?

Lea:: Sophisticated, graphic, poetic.

FAULT:: Have you always had an interest in fashion design?

Lea:: For sure it has always been there unconsciously, but I developed my real interest for fashion through former artistic studies.

FAULT:: You’ve cited Caravaggio as an influence and there is certainly a strong religious undertone, particularly with the use of ‘light vs. dark’. Was there a specific painting that inspired you?

Lea:: I’m not really able to select one specific painting as inspiration for this collection. I do cite Caravaggio but also the paintings of Friederich. The vibrant use of colour and reflections in his work relate perfectly to the ambient vision I had on cemeteries. This parallel gave me the ability to concentrate on how the skin can adapt through wearing clothing, but also as in a clair obscur, to project my silhouettes in a dark space.

FAULT:: The pieces appear complex and must have been technically challenging. How long did it take to produce one look?

Lea:: For this collection my starting point began with research into different materials. I developed colour palettes in a broad range of wood prints and then experimented with different techniques. I also produced a series of embroideries to allow an organic approach. The silhouettes were developed later. For example I wanted to make jackets evoking the beauty of roots growing into each other. This is translated in the multitude of incrustations, from then on one garment could take 1 to 2 weeks to produce.

FAULT:: Which fashion designers do you find influential?

Lea:: There are so many – always a difficult question!! Miuccia Prada, Olivier Theyskens, Maison Martin Margiela , Raf Simons, Azzedin Alaia, Proenza Schouler, Christopher Kane and more…

FAULT:: What are you working on at the moment?

Lea:: Right now I’m working for Isabel Marant and soon I will participate in the Festival de Hyeres 2011.

FAULT:: What is your FAULT?

Lea:: I can’t listen to music!!!

Contact:: [email protected]