Words by Elliott James Sainsbury. Pictures by Erik Wahlstrom.

Do you ever get that thing where you want to wear one designer, and only one designer forever? Julia Hederus is that designer for me right now. A graduate of the legendary Central Saint Martins, you might have caught her name due to a collaboration with K-Swiss. But if you think she’s just sneakers, then you’re in for a surprise. Soon to come to widespread attention with her work being bought by oki-ni, HEDERUS the label is full of sports-meets-smart delights and a strong signature all of its own. Easy to wear but cerebral, sinister but also soft- and with some amazing hats- it’s only on its third season, but HEDERUS has all the makings of an influential menswear presence. Here she talks nature, kites, and parallel worlds.

HEDERUS will be available from oki-ni.com soon.

Elliott James Sainsbury: What were the inspirations for this season?

Julia Hederus: The inspiration came from windy weather, play, and the shape of a kite; I find it very inspiring with thin and strong threads that pull fabric and interact with nature. I think that my clothes might seem very non-nature-inspired but in fact they are! There is so much simplicity and shapes that comes out so clear and natural in nature, and that’s what I want my designs to fulfill as well. I would love to create the feeling that we are connecting with other worlds, or other parts in this world. That we belong here. To feel some kind of abstract unity.

EJS: Was there a story behind making the pieces? i.e. what did you find challenging, where and how did you produce them etc…

JH: I’ve always liked to work with quite clean shapes and ideas, but even that can be hard to make clothes out of! So it’s sort of the challenge in taking something from a parallel world and put it on a body.

EJS: How do you start working on the collection, what is your team like etc?

JH: I usually just pick one of my ideas that keeps coming back to me. It can be a phrase, a picture in my head, it can be a sport or an artifact like in this case. Then in the context of clothes it might create something interesting, and might give me a real hang up, like an idea you just can’t abandon. Then I experiment a lot with shapes, try it on myself and others. At the same time I also do sketches and illustrations. I love to get new fabric samples sent, and I just love to travel and buy cheap stuff at markets and get inspired. I always go to secondhand stores and pick up different jackets or hats, and finding things in my friends wardrobes which are usually goldmines. Then I just do a lot of prototypes and try to see if it keeps on inspiring me into something more.

I find it quite hard to work with other people, sometimes I just sit by my computer all day! But I do wish that there was more other people involved, and someday there will be, except from factories and pattern cutters. Meanwhile I enjoy to collaborate with my friends who are graphic designers and photographers, art directors and film-animators. That’s great!

EJS: When did you feel that you had ‘finished’ the collection or the look in question?

JH: It never does! I always want to improve it or change things, so basically I just HAVE TO STOP at some point.

EJS: How do you think ‘Kites’ might be worn, and by whom?

JH: I hope that it’s someone who feels inspired by it at first sight! And that this man/ woman loves finding other things that goes with it… That’s the great thing about fashion; that you can just go on and on and combine things from different eras and time epoques. Endless possibilities. So it could be a man that loves to go out, or it could be someone who’s just very philosophical or loves to try out new things. I never aspired to do any classic men’s tailoring even though I find it inspiring too. Now when it’s sold from oki-ni, it can be bought from anywhere in the world.

EJS: And also, because I’ll be asking everyone this question, do you have five facts about yourself and HEDERUS as a label you can tell us…

JH:

1. My office is very buried in fabric and books at this moment…  I collect things like a magnet

2. The HEDERUS Kites collection will soon be available from oki-ni.com!

3. HEDERUS dreams of an anonymous shop with lots of flamingo sculptures and climbing possibilities!  More like a landscape than a shop in fact!

4. My favourite music at the moment: Fever Ray and still (!!!) Arthur Russell

5. HEDERUS says that HE DARED US

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