@beate.karlsson’s (Beate Karlsson) playful, out-of-this-world designs are a hybrid of art and fashion.
Her monstrous avant-garde footwear designs, which originated with her show “The Claws,” create new silhouettes by morphing the body and remixing it to a startling effect. “My ambition is to design pieces that push the concept of wearable products. I try to approach design as an inventor. I explore interesting concepts or shapes that I think can be a development of fashion as we know it,” says the Swedish fashion designer and creative director of @avavav (AVAVAV).
Beate traditionally worked with malleable, durable materials like clay, silicone and latex for her handcrafted sculptural pieces. While her limited-edition designs for AVAVAV pushed sustainable approaches, like using repurposed deadstock fabrics from luxury brands, she’s started designing in digital spaces. “We’ve started creating more of our pieces in 3D, mainly because it sometimes feels easier and less restricted creatively.
As a small niche player, I’ve felt its harder to make real change to the system. My goal is to implement sustainable methods correlating with expansion. Today, we are doing everything we can, but we hope to do much more as we grow. I believe in change and development. I think it’s a collective contribution, so I strive to inspire people to think new thoughts.”
Photos by @beate.karlsson
