Interviewer: Danielle Edwin Interviewee: Sabrina Letnik
Sabrina Letnik is a 3rd year fashion design student at Lisof.
The interview took place in a lecture room (Theory 03). The setting was very calm and quiet, which made it easier and a little more comfortable to do the interview. She looked up as I approached her, ang gave me the most welcoming smile ever to reassure me that it was okay to do the interview. As the interview begun we did a sound check, then started:
What inspired the outfit you are wearing?
“Right now…?” she said, ” Yes, right now “, I reply. “It’s comfortable, so I was feeling very post-apocalyptic grunge.” followed by a slight giggle from both of us.
Then she started describing her look, ” And then I have like tape on my nipples, so like get rid of the whole bra construct that you have to where a bra to school. I mean you can just tape it, and it is still socially acceptable, until eventually you can just walk around without a bra, and people won’t actually mind. So ya, that is todays inspiration, then the make-up is just like Africa burn.”
Who or what got you interested in fashion?
“Uhm my mother got me interested in fashion cause we use to watch her like do her make-up, and get dressed in the morning when I was younger, and I use to like cut out pictures of models and stuff, and put it on the scrapbook when I was younger, and I would always like design clothes for my dolls, and stuff so it has always been a some I am inclined to do. Also, to impact peoples clothing, to allow them to have a say in what they wear.”
How would you describe your sense of style when designing?
“When designing?…Jeez, conceptual haute couture, so it is very subliminal, not ready-to-wear, and very detailed pieces.”
My blog is about the street culture. What do you think about the street culture in South Africa?
“I feel like it’s very based around like you have your two different sub-culture groups. You’ve got your Afro-Punk, that’s the thing trendy right now, like it’s very big. Then you have your Hype beast, that wear your brands like Supreme, and all that is in, and your new Gucci packs, and then you just have that goth boy clique that just kinda vibe going on in the men’s fashion, women are going for more of the androgynous look (wearing men’s clothing). We are behind in the fashion industry by three years but we slowly getting there. All of our stuff right now in terms of trends is coming from Tokyo and Japan.” She then spoke a bit more on street style in South Africa.
What does street style mean to you?
and her response was “expression”. One simple word that means so much, and pretty much defines street style.
What makes you different from others, why should people notice you?
“I looks at social construct, and I don’t believe they should exist. I want to push boundaries, so that people can wear whatever they want without worrying about it.”
Who is your style icon?
“My mother has always been my inspiration, like even with my collection for this year, it was her who inspired me.”
I thanked her for her time, and we said our goodbyes.
The Urban Closet 