FASHION

Secret garden for Bast magazine no. 7: http://issuu.com/bastmagazine/docs/bastno7

Photographer: Camilla Storgaard: http://camillastorgaard.tumblr.com/

Clothes: Rag and Bone Man

Make-up and styling: Camilla Storgaard

Models: Amou and Fine

Dagmar Kestner is a Copenhagen based Fashion and Accessory Designer. Dagmar has a BA in Fashion/Textile Design (University of Reutlingen) and she recently finished her MA degree in Fashion Artefact from London Collage of Fashion. Dagmar won the Deutsche Bank award (Fashion category), a found who offers practical and financial support to freelance artists, craftspeople, designers and performers. Bast caught up with Dagmar at a local cafe in Copenhagen and asked the up and coming designer a couple of questions . . . . . .

How was it to study in London?
London isn’t the easiest place to escape reality, make up your own universe and explore it, aiming to find new and sound results. But it has a curious and open-minded spirit that can offer many great possibilities.

The course itself was an extremely interesting and very personal challenge;
All questions raised, choice of topic, manner of expression. As well as the trajectory you dedicate your work to was entirely free of choice and the organization and time-management fully up to yourself, which is a great but tricky at the same time. It is very tough to prove the relevance of your work to yourself and others, when you are in unknown surroundings and only have a limited amount of time.

Overall I appreciate the time I had there and am very grateful for the people I met, experiences I made and the opportunity of coming up with something during my studies that doesn’t end after the MA but can also be used as the fundament to future ideas. 

How did you realize that you wanted to become a designer?
I didn’t feel a call for it or something and didn’t realize that that was the way to go before actually studying design. There was a tendency and interest; yes, but when I first got into my BA it felt more like a lucky coincidence in a random trial-and-error-experiment (I applied the same year also for international economics and interpreting) that I had undertaken in order to find into which direction my professional life would evolve towards.
Nevertheless, design suddenly turned out to be both, the greatest motor to generate new fantasies, as well as the most exciting form of expression.
The passion I discovered having for this profession, is only comparable to an almost childish pleasure and I feel very privileged that I can call this my job. 

What is the most gratifying moment for you as a designer? 
The moment I am starting to explore something that is new to me, only led by intuition and the achievement of getting physical skills and imagination in sync, without taming the latter. 

Where do you find your inspiration?
In many different areas, but often not so very obvious things like: certain movements, moods, sceneries, colors and details etc… Most of all I am into special tweaks, techniques and manners of HOW we make things and enjoy taking things/subjects/… apart, breaking them down into simple shapes or a purer form, in order to bring it all back together in my own way. 

One question at last, I know that you are from Germany but why did you decide to move to Copenhagen?
The first time I came to Copenhagen was during my Bachelor in 2008. I did an internship at Henrik Vibskov and was attracted by the mood of Scandinavia and really enjoyed my time there, as well as the company of the people I met. This created the link in the first place I guess.
Generally I love how the city is located, that sea and nature are so close and accessible. That makes me feel very free. But most of all I love the friends I met there, who enrich my live in so many aspects.

Photography: Crystin Moritz (http://www.crystinmoritz.com/)

Styling: Dagmar Kestner ( // Lookbook collection 'Into Smithereens' // www.dagmarkestner.com )

Model: Mia Omyalieva (Premier Models // http://www.premiermodelmanagement.com/MiaOmyalieva.html)

Hair&Make Up: Daniela Koller ( http://www.danielakoller.com/ )

Biddi Dip Dye Navy from Acne - So much, easy going summer dress: Take a closer look here: http://shop.acnestudios.com/shop/women/dresses.html

What a lovely pair of shades! Take a closer look here: http://www.stormfashion.dk/product/sunglasses/mykita-for-storm-2