Helena Hörstedt at The Röhsska Museum, Gothenburg, Sweden

Today’s post comes from the lovely Sarah Long over at GBG Copywriting in Sweden. 

Helena Hörstedt is a Swedish fashion designer with an intricate and iconic style. (Image taken from Stylehive.com) Her Spring/Summer 2008 collection, entitled The Black Whole, was so well received that it has now been purchased in its entirety by The Röhsska Museum in Gothenburg.  Although Hörstedt hasn’t presented a new collection for several seasons her past work has become synonymous with handcraft, creativity and detailed construction.  That’s why this exhibition feels quite at home in a design museum displaying everything from origami masterpieces on the top floor to a Vivienne Westwood wedding dress in their specially designed ‘Baroque Chamber.’

On display are six of the nine pieces which make up The Black Whole collection. (Image taken from Beckmans.se) In keeping with her signature style each item is jet black with bold hand-pleating and smocking.  The architectural detailing of each piece produces a modern silhouette which is at once both vibrant and melancholy.  Hörstedt works in a range of materials, building on a cotton base with dupion silk, satin and organza or creating robust designs in suede.
Each piece in this collection represents around 150 hours of work. Hörstedt chooses not to work from a sketch but instead begins by draping fabric over her dummy and then developing each small section until they grow into a whole.  This is why, despite each piece being made up of innumerable angular details, there is an organic feel to the collection.  Her dresses are structural and pronounced, but at the same time feminine and desirable.

Recently Helena Hörstedt has returned to the public eye with a critically acclaimed, one-off arm chair designed for IKEA and a collection of costumes for the Gothenburg Opera production, 3xBoleró.  These electrifying new pieces have confirmed that Hörstedt is still very much an important voice in Swedish design and that her work is, as always, as much about art as it is about fashion.  Those of us looking forward to a new couture line may have to hold out a little longer, but if one thing’s for certain with Helena Hörstedt – the results will be worth the wait.  

Image from Elle.se

There’s a whole lot more to see at the museum, have a look at their website for details.

Location: Vasagatan 37-39, SE-400, 15 Goteburg, Sweden

Entry Fee: 40 SEK gets you into 5 museums