VANESA KRONGOLD

 
i see the world this way. 
interview series

§: if you were a flower you’d be ? because…and if you had to wear one outfit for the rest of your life what would it look like? VK: Hmm a China Rosa, which is constant change, it lasts only one day its flower, but then it will grow again. I love both natural flowers and artificial flowers .. i find them so kitsch. If I would wear an outfit for the rest of my life it would be a dress full of flowers and strange animals.. printed ; very comfortable which allows me to run , sleep , create and make love.

do you own a favourite pair of sunglasses? can you please describe them? Actually I have an addiction with sunglasses so probably my perfect pair of sunglasses change with periods of time. I own a pair of sunglasses they have a "cat" shape, with a 50's style. all black . I love black sunglasses - They contrast very well with my every day looks.

what’s the lens you currently see the world through: what are you reading this week? An open wide lens, I mean a lens with photograph a kind of  telephoto lens. It allows me to look everything the beautiful and the ugly .. that's the way I see the streets. the people, architecture, nature , plastic. I'm not reading this week. I'm really into an internet addiction.

hehe internet addiction. can you explain what happens once you get an idea? I feel I need to do it right now! Sometimes I see something and think oh ! I need to keep this in my head, so then It can mix with something different and create , something new as a result of that.

what do you like about your studio work space? The neighbourhood.. it's smell, the noises , the colours. The silence and spending the whole day listening to music.

so you listen to music when working, who are you enjoying at the moment? All the time.. right now while writing I'm listening to Doug Paisley. Sometimes i listen to Beyonce, sometiimes Sigur Ros.. sometimes instrumental chimes music. I love when my sense of humour can find its perfect song.

that's a nice way of putting it, i like that. um so, people talk about environment impacting behaviour. What’s the best thing about being in Argentina? Can you feel its’ influence on you, your work? Yes of course! I think in Buenos Aires we feel that something is going to change all the time.. We don't feel secure with our money, politics etc.. Crisis is a common word in our society. So I feel that vibe is also affecting my work.

so then if influence is active not passive, what do you make of originality; do you think anyone can be entirely original? Someone original is someone real. I mean , someone who believes in it's thoughts and carry on. So nowadays in the digital era, being original for me is understanding where you come from , your roots , your childhood your memories. If you trust them , then you will have lots of original ideas. If you think just staring at facebook is being original,, then you will lose your own memories.

i agree entirely! hey so tell me about your sticker collection, I feel like you have a great one. Haha yes. Right now I have a princess but fake and cheap princess haha I bought in a 1 dollar store. Then I have fruit stickers and animals. I still get impressed by stickers in every store I find them.

do you have a favourite piece from everything you’ve ever made? Yes probably a dress from my first collection, a mid length dress, short sleeve full of plastic flowers on top, multicolour. 

when have you felt most misunderstood in your work or creative process? Hm that's such a clever question.. I felt most misunderstood when I presented my work for a competition, I mean by the jury of the competition. The prize was to present your collection in a fashion show here in BA. But of course I wasn't selected.

sometimes people say success forces artists to be prolific creators. Have you experienced this pressure following exposure and recognition of your work? Yes of course. In a way, when I first started, I felt the freedom of just creating pieces, expressing myself, as I started more like a game. I presented my collection in a fashion show, which showcases emerging designers, musicians, and artists. I didn't want to make it profitable, it was only showing and communicatuing my point of view, my own universe. Expressing my ideas. Then with all the exposure, media and press you feel you need to keep on pushing forward, in a way it is nice, in a way it's too much pressure. After all the emotion and ego of being published everywhere you know why you are doing your work: I want to make people play, remember and imagine while wearing my clothes.

i read the phrase “be as generous as you can but selfish enough to get your work done” recently and wonder how you balance work with recharging? As you mention the work balance, I think it is related to the way I do things. I really love to talk to people, I think every person I work with is important. I love parties.. but I know too much party won't allow me to wake up early and keep on doing my things. So in a way is balance, organisation and passion will make it happen, every collection, every project and fashion show.

if you could have breakfast with anybody who would it be and why? Probably Miuccia Prada.? I read a lot of her interviews. I think she is clever and contemporary in the fashion world.

what advice would you give now to Vanesa Krongold 5 years ago? To keep on, not to listen to anyone, any jury haha, to travel more, to learn. To never stop looking around. And learning and singing .

what’s in 2014 for you? Did you make any resolutions you’ll stick to? I think 2014 is the "grow up year" in a really good way. Is the year of thinking, creating .. Making love.

thank you vanesa for your thoughts!

all images sourced here

§