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“I don’t really see myself as a fashion designer,” – Belgian artist Chris Lensz on mixing fashion design and photography

His graduate collection presented lots of tailoring and revolved around the concept of Victorian mourning

From communication and photography to fashion design, Central Saint Martins’ graduate Chris Lensz has explored many facets of fashion studies. After studying fine arts in Brussels, Lensz enrolled in a foundation degree in communication at CSM, while assisting photographer Brett Lloyd. He then started his BA in Menswear, from which he graduated last summer.

Check Chris Lensz’s portfolio on Pinterest

Chris Lensz, Final Collection

Even if many designers need to draw their collections from inception to completion, Lensz doesn’t stick to paper and pen when it comes to developing his ideas. His starting point often comes from sartorial pieces. “I always love to source vintage clothes,” he says. “I just style them up and directly see what I can do with them.” The rapidity of this method makes it much more interesting for him, though he admits it still takes a long time to gather the clothes needed for any given project.

As a student, he has always started his collections with fabrics, mainly to secure raw material. “Once I have the fabrics, I just think that I could make a good coat out of this fabric, or a good jacket out of this one,” he says. Lensz developed his graduate collection around the notions of death, art, and 20th century philosophy. It mixes different elements, such as the repetition of time, boredom, and Victorian mourning. He used black, purple, and white, the colours that represent the steps of mourning throughout a year.

“I don’t really see myself as a fashion designer,” – Belgian artist Chris Lensz on mixing fashion design and photography
Chris Lensz, Research and Design Development
“I don’t really see myself as a fashion designer,” – Belgian artist Chris Lensz on mixing fashion design and photography
“I don’t really see myself as a fashion designer,” – Belgian artist Chris Lensz on mixing fashion design and photography
“I don’t really see myself as a fashion designer,” – Belgian artist Chris Lensz on mixing fashion design and photography
“I don’t really see myself as a fashion designer,” – Belgian artist Chris Lensz on mixing fashion design and photography
“I don’t really see myself as a fashion designer,” – Belgian artist Chris Lensz on mixing fashion design and photography
“I don’t really see myself as a fashion designer,” – Belgian artist Chris Lensz on mixing fashion design and photography
“I don’t really see myself as a fashion designer,” – Belgian artist Chris Lensz on mixing fashion design and photography
“I don’t really see myself as a fashion designer,” – Belgian artist Chris Lensz on mixing fashion design and photography
“I don’t really see myself as a fashion designer,” – Belgian artist Chris Lensz on mixing fashion design and photography
“I don’t really see myself as a fashion designer,” – Belgian artist Chris Lensz on mixing fashion design and photography
“I don’t really see myself as a fashion designer,” – Belgian artist Chris Lensz on mixing fashion design and photography
“I don’t really see myself as a fashion designer,” – Belgian artist Chris Lensz on mixing fashion design and photography

But Lensz’s initial concept isn’t necessarily obvious when looking at the clothes. “I don’t really want to over-contextualize the collection,” he says. “I didn’t want to do funeral clothes, it’s just an idea I had in my head, almost like poetry. It wasn’t for others; it was for me.” His collection presented lots of tailored pieces, from suits to structured jackets and coats.

“It’s a student show, it’s practice ground.”

Lensz isn’t particularly interested in sending a specific message to the fashion industry with his graduate collection. “It’s a student show, it’s practice ground,” he says. “At the end of the day, the concept is going to change depending on the context and how people are going to interpret it. I don’t expect anyone to see anything else than a jacket or a pair of trousers.” He actually pushed his initial concept aside to only concentrate on the garments and how they were made. “After some time, I forgot about the idea, I just make clothes that I find interesting visually,” he explains, citing a veil as the main piece of his collection that he decided to forget about.

“I don’t really see myself as a fashion designer,” – Belgian artist Chris Lensz on mixing fashion design and photography
Chris Lensz, Research and Design Development
“I don’t really see myself as a fashion designer,” – Belgian artist Chris Lensz on mixing fashion design and photography
“I don’t really see myself as a fashion designer,” – Belgian artist Chris Lensz on mixing fashion design and photography
“I don’t really see myself as a fashion designer,” – Belgian artist Chris Lensz on mixing fashion design and photography
“I don’t really see myself as a fashion designer,” – Belgian artist Chris Lensz on mixing fashion design and photography
“I don’t really see myself as a fashion designer,” – Belgian artist Chris Lensz on mixing fashion design and photography

While Lensz has been interested in photography since a very young age, transitioning full time into a creative environment hasn’t been easy for him. Moving from a small Belgian town to London blew him away at first. “Fashion design had a very different rhythm from photography,” he says. “With Brett [Lloyd], we were going from parties to openings and it was mind-blowing. The rhythm in London is so different, I was doing five events a day whereas, in Brussels, we had one event a week!”

“I was so privileged to be able to go to university. Don’t say you’re McQueen or Galliano, don’t be lazy and work as hard as you can because it goes fast.”

After finishing his BA, Lensz thought about pursuing an MA in design, but a job offer as a junior designer in Paris convinced him to start working immediately. “School is such a privilege,” he says. “I was so privileged to be able to go to university. Don’t say you’re McQueen or Galliano, don’t be lazy and work as hard as you can because it goes fast.” His time at CSM enabled him to explore his creativity and develop his artistic skills. “Don’t listen too much to others, but still accept critiques,” is what he would say to newly enrolled students.

“I don’t really see myself as a fashion designer,” – Belgian artist Chris Lensz on mixing fashion design and photography
Chris Lensz, Research and Design Development
“I don’t really see myself as a fashion designer,” – Belgian artist Chris Lensz on mixing fashion design and photography
“I don’t really see myself as a fashion designer,” – Belgian artist Chris Lensz on mixing fashion design and photography
“I don’t really see myself as a fashion designer,” – Belgian artist Chris Lensz on mixing fashion design and photography
“I don’t really see myself as a fashion designer,” – Belgian artist Chris Lensz on mixing fashion design and photography
“I don’t really see myself as a fashion designer,” – Belgian artist Chris Lensz on mixing fashion design and photography

“I don’t really see myself as a fashion designer because I haven’t done anything that has the merit to say it is fashion design.”

Now settled in Paris, Lensz would like to keep on working both as a designer and a photographer. “I don’t really see myself as a fashion designer because I haven’t done anything that has the merit to say it is fashion design,” he explains. “I’ve done many more things in photography than in design.” He is reflecting on how he can link both passions into a common project, while working full time at a Parisian house. “I don’t want to get stuck, there are still so many things that I want to learn,” he concludes. “But I don’t do it for the money, I do it because I love it.”

“I don’t really see myself as a fashion designer,” – Belgian artist Chris Lensz on mixing fashion design and photography
Chris Lensz, Design Development
“I don’t really see myself as a fashion designer,” – Belgian artist Chris Lensz on mixing fashion design and photography