Lykke Lund Rasmussen on uncovering memories through fashion

The path to today’s artistry is one filled with emotion. Experiencing a happy childhood followed by years of teenage insecurity, she consistently searched for ways to fight her doubts regarding her actions, her persona, her body. “I can see how far I’ve come and how I have evolved as a person – I believe that finding my passion in innovation allowed me to tackle the negative thoughts and to find confidence in myself through the act of creating.”

“I realised I might have been struggling with finding my place and voice, so I wanted to challenge myself by including my own stories or emotions into the process.”

Looking back at previous projects, Lykke discovered she’d distanced herself from the storytelling aspect of design: the very thing that drew her to fashion in the first place. “I realised I might have been struggling with finding my place and voice, so I wanted to challenge myself by including my own stories or emotions into the process.” Vulnerability and real-life events, rewritten and re-contextualised. Working around personal themes and experiences, Lykke set out to find the right balance on the scale of intimate-to-anonymous; reflecting private memories on external elements to communicate them to the world outside.

When inquiring about the concept behind her last collection, Lykke explains it “relies on how a haptic (signifying ‘tactile’) approach can contribute to uncovering memories through fashion and therefore create a stronger emotional connection to garments.” By creating clothes of which the function trespasses both practical and aesthetic aspects, the pieces should evoke a sense of vulnerability in their wearers. Within this framework personal memories and emotions would be exposed, communicated through the fabric, to be experienced by both sight and touch. “The garments create a three-dimensional space for the body to be within and be affected by.”

“For this project, it was extremely important to investigate the three-dimensional shape in connection with a body, as I wanted it to have physical trace or impact on the wearer.”

Searching for ways to create sensory spaces, the process of ‘Memória’ was one shifting back and forth between two- and three-dimensional exploration. It started with creating collages and looking back at personal photographs. To Lykke, fashion and photography are similar in nature, both capturing and representing moments in time. These collages served as a starting point for working with 3D materials and exploring physical form. “For this project, it was extremely important to investigate the three-dimensional shape in connection with a body, as I wanted it to have physical trace or impact on the wearer.” Understanding how to create a tactile space within a flat object is essential to Lykke’s approach to developing structured garments. Not only will you be able to see it – you’ll feel it directly on your body when dressed in one of her pieces.

Creating these grand garments and doing it all from home was a challenge in multiple ways. “At first I was frustrated about not having access to the academy’s workspace and machines, but further into the process, I realised the biggest loss was the social aspect, the interactions with my fellow students. At times I felt extremely lonely, which made it difficult to stay motivated.” Friendships are important to Lykke; having people that are honest with you and will stand by you turned out to be the best tool to stay true to herself.

It’s a tough task summing up seven years in one collection.

As any fashion student would be able to confirm: it’s a tough task summing up seven years in one collection. “I wasn’t prepared for how it would affect me both positively and negatively – you turn out to be your own biggest competitor.” Through trial and error, Lykke learned to stand up for her own beliefs, to trust her own decisions, and to let go of the idea of perfection (“a utopia for the creative mind”, she calls it). The moment it all came together was when her model first tried on the red silk-faille dress she designed as part of her MA collection. “It is always difficult to create something that people will react to or read in as intended, but she instantly felt the pressure of the dress and the state of mind that lived within. To me, that was quite a beautiful moment, as a memory of my own was communicated in a subtle but touching way.”

After graduation, Lykke was hired as a design assistant for a Copenhagen-based womenswear brand. Although she feels blessed and excited to apply her skills and do what she loves, it is important to keep in mind the things that need to change in the industry. Sustainability in both creating and consuming fashion, but also emotional durability. Taking on the concept she explored in her last collection, Lykke strives to infuse garments with a strong sense of personality. “I found that if you want to make an impact on the industry and how we consume, it is essential to understand how to encourage emotional attachment to garments. By the use of our haptic sense, these emotions are transmitted and this is why we tend to keep and cherish certain clothes. Therefore, considering emotional durability is so important when designing, in the context of fashion and sustainability. I hope to keep this mindset and awareness wherever I may find myself in the future.”