interview by Mimi Krtinić Rončević

With her SS21 Frutti Di Mare collection, designer Sia Arnika has found a chimeric pearl in the depths of a timeless Limfjord oyster. These highly-coveted mollusks were so in demand by the 16th-century King Frederic II of Denmark and his court that he declared them “crown regalia” and forbade the people of Arnika’s native Mors island from eating any themselves. While the capital city Nykøbing was a bustling port city in the mid-19th century, its population has since dwindled, and with it, much of the island’s former sense of self. Now living and working in Berlin, the young Danish designer had long regarded her former home as rather provincial in comparison to the wellspring of culture provided by a life within metropolitan Europe. However, while in the seemingly time-bending conditions of lockdown, the discovery of historic photographs from island photographers P. Raaberg and C. Pedersen provided a completely new context to the place she called home. These images that document individuals dressed in fine Victorian garb were not exactly the look of dull backwaters that was expected, triggering a renewed appreciation for an idyllic upbringing. One that included climbing trees in wild gardens not far from the fjord, returning home to experiment with new digital identities, and going out to the discos for the occasional foam party. Serving as a connection between tradition and the avant-garde, the collection is a collaboration between Arnika and Firpal Jawanda, a non-binary Punjabi artist based in London whose prints come from a practice of garment-making that focuses on South Asian chimeric folklore, language and mythology. This dialogue is taken further in the pieces created together with knitwear designer Emma Hasselblad. Her handcrafted dresses and accessories serve as a vessel to transport the idea of a living organism. Together, Frutti Di Mare is a place where both minimalism and maximalism are present. It is rooted in a dynamic of constant tension between anonymity and bold declaration, and it holds a notion of new and old existing in symbiosis with one other. 

MIMI KRTINIć RONčEVIć: I’m curious about your creative process. Do you start with a final result or do you like to go with the flow?

ARNIKA: I guess it’s a combination. I am very visual and work a lot with digital collages and with my hands. You always have a core idea you start with, and then in the process of draping, for example, it shifts into a different direction. So when you have the final product, it can be difficult to trace your exact steps, but the core idea is still present in the result. I always find that quite exciting when you are starting out; the unknown factor of where your mind will travel in the process of making the garments. 

RONCEVIC: Do you feel fashion is/should be a reflection of our times and society? 

ARNIKA: I grew up in a household where we talked politics and social issues, so for me that’s just the status quo. Being informed is sexy.

RONCEVIC: I personally get a vibe of a strong, confident and independent persona from your designs, with an accent on femininity and body affirming shapes. This femininity seems more of a matter of energy, rather than representing a binary gender, something each one of us has in different amounts. Do you feel like there is a particular message you’re trying to send in regard to gender or feminism?

ARNIKA: Thank you for that wonderful interpretation. It is created around a person born in the past but living in the future. I think feminism is embedded in what I do naturally. It’s nothing I sit down and say to myself, “make it feministic.” I go with what makes me feel good as a woman, and gut instinct, I guess.

RONCEVIC: What’s your take on the fashion industry; what needs to change and what are the risks a designer faces when starting out?

ARNIKA: Slow down, downsize, hold yourself and others accountable, and appreciate each other. The risks are numerous, but it’s an uphill battle when capital is low. It’s not easy to just have the ambition and the drive. But I think it is still important to try!

RONCEVIC: Sustainable fashion is something that should be our future — brands must develop a more eco-friendly approach to creating, not just with fabrics and production process, but also with the business itself, in terms of creating an unnecessary desire among customers, an unhealthy speed of trends etc. Of course, consumers must do their part too. What efforts can a young designer put into making their work more green?

ARNIKA: Growing up with my wonderful parents, they are somewhat esoteric hippies let’s say, I grew up very aware about the environment, social injustices, and always keeping an open mind. They definitely embedded in me an appreciation for nature and taking care of what we have. Starting a business these days, you are a fool if you don’t try to act as responsible as possible. Being in an industry that has a long way to go, I try my best to maneuver in a sustainable way. Starting out you should really take care to think all aspects through about how to build your business. It’s so difficult to backtrack once the horse is out of the stable. Build it slow, and build it mindful.

RONCEVIC: Is there an alternative way you’d like to present your collections? I’m aiming at the whole digital discussion with this question, what’s your opinion on all the novelty tech has brought us, in terms of changing intersocial dynamics and the creative process?

ARNIKA: I have just created a collection video with artistic director Filip Berg. It’s a Frutti di Mare tale that unfolds in Berlin. I think the digital medium is a great platform to explore alternative methods of submerging people into your world. I personally use it a lot in my creative process; in developing collections and concepts. But it’s a blessing and a curse really in daily life. The world has become intensely connected, but we’re moving further apart personally. We are so insanely busy that connecting with people online is more normal than in person (pre-Corona). But there is also such freedom that comes with technology. So, I guess it’s like all things in life. Use it for good only.