One to Watch: RAGNABJARNA
07-07-2017
The upcoming Icelandic fashion designer currently lives in Copenhagen and has recently graduated with an MA from the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Art. Her key design aesthetics throughout her works focus on theoretical and instinctive qualities, whilst exhibiting a strong sense of gender and femininity that are explored via texture and handcraft.
Only last month, Ragabjarna was selected among nineteen further graduates to present her 2017 graduation collection at the International Lab of Mittelmoda fashion competition in Milan.
For Ragna’s graduation collection entitled ‘Hysteria’, she embarked on the topic of the gendered upbringing of girls, whilst exploring gendered stereotypes and modern femininity. The sartorial array looks into the emotional strains of being the inferior gender and delves into the social rules women and girls are advised to obey. The collection sees the intriguing and experimental time when a young girl finds her way into her mother’s wardrobe and discovers the empowerment of modern femininity. Yet, she finds herself feeling somewhat vanquished by the female social anxieties and witnesses herself engulfing in femininity.
Amid the collection, a traditional girlie-girl colour palette can be observed in a scene of predominate pinks, along with customary female craft through knit and embroidered statement pieces that inevitably attempt to salvage femininity. Key looks include, extremely elongated sleeves, so long they are tied in a knot and still hang down below the knee, oversized trousers with a belt to cinch in the waist and a bra which plays with exaggerated sizing that nonchalantly hangs from her trousers.
Other pieces include XXL voluminous knits, big enough to clothe an entire family in, a draping skirt and accessorised with a princess’s crown with ‘hysteria’ emblazoned on it. Elsewhere sees large pink puffer coats with hearts on, enormous tailored jackets and clothing with harness and strap detailing, symbolising the restraints of female stereotypes.
Words by Katie Farley