Royal College of Art graduate
Laura Amstein is one of nine hand-picked designers part of zip manufacturer
YKK and Dazed's
New Breed project. With this creative portfolio,
YKK and Dazed are highlighting new and exciting accessory and fashion designers in need of support.
YKK is also proud sponsor of the
International Talent Support’s ITS#ACCESSORIES awards in Italy, and will hand out its very own annual YKK Award in mid-July.
Obsessed with graphic, formed, shapes and bold, bright colours,
Amstein makes
bags, cases and accessories that, on an almost fundamental level, draw
you to them. They make you want to pick them up, examine them and work
them out. They are not bags simply to hang over your arm, they are
pleasingly tactile in a way that makes you want to hold them, to present
them.
"What I’m really interested in is how the product is going to be used
and enjoyed, of course it is vital that the product is aesthetically
pleasing. Balancing these two elements is a challenge I really enjoy"
Initially studying her BA in Costume Design at Edinburgh University,
Amstein's interest in making smaller bags and items, and the pleasure
she got from seeing people use and enjoy what she had made, soon
overtook her interest in the course. Moving on to study Accessories at
London College of Fashion and then to the RCA, Laura's pieces are the
product of someone who has discovered her passion, and it is that which
comes through in what she makes. You want to pick them up, to hold them
and to look at them, because she does.
(dazeddigital.com)
