Carry is the result of a collaboration with three designers from completely different backgrounds, each bringing their unique skill set and creativity to design bags using kelp.
Susan Sainsbury is a textiles designer who frequently designs 50’s inspired dresses, but for this project she created something completely functional, yet unlike anything we’ve ever seen before – utilising the unique seaweed textures to the maximum and concealing the zip to give even less indication of it’s real use.
Pol is a London based fashion designer is drawn to story-telling in her designs for her own label Polosophia, often fusing costume and high fashion together for added mystery. Her approach for this project was to create something extremely futuristic, giving an alien-like feel to the design and making full use of the unusual texture of the kelp, letting the natural patterns and shapes take centre stage.
Arndís Jóhannsdóttir a crasftswoman specialising in working with fish skin for over 30 years is no stranger to working with challenging and unique materials. With her emphasis on sleek design and high end finish the result is a series of bags that look very high fashion, with sharp lines and flawless attention to detail.
The bags were shot on location at one of Iceland’s most stunning buildings, the Olafur Ellisson designed Harpa concert hall, itself very fitting given it’s futuristic otherworldly design.
The shoot is modelled by Drífa Líftóra Thoroddsen, one of the designers in the TRANSFORM project and an ongoing collaborator with the studio, who brings her own unique style and energy to the project, as well as her own pieces of clothing from Comme des Garcons and Junya Watanabe which compliment the bags perfectly.
Photography and Styling Charlie Strand
Photography assistance and retouching Magnus Anderson
Model Drífa Líftóra Thoroddsen
Clothing by Comme des Garcons and Junya Watanabe
Additional Harpa images by Daniele Buso and Daniel Welsh via Unsplash.com