Everybody Wants This 

Everybody Wants This is a playful, somewhat autobiographical and perhaps almost self-satirising reflection of the culture of the fashion industry, which you can’t help but love and hate at the same time.

Katariina Salmela’s BA thesis collection explores the myth and magic of fashion and the culture of the industry through an Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland-inspired story. A curious and analytical protagonist follows a white rabbit and enters the magical and strange field of fashion, often portrayed in the media and popular culture as a world where everything sparkles and people live extraordinary lives.

Stemming from her previous studies and research literature on consumer culture theory (CCT) and sociology of fashion, the concept of Salmela’s collection is inspired by Pierre Bourdieu’s notions on fields, their hierarchies and field-specific cultural, social, economic and symbolic capital. Referencing movies and TV shows such as The Devil Wears Prada (2006) and Gossip Girl (2007–2012), the collection explores the stereotypical depictions of characters, such as busy and underpaid assistants tackling seemingly impossible tasks for their ‘evil queen’ superiors, to become a part of the extraordinary world at any cost.

– I like to start by sketching. It allows me to focus on the ‘what’ instead of the ‘how’ and helps me feel less restricted when it comes to more dramatic shapes. After that, my approach is quite analytical, almost architectural. During my fashion design studies, draping has become my preferred method of working – building garments piece by piece and editing and adjusting as I go.

With meticulous attention to detail and beautiful finishes, the otherworldly collection aims to explore how a garment can change the habitus of the user, and to distinguish the hierarchical positions of the fictional characters – i.e. the different looks – from each other.

CONTACT DETAILS

Katariina Salmela

katariina.salmela@aalto.fi

+358440552888

@kat.fi.sh