Spring/Summer 2013 Interview with Tim Labenda

For Spring/Summer 2013 Tim Labenda, a German menswear designer has presented us with a beautiful ensemble of delicate menswear garments that are said to be inspired by urban life and made for the urban man. Numerous shades of blue dominate the collection, alongside a handful of other colours, and everything has been tailored impeccably. Not that we would expect anything less from Tim.

On that note, I had the pleasure of asking Tim a few questions about the collection, his design process and what we can expect next season…

What is the inspiration behind your Spring/Summer 2013 collection?

Before I started designing the Spring/Summer 2013 collection, which is the first summer collection I have produced so far, I spent two months in Bali. I had a lot of time to think about urban life and how everyone is stressed out by work, socializing and travelling. Bali is quite the opposite of this lifestyle. Everyone is always relaxed, friendly, easy going and helpful. I wanted to bring this experience home with me and work it into a collection.

The collection is made for urban men who want to break out of their daily routine. The garments should give them the feeling of having the opportunity to skip the system and to move on into a new life. Hinterland Taucher describes the desire of diving into a new exciting world, discovering untouched places, exciting spots and breath taking experiences. All of the things they have no time for in their daily lives.

What was your favourite piece to design from the collection?

That’s easy! My favourite piece is the white shirt with a fabric twist, transparent back and solid front. It’s simple but exciting, perhaps a little more for me as I am really into nude design.

Can you tell us about your design process and how you go about putting a collection together?

I really like being with friends and what I like more than just partying or getting drunk is being able to talk with them about the things that are going on in their lives. Most of the time, at the beginning of a collection, there is one huge overall feeling crystallised. When I am finished with my observation and I am feeling safe about the needs and desires from the guys around me, I start researching different kinds of topics (e.g. architecture, history, people from history, art, music, etc.) depending on the crystallised mood. For me the most important thing is to know the people I am designing for, their thoughts, sorrows, what they really would like to have at the moment, how they spend their free time, etc.

Sexuality, travelling, urban living and relationships are the most inspiring topics for me. At some point in time I start to bring all the information in a mood for the collection together to visualize and describe it to other designers I want to collaborate with. For example for upcoming winter I am working together with a German jewellery designer and a print designer from Sweden.

Most of the time when I am researching I discover pictures that impress me in terms of their colour or structure. I always use these to create my colour palette and my colour mood. It gives everyone a rough idea about the colours I want to use and makes it easier to decide the colours in detail (pantone) afterwards. While doing this I continue my research into what the guy I have in mind, the Tim Labenda guy, will want to wear next season (e.g. what kind of clothes do guys who travel a lot need, what wishes has a very busy guy in the city, how can he relax while being stressed with work and daily life? Is there a desire for adventure? Do we need to break out of the urban system or skip time?) I am very close with this guy and try to understand everything that he wants and needs, to give him all the pleasure he wants.

After collecting the pieces that need to be in the collection, I start thinking of the silhouette, forms and shapes, the look of the collection, singe styles, single outfits and how all outfits would look together in a line up on the runway. This is the point where I start sketching a little bit, to make sure no rough ideas will get lost. As I am not a friend of drawing, I usually start directly with the first cutting pattern, and doing the first toiles to see it directly on the fitting model. For me that’s the best way to think about the design and to judge it at the same time. Sometimes it needs four or five toiles before I am completely happy with the piece, and it also depends on the complete look as well and if a piece really fits into the collection or not. It always happens that I start working on a piece that gets kicked out at some point in time. I always say that a chain is only as strong as its weakest link.

In an ideal world, who would you like to see wearing Tim Labenda?

Especially at the moment German actor Matthias Schweighöfer!

When and where can I purchase pieces from your Spring/Summer 2013 collection?

If everything works out the collection will be available at ASOS from January 2013. Nevertheless, you are always able to contact me directly for selected pieces.

What can we expect to see from you next season?

A New York City vibe inspired collection which is colourful, sparkling and very grown up.

You can view the full collection on the Tim Labenda website.

Photography by Bastian Jung

Images courtesy of Tim Labenda