MEET OUR DESIGNERS: SINI MOILANEN, TRAMP IN DISGUISE
Meet our designer Sini Moilanen, founder of womenswear brand Tramp in Disguise. After joining LDC for London Fashion Week last season, Sini is back for our Exmouth Market concept store. She will not only be introducing a range of homewares & accessories, but will also be hosting a workshop with us on the evening of 23rd May giving the public a sneak peak into her production process.
Originally from Finland, Sini has called London home for the past 10 years. She achieved her B.A. at the University of Brighton and her M.A at the Royal College of Art in fashion design. Specialising in knitwear throughout her studies, Sini transitioned to print design, teaching herself the skills she needed, leading to the creation of Tramp in Disguise in 2010. We caught up with Sini to find out what led her to become a fashion designer, the challenges she has faced and her inspirations…
Tell us a little about your brand
I am a fashion and textile designer and MA graduate from Royal College of Art (2009). Tramp In Disguise is a London based brand which started in 2010 specializing on womenswear. Later on also unisex garments, accessories and interior furnishing have become parts of the brand range. The brand is known for its unique, colourful prints which are characterized by imaginative motifs adding drama to the fabrics that grace the contemporary collections each season.
Why have you chosen to partner with LDC?
LDC is a good option to do a pop-up shop and share the cost with other people as having a pop-up shop in a prime location can be very expensive. LDC has also the advantage of bringing a large crowd of people with their events. It’s nice to have a place in a great pop-up shop with some other emerging brands.
When did you first realise you wanted to pursue a career in fashion?
From a young age I have always been very creative and interested in fashion. Growing up in Finland I loved to go to the local flea markets and buy some vintage clothing and customise them to create my own unique style. After Finland joined the European Union, it was easy to start studying in another EU country and so I decided to move to U.K. to start my studies in design in 2000.
After receiving my BA (hons) in Fashion textiles design, I continued to study MA in Fashion Knitwear at the Royal College of Art. After my graduation I have worked as a freelance designer in both fashion and textiles design and in 2010, I launched Tramp In Disguise womenswear label at London Fashion Week with Vauxhall Fashion Scout.
What do you think is the biggest challenge you face as an independent designer?
The most difficult part of running a small independent label is time management and cash flow, as when you work on your own you end up doing the work for 6 people. As well as doing my design work in fashion and textile design, I have to be in charge of production, sales, marketing, administration and accounting.
Where do you seek inspiration from for your collections?
I seek inspiration from different topics in the global environment and I create the fabric prints and the details in my garments to reflect the chosen topic. For example, our Asterias collection was inspired by the theme of global warming and dying of the seas. The most recent Cetus collection is inspired by recent scientific news story about the rocky exoplanet which could support life and this exoplanet was found orbiting a star situated in constellation Cetus. I took inspiration from this story and the concern that humans are destroying the Mother Earth, so we will need to start looking for other places to live in the future and this planet called LHS 1140b could be a possible choice as a new home for us in the future.
Can you tell us a little more about what guests can expect from the Tramp in Disguise experience this upcoming LDC store?
The Tramp In Disguise ideology is to minimise fabric waste, so we use alongside our clothing the fabric remnants also to create accessories and home furnishings. In the workshop, I will tutor each participant to make a lampshade from a unique Tramp In Disguise print fabric that they will choose. In choosing the fabric, I will show some of the Tramp in Disguise clothing where the same fabric is also used. I’ll provide all the lampshade making materials and the participants don’t need to have any special skills to do this and there is no sewing involved. By the end of the workshop the participant will have a new table or pendant lampshade to take home with them.
Get tickets for Tramp in Disguise’s lino printing workshop here
Check out Tramp in Disguise at www.trampindisguise.com
Or follow her on instagram at @trampindisguise
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