GoSee Tip : TIKI-MANIA-MAORI by designer ANNE-SOFIE MADSEN - the Autumn/Winter 2010/2011 collection

In 2009, Anne Sofia Madsen graduated from DANISH DESIGN SCHOOL/DKDS with this impressive collection.

Over the course of her young life, she has worked a significant array of student jobs, such as sales assistant for Tekinoktay finest lingerie (Silke Gade, Copenhagen), as a social worker for Københavns blindenetværk (Copenhagen network for the blind) or in the National Museum of Art- working as a waitress.

The excessively talented Anne-Sofie on her inspiration: “In traditional Maori art the most dominant, mythical motif is the ‘aviatman’ or ‘bird-woman’.

The most important visual art forms are plaiting, relief carving and tattoo. My idea in this collection was to combine (and confront) this with classic, European clothing - in order to express the contrasts and borders between what we see as primitive/civilized, exotic/classic and barbaric/elegant.

My idea was not to create bird suits or folk costumes and I decided not to use feathers in the garments and to ›translate‹ the traditional materials of the Maori. I used shoelaces instead of flax strips and exchanged tattooed skin with leather applied on invisible tulle.”

Further information about the Danish creative workshop DKDS can be found at www.dkds.dk/skolen