In the Liljevalchs exhibition *Utopian Bodies – Fashion Looks Forward* we are taken on a magnificent adventure that investigates the future of fashion. Among the participating brands we find Swedish upstarts New Black.
New Black is a clothing brand run by long time friends Andreas Undén and Elias Gillberg. Born in Gothenburg in 2010, the brand started off simple by selling screen-printed t-shirts. By 2012 they had become more serious about their designs, and started producing their own styles in factories in Portugal. They also started dropping their collections regularly and have since relocated to Södermalm.
The 11 rooms of the Liljevalchs exhibition each have a different theme, and the usual futuristic fashion suspects are all present – Viktor & Rolf, Hussein Chalayan, Issey Miyake and Rick Owens. The exhibition has also been given 16 garments specially made for the exhibition by Swedish designers. New Black were invited to participate and asked to design a garment or outfit based on the theme of social resistance.. Given that Liljevachs is perhaps more associated with art, we spoke to Elias Gillberg to find out about his relationship with it.
“We got to know each other through graffiti. In other words we wouldn’t know each other without art, nor would there be a New Black,” he says.
Although both studied the arts program at the Schillerska high school in Gothenburg, they did so four years apart. After high school Elias also went on to study art for two more years before attending the design program at Gothenburg’s University. He tells us that at the tender age of six or seven he had already started to pick out his own outfits.
“I remember how I enjoyed buying clothes with my parents. I wanted to look like a British schoolboy, you know with the knickers, duffle jacket and flat cap. Most kids my age wanted sneakers and jeans, so it was clear to me from a very early age that I wasn’t like most kids as far as my interest in fashion goes.
What do you think is the key to succeed as a relatively new and upcoming designer?
I’d say quality. It’s important to deliver quality on all levels. The design needs to be good, the fabric needs to be nice, the marketing material needs to be on point, and so on.
Where do you fit in to the current fashion picture? Do you feel part of any general or specific trend right now?
Yes and no. Streetwear is trendy right now, so in that sense yes. But I believe that we’ll still be relevant the day streetwear is no longer trendy with the more fashionable crowd. Quality survives trend changes.
Where and how do you look for inspiration?
There are so many answers to that question, so I’ll just go with what I think is the best way to get inspired, and that would be leaving your everyday comfort zone. Travelling, seeing new things and getting to know new people and new cultures.
Finally, could you give us a look into the future, what’s the aims for New Black?
To expand, especially in Asia and the rest of Europe. We have worked a lot with our brand in Sweden in order to get to where we are today. Now we want to start working with the rest of the world in that same way. To do that we’ll need more money, but what we really need is time. Time and dedication is what got us here!
Words: Ida Therén
