As a preview to Stockholm Fashion Week and the fairs, we have chosen to interview two of the new designers that will exhibit at Rookies & Players; Karin Säby, Säby and Ellen Utterström, Drottningen av Saba.
Karin Säby, SäbyWhen meeting a former top model with campaigns for numerous brands and miles on the major catwalks in her CV, you might expect quite a lot of attitude. Nothing is further from the extremely down to earth model turned designer, Karin Säby.  While walking up and down the runway for designers like Valentino and YSL she was inspired to create her own designs. After five intense years, she returned to Sweden where she took courses for the basics in fashion design. She also worked as an assistant and as a teacher at Beckmans School of Design and Konstfack. Knitting was her first passion and was the focus of her first business venture.
The company has since rebranded and the knitted clothes have made way for a stunning collection of garments. The clothes are classic, chic and pure elegance and made to bring out the femininity in every woman. Most garments look as though they would only fit a size 32, but a passion for detail and materials makes it possible for a size 42 to pull these lovely items off in an extremely feminine way. Karin has worked hard on acquiring the right retailers for her first collection that will be delivered shortly. Amongst them buying her first collection are NK (Stockholm), Riddargatan 12 (Stockholm) and Amazing Grace (Gothenburg). Rookies & Players in August will be Karin’s second time at this fair. Though Karin thinks it’s been very positive to participate here, there is no doubt that she will soon be moving up to a different league. Ellen Utterström, Drottningen av Saba“Fashion is a very broad concept”. This says Ellen Utterström, founder of the label Drottningen av Saba (Queen of Saba). That it can be tricky to find your own style in this wide arena is nothing new, but Ellen believes that she, with her second collection, has found her style.  Ellen is thoroughly educated in fashion. First she studied the practical parts at Esmond in Paris and after that she attended Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerpen for the more creative aspects. Having both these contrasting educations has made her well prepared for all the different and difficult tasks one faces as a designer running your own label.
When asked what the biggest differences are here in Sweden and the countries where she got her education Ellen says, “Antwerpen and Belgium was very different to Sweden because they have a more openminded attitude towards creative fashion. Paris is extremely conservative in their view on fashion”.  After one and a half years in Sweden and almost completing her second collection, she feels that she has found her style. Though there are clear differences in fabrics and colors, there is still a specific look that will make the brand recognizable.
Draping is one of her specialties and she works in a three dimensional way from the start. She can almost see pictures in her head of the end result and once she has thought about that she starts creating the garments on a dummy before she makes sketches and patterns of it. “The garments can obviously change while you work with them but they are pretty close to my initial thoughts”, she explains. Like all designers it is important where the first collections are sold and like any other “Rookie”, Ellen has tried to select her retailers carefully. Her first collection that is due out to the shops in September will be sold at Neu (Stockholm), Katitzi (Stockholm) and Le Shop (Stockholm). Rookies & Players take place at the Stockholm International Fairs between 16-19 August. The fair is only open to the industry but StockholmFashionDays will obviously serve you with a lot of goodies from the week so keep checking the site out.
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