Coming across Amelia Lindquist’s Peeps Website one blustery English Easter day through Style Bubble’s ever on the button blog was a breath of fresh whimsical air. The summer collection evoked a skipping of the heart at the thought of long lazy summer days wearing peeps’ tie dye dress. The slow arrival of autumn delivers the new fall collection and a continually skipping heart at the intricate application of knotted rope against delicately draped fabric. Amelia’s Magazine interviewed the 19 year entrepreneur behind the clothes:
Can you tell Amelia’s Magazine about yourself please?
I am twenty years old and a California native. I started an online business, Peeps.org, when I was in 3rd grade, making simple purses for my fellow classmates and school employees. As my sewing skills evolved in high school, I started making my own clothes, transforming my website into an online clothing store. From there it has taken off more quickly and successfully than I could have imagined. During this last year the site has become so busy, I can no longer be a one-woman business. So I hired a seamstress in Los Angeles, where my business is based, to sew the stock for the website. While maintaining and operating my website I am studying at Parsons School of Design in New York City and for this semester I will be studying in Paris.
Does Parsons School of Design encourage a particular style of design philosophy/ethos?
Parsons School of Design has a very commercial point of view in fashion. Most of the professors have had much experience in the design world and often come from big fashion houses for example Ralph Lauren and Chanel.
They mostly focus on designing successful collections and how to market them to a wide audience. There is only some room for
extreme experimentation in materials and silhouettes.
Which designers do you think are currently the most influential in fashion design?
Balmain, Martin Margiela and Nicolas Ghesquiere
What is your concept/brief when designing your pieces?
As an artist it is hard to describe the ideas and processes that go through designing. There are so many different ways that I think about pieces and how I think about designing pieces that it is very intuitive. For the most part I just start making things that I like and then from there I always fall in love with one new thing that I can base a whole collection off of. For my new collection I designed the rope skirt first and got inspired by the way the rope draped, so I then played with drape and proportion on the majority of my pieces.
How do you decide on the fabrics and the shapes of your design?
When searching for certain fabrics for my designs I sometimes have swatches or an idea in my mind of what I want it to be. But every time I go to a store, I find something out of the ordinary that gets my attention. From there a certain fabric sometimes even has an influence on the overall design of the garment and can change it completely. I get really inspired by textiles and the different colors, patterns and textures they can have. As far as silhouettes, the female body really fascinates me so when I design I like to work with it instead of against it.
I am influenced by everything around me. When I see things in my everyday life I apply them to the body without even thinking. I think about designing pieces all day so it has become somewhat of a habit.
What are your plans for the future of peeps.org and yourself as a designer?
Peeps.org is continuing to grow and by the time I graduate I hope to have a full time business that I will devote to.
Find Amelia Lindquist at Peeps.
Tags:
Draping, Individual, Parsons School of Design, Peeps.org, Style Bubble
