We spoke to DANIEL DINIS, the young fashion designer based in Germany, who donated a hand painted jersey for our weekly competition. You still have the chance to compete and win it until Sunday 5th! All you need to do is to send your best Winter look to competitions@zootmagazine.com. Read more about it at www.zootmagazine.com/2010/11/30/win-a-unique-longsleeve-textured-single-handpainted-jersey-by-daniel-dinis/
Daniel told us a little about how it was to present his Spring/Summer 2011 collection for the first time at Moda Lisboa, and what inspires him.
The Spring/Summer 2011 collection is entitled “A travel diary from North Morocco to Istanbul”. Cotton jerseys and parkas with African inspired patterns create a clean sportswear look, sharply cut and very well done.
See for yourself:
Zoot: The pieces you design are all handmade. Why do you prefer to work this way?
Daniel Dinis: Tailoring is for me the major inspiration whilst designing clothes.
I am quite fascinated about the techniques behind this handcraft, before presenting my first collection at ModaLisboa my main work was made-to-measure clothing.
For me “handmade” is also a synonym for a more sustainable consumption, for local manufacturing respecting fair incomes and the challenge designing long lasting, nice clothes.
It´s not “Haute Couture” or being exclusive – what I intend with “handmade” is taking a step back by slowing down the speed – sustainability is the keyword.
Zoot: What is your connection to Portugal?
Daniel Dinis: I am Portuguese but was born in Germany.
I passed the obligatory Summer holidays in Portugal since my childhood… and after finishing the fashion course in Berlin i moved to Lisbon, to get closer to my Portuguese roots.
Zoot: Regarding fashion – do you believe in Portugal/Lisbon as a place to work; do you think there is a future for young fashion designers in Portugal?
Daniel Dinis: I do believe in places and people who are open-minded and sensible with their surroundings and concepts they working with.
Being a fashion designer nowadays is a tough choice, independent from the place where you are.
Of course there is a future as a designer if you work new methods and concepts out regarding future development, but it`s also important to transport this to the customer and to convince him changing his consuming habits.
It’s not easy but it’s worth the trouble!
Zoot: How do you see your latest participation at Moda Lisboa earlier this year?
Daniel Dinis: For me it was an excellent opportunity to go on with my ideas and to spread my vision of menswear. Therefore, I´m glad that things worked out well!
It´s a challenge to combine my ideals with the speeding up fashion calender – Moda Lisboa does incredible work with their support.
The chance to show my work and thoughts to a major audience is really great.
The fashion system seems to be stuck, things must change and start changing, therefore new ideas and concepts are much-needed – in design, fabrication, retail, habits!
Zoot: What is your creative process to build a new collection?
Daniel Dinis: Mostly it’s an emotion or/and a place where I’ve been in the past which creates a need concerning clothes in my mind.
Tailoring is such a broad inspiring area, so this is the other inspirational part of my work, reconsidering methods of sewing and cutting and not being dogmatic with it!
My leitmotif is “sportswear”; casual clothes for the time after work, for the weekend, for leisure time.
I don´t feel very inspired by fashion itself or by creating a fictive protagonist as base for a collection… at least at the moment.
Zoot: What do you hope for your future and your career?
Daniel Dinis: I hope that my ideas work out corresponding the wisdom “hope springs eternal”…
By Cátia Nóbrega
