Meet Anne Isabella, the Berlin-Based Designer You Need to Know
The Designer Talks About Her Creative Journey, Her SS24 Collection and How She Empowers Sustainability
Josephine is wearing Anne Isabella SS24 pieces, Photographed by Kristine Sokolowski.
After graduating from Central Saint Martins in 2020, Anne Rasmussen started her journey by launching her own brand, Anne Isabella. In a short span, her name has risen to prominence, receiving global recognition for her exceptional collections. Anne's unique blend of Danish-French heritage and her life in Berlin infuses her designs with a rich tapestry of cultural influences. However, what truly sets her apart is her unwavering commitment to sustainability.
With sustainability as a guiding principle, Anne Isabella meticulously crafts her designs, placing environmental and social responsibility at the forefront of her creative process. As we delve into this interview, we gain insights into Anne Isabella's design philosophy and the sources of inspiration behind her much-anticipated Spring Summer 24 collection.
Linnea: What initially drew you to the world of design and how was your journey on getting started?
Anne Isabella: I am a very visual person and was interested in drawing from a very early age. I wasn’t entirely sure I would be working with fashion and had teachers convinced I should pursue fine arts. What eventually led me to fashion was its versatility and all the possibilities it offers. You have a creative process, but you are also creating a product, and visual languages that go along with it. The pace is fast, so you see results very quickly, which can be quite exciting.
Linnea: How do you incorporate your Danish roots into your design process?
Anne Isabella: I think it’s something that is always there, but I also don’t consciously think about it very much. I grew up in France and Belgium but was always surrounded by Danish design, as my parents are both quite interested in it. Danish interior design has a strong heritage, and I have surely been influenced by it. In recent years, I have been quite interested in Verner Panton when referencing prints, colors, and interiors for set design. But I have also been interested in Wegner and his organic take on shape.
Linnea: How has living in Berlin influenced your creative process and overall design aesthetic?
Anne Isabella: To be honest, my identity is made up of so many places that it's hard to pin everything down, but Berlin is a very interesting city, and the art scene is always very active. So, I find it quite inspiring to go to galleries and exhibitions here. It’s also a city that might be a bit less obvious for fashion, so in some ways, it's interesting to come in with my aesthetic as I don’t think it’s obvious for Berlin. But I would say that the most influence on my creative process comes from the people I work and engage with here.
Linnea: What does it take to create an “It” product in a world of microtrends and trends that is constantly changing?
Anne Isabella: It’s quite hard for me to say. I don’t think about each design as an ‘it’ product, in fact, I would say sometimes it’s the pieces that happen a bit spontaneously that are the most effective. It’s easy to identify what will work once the piece has been designed, but it is not a thought that can be incorporated into the process beforehand.
Linnea: Could you walk us through your creative process from concept to completion?
Anne Isabella: I always start by researching. When I finish a collection, I always have strong opinions on what can be improved and what I want to add for the coming one, so I start thinking about ways to incorporate that. I research by going to the library, searching for vintage, going to galleries, and looking through previous work I have done, and start compiling what I call ‘pools’ of ideas. I then start tapping into those and see what sparks the most ideas and reactions by starting to draw and sample, as well as collage. At some point, I let go of the research and let the feeling of the collection take over, and start creating a range and start seeing things on the body. Eventually, once the final samples are done, it can sometimes feel very different, but most of the time it’s a nice surprise. In the end, the collection is then styled with Rachael Rogers, and we add pieces to complete the looks and story.
Linnea: What is the theme or inspiration in your Spring Summer 24 collection?
Anne Isabella: This collection was very much about refining and perfecting some ideas that I had carried out in the previous collection. I worked with new factories to heighten the quality and really went into details in terms of the finishings of each product. What was new was the strong use of colors which are referencing the brightness and lightheartedness of the 1960s.
Linnea: How do you incorporate sustainability into your collections?
Anne Isabella: I mainly focus on the materials. I primarily work with deadstock fabrics, as well as recycled and certified materials. So, a lot of my energy goes into sourcing the right materials and making a conscious decision about what each product is made of.
“I mainly focus on the materials. I primarily work with deadstock fabrics, as well as recycled and certified materials.”
Linnea: What do you do differently from collection to collection?
Anne Isabella: Each time I design a new collection, I look for new improvements, as I think a part of the design process is about problem-solving. As designers, I think we have the opportunity to pick the problems we want to solve, and for me, there is always something that I want to improve each season. It could be better materials, more inclusivity, etc.
Linnea: What do you enjoy most about your work, and what are the most satisfying aspects?
Anne Isabella: For me, it's all about the process. I love the research stage the most because this is where I feel the most creative. This is where I have a chance to search for new ideas and possibilities and look into new content. At this stage, everything is possible.
Anne Isabella: I also really enjoy seeing it all come together in the end when the products are nicely finished. No matter how much I plan, things always look slightly different in real life, which most of the time is a good thing. This is where I have to let go of the control and look at what is actually there, and many times it becomes a new interpretation of the collection in comparison to what I first had in mind. It keeps things playful.
Linnea: What advice would you give to someone aspiring to pursue a career as a fashion designer?
Anne Isabella: Curiosity and a genuine interest in the industry and designers are key. I think it's so important to learn from others and engage with other designers, whether these are your peers, bosses, teachers, or designers you admire. I have learned the most from my friends and from working with them, and they are still my support system when challenges arise. I also think it's really important to stay open-minded and not to think you have it all down. The best people I have worked with were generally really open to taking direction and learned so quickly, which turned them into incredible independent designers.
“I think it’s so important to learn from others and engage with other designers, whether these are your peers, bosses, teachers, or designers you admire.”