Belgium based textile designer Leen Stoffels just graduated from School of arts KASK in Gent. The main motivation for her work is the need for change in the throw-away fast fashion culture. In her masters she specialized in knitting, and thereby developed a modular system in which the shape of the textile can be adjusted according to function. Translating this technique into a garment or an object of use creates a playful interaction between the user and the object. For now Leen was able to apply this modular technique in sweaters and a bag/balaclava. During the scholarship, she would like to extend the technique to a wider variety of objects other than fashion. For example, she would like to experiment with blankets that you can transform into a seat, a cushion or something completely different.
„Despite the growing awareness around sustainability and timeless slow fashion/design, people still long for variety and innovation. This is something that is easy to find in fast fashion, but hard to find in slow fashion/design. I started developing a modular system in which the shape of the textile can be adjusted according to function. Sustainability is not only reflected trough material choices, but also trough the design of the objects and garments. I consciously designed wearable pieces that have a timeless silhouette and are modular and therefore adjustable to everchanging preferences“, says Leen Stoffels.