GINA DREWES

It’s a sunny day outside as we enter the Lila Pix showroom to meet Gina Drewes for an interview. A nice sales assistant guides us through the salesroom back into the atelier where we find the designer working on a new kimono collection, which she will be showing in Japan later this year. After the droning drum`n`bass sounds are turned down (Gina later told us that she has a strong connection with music. She recently worked at the Frequency music festival where she dressed artists like Little Boots, MSTRKRFT and Boys Noize and has a lot of friends in the music scene) and finding out that we three have roots in Carinthia ;) Gina started talking about the relationship between mothers and daughters and why she would never work in the music industry.

AW: Who or what inspires you?

G: A lot of things: Different women, a movie, anything. For every collection I try to find an inspiration and start building a story around it. I believe in the power of every woman. But I am not a feminist! In my collections I try to capture the emotions and nature of women. I also find it interesting to travel around and observe clubkids. They sometimes also influence me.

AW: Which women are wearing Gina Drewes?

G: Strong women who are independent, fight and are in the right balance with themselves.

AW: Would you say that you found your right balance?

G: (smiling) More and more. As I'm growing older I'm becoming wiser and more relaxed. It’s getting better every day and I living more consciously.

AW: Tell us about your collection!

G: I am showing A/W 2009. The theme of my collection is “Talking ‘bout my generation”. How do older women wear clothes and how do younger generations. For the image pictures my mother was the model and we had another young model as well. The idea is about growing up and how women experience different phases in their lives. The themes of my collections are always strongly related to my personal life.

AW: And where do you produce the other pieces?

G: I did produce in Slovakia but that will change now. Just recently I decided to only work on request. I want to be more exclusive and have a special connection with the buyers. I want to be independent and do whatever I like.

AW: Did you always want to become a designer?

G: Yes, since I was a young girl. I'll always remember a tailor's shop in the town I grew up in with all the dolls and the clothes hanging around. I grew up reading the fashion magazines of my mum. She always supported me when I told her I wanted to do fashion. It was clear to her to support me. Even now I always call her up when I don’t know what to do and she always has good advice for me, even though she has nothing to do with the fashion industry. I would say that fashion design is my profession and music is my passion. Fashion was my hobby. Now my hobby is my job. I could never work in the music industry because then I'd have to look for a new hobby.

AW: Do you have favourite pieces? Maybe some old dresses from your mum?

G: No, not from my mum. Unfortunately she threw everything away. But I have a passion for vintage dresses. I collect them. They do not have to fit. I just like to look at them. I also have a few accessories to which I have a very emotional attachment. 

AW: How would you define beauty? Do you know something absolutely beautiful? Something you can look at again and again and always be amazed?

G: Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I often like thinks that aren’t beautiful in the eyes of others. I'm a really open person and find beauty in almost everything, but I know something that's really beautiful: I am not good at gardening but I'm really amazed with japanese gardens. The calm and the order of everything -that’s perfect for me.

AW: Do you have a favourite artist?

G: I love street art, Banksy for example.  Or photographers like Terry Richardson. I think that his pictures are ugly but this ugliness attracts me. Everything that isn’t normal, that isn’t mainstream attracts me.

AW: Do you have a life motto?

G: Handle with scare! I always try to be unpredictable. Everytime the public thinks they get a certain thing from me I do something completely different. That’s what I love. That’s no game that’s just me!

AW: If you could turn back the time would you do anything different?

G: I think everyone makes mistakes and would love to turn back time and do things in a different way. I had to pay my dues - in fashion but also in my personal life but I don't regret it.

AW: Did you ever achieve something you never dreamt of?

G: Wenn’s laft dann laft’s ;) A lot of things happen in my life and I often lean back and think okay that’s great. I often wish for things and work really hard for them but at a certain point I just let them go their way. Generally I am always under stress but I'm getting more and more relaxed every day. My mum sometimes calls me to calm me down.

AW:  Is Austria a Fashion country?

G: Austria is on the right way. A lot of things are happening at the moment. People are motivated and start doing things. But I don’t think that the country you're living in is important. It is more important where you sell your clothes. I could have gone to Paris but wasn’t interested in it. I love Vienna. I know the people, I have my contacts and I want to be recognized internationally. But you can achieve that from everywhere.

AW: What do you think of the Austrian style?

G: Austria in general has no style. Vienna in particular could be more adventurous. People are playing it safe and are dressing in a classic way instead of being creative. They go with the mass or wear what “Woman” tells them to wear. I wear what I want to wear. I mix and match and love the results, even when people give me strange looks on the street.

AW: Do you think you could achieve that through the MQ VIENNA FASHIONWEEK?

G: No, I think the fashionweek is a step in my career, but I don’t believe that everything will change after the fashionweek. I want to show my winter collection so that people actually come and buy clothes. You cannot wish for more. If anything further happens it would be nice, but that’s what I expect to happen.

AW: Would you rather be famous or rich?

G: (laughing) I'd like to conquer the world. If you ask me like that! No, just kidding. I would love to be able to live a good life based on what I earn through my work and not having to worry all the time. One can never be rich enough, even when you are rich you want to become more wealthy all the time.

AW: Would you rather give up fashion or sex?

G: Sex. I love what I’m doing and I'm at the atelier over 18 hours a day. When October is over I might think about a boyfriend again... A pet. (laughing)

GINA DREWES @ THE MQ VIENNA FASHIONWEEK 2009 

24.09. 2009, 19- 19.30

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