Steinrohner

This is not just another story of a designer duo meeting during their studies. The Steinrohner girls Inna Stein and Caroline Rohner started their label in in 2013 and were awarded the Young Designers’ Award Germany in 2015. We fell in love with their AW 15/16 collection nemed Lava, photographed by Christine Kreiselmaier, which was inspired by two islands in Tyrrhenian Sea —Stromboli and Vulcano— and whose landscape has informed the intricate structure of the duo’s design.

Tell me about these islands?
The island of Stromboli is made of dark black lava and Vulcano is very dusty and gets sulfur eruptions, which turn into yellowish crystals. We went there to take some photos of this phenomenon to then use for two different prints in our collection. Also the use of fabrics symbolizes the transformation of lava. We quilted fabric in the movement of lava streams and used a fabric, which looks like cold lava glass. We also cut the fabric in a way that mimics the optic of moving lava. One of our sequined hat reflects the crystallization process, which starts during the eruption of sulfur.

What kind of shapes did you use, and why?
It’s a contrast between movement and stagnation, between fluent shapes and stiff ones, same as the lava, during the eruption it is totally liquid, but after getting cold, it gets stiff. We used big shapes for the coats combined with prints to demonstrate the power of nature. Usually the structures form the shape of the clothes; it´s a natural process.

Which color dominates this collection?
It’s a contrast like the two islands. It’s a mixture between black, bluish, yellow and nude-colors.

In what way is this collection different than the rest?
We always continue a story. Each collection is made in our language, but it’s always very important for us to search for new structures and techniques.