Looks

Julia Krantz

January 17, 2018

Julia, with a degree in Textile Arts from School of Design and Craft (HDK) and works in a transdisciplinary manner between fashion and art. When the game industry caught her interest, specifically the human body’s relationship to new technologies and interactive storytelling, she began to run the blog Magic Fabric - about the interface between video games and fashion. She currently works as the Creative Director at the noteworthy start-up Volumental in Stockholm. Utilizing Volumental's 3D scanning technology, they are innovating the shoe store experience where 3D models of the customer’s feet make it easier to find the right shoes.

Tell us a little bit about yourself and what you do. I’m a designer and artist living in Stockholm, Sweden. My background is in fashion, and my interest in game technologies has lead me onto a new path in my art and my day-to-day life. Stepping into the tech industry has been a big personal challenge for me and has in many ways changed me.

How has living in Stockholm affected your work? Stockholm is an awesome place, really. It is so beautiful, even at the darkest and coldest time of the year. For me living close to nature is a source of inspiration and a chance to relax and contemplate when not working. From that point of view, Sweden is one of the best places in the world to be living. From an artist’s point of view Stockholm can be pretty difficult to get into. People are slightly more closed-off and since moving here I still don’t feel I get enough interaction with other creatives. I would love to get more into a creative community.

Whiteness: Garri Frischer

What kinds of things are influencing your work right now? It is extremely interesting how much new technologies are now merging with the fashion industry. When starting my blog Magic Fabric back in 2014, the reception was still a bit hesitant. People didn’t quite see the connection between game technologies and what I was doing in apparel. Today, most bigger brands are talking about the 3D revolution and how 3D software will be an industry gamechanger. Few players in the world do something radical with it. As usual, the most unexpected takes on it come from the art world. Look at for example what Björk is doing with virtual reality.

What are some recent, upcoming or current projects you are working on? I am trying to transfer the work I have done into virtual form. I have started working with CLO3D and Marvelous Designer to learn how to build garments in 3D. It is 3D software that uses real world pattern cutting principles and applying gravitation, simulating the final results on an avatar. The software is used by the fashion industry as well as the game industry.

Volumental

What are you listening to right now? Anna von Hausswolf, Ólafur Arnalds, Apparat and my colleague’s keyboard.

Describe your current studio or workspace. The Volumental office is filled with a quite diverse group of people and I’d say we have an at-home feel to our workspace. I try and balance out  the overwhelming amount of cables by adding more plants – that I always forget to water.

Tamashii: Henrik Bengtsson

How long have you lived in Stockholm and what brought you there? I moved from Gothenburg to Stockholm 3.5 years ago now and am really liking life here. Though the west coast is a lot more relaxed and laid-back, Stockholm has a lot more to offer. It’s a great place for great food, music and design yet still has that famous Swedish work life balance.

What do you want a viewer to walk away with after experiencing your work? I really liked when someone said: “I love it. What is it?”

Cross-bearer: Garri Frischer

If you were a drink what drink would you be? Something with lots of sugar and lot of citrus. I would also most definitely spill a bit on someone. But never on purpose.

Volumental