We have met Frida a few years ago when we were looking for a baby model for our campaign and her daughter fitted just perfectly. A wonderful encounter and the beginning of a beautiful friendship that also became a professional collaboration. Frida has an impressive sense of changing whatever she finds on her walk to work into beautiful stilleben. Correct, she is the artist behind our pretty flatly! But she is also a passionate knitter and pattern-maker with an extended quality understanding and an eye for putting the knits into scene. Her first knit design for minimalisma will be revealed with the Autumn/Winter 2023 collection.
As the days get colder and rainy, it is the perfect time to stay inside and knit. Why not try out one of Frida's knitting tutorials? Click here to read more.
Now get yourself comfortable and listen to her thoughts on home, inspiration, creativity and the occasional struggle in combining it all.
♡
Q: Frida, living abroad and away from the place where you grew up, how do you define "home"?
A: I am a countryside Swede now living in an apartment in Switzerland. Suddenly I had to re-evaluate the before so clear word “home” and actually work a bit to make that ”home” happen. Life and it’s turns! Moving was emotional and exciting, and it allowed me to fulfill my dream of being a full-time mom. Yes, some of us do dream of that in the year of 2022, even coming from Sweden… A decision I absolutely do not regret, and one that has opened doors to so many new and exciting things and experiences. The biggest of them without a doubt being the experience of indulging in motherhood and home making; feeding and challenging my interest in pedagogics and child care from an attachment parenting-perspective.
Q: Besides your love of being a full-time mom, what else drives you?
A: I would say that for me inspiration is everything. I live by it. That is not necessarily and always a good thing, I have to admit, but that much I have learnt over 34 years with myself. When inspiration is not vivid and present, I have a really hard time pushing through, and how many times have I not been angry with myself for not “just doing”. Not all things in life is super fun and inspiring, jet they might need to be done… oh well. But I can also see how much good this strive and search for inspiration has done me, how much it allowed me to explore and try. Design, art, architecture, science, farming, business, history, pedagogics, food… And how I am now allowed to use a lot of that in my work with fashion.
Inspiration and creativity are two words I have given a lot of thought. The complexity of the concept of them, and realising what a privilege it is to be able to have them present in what I do. Because that’s not a given. I think you can of course be more or less creative as a person, but I also think it is important to understand that it is a process that needs time and attention to thrive. You cannot just take and take, there has to be elements of giving back, feeding that creativity. Sure, it gets easier if you have a creative mind, and some training to get those ideas coming “on cue”. But I think we need to be humble before the fact that it can also be hard, and no one should put blame on themselves for juggling a full-time job, caring for home and children and then not feel constantly inspired and in a creative bubble.
Q: You have a passion for wool and knitting, where does it come from and where do you get your inspiration from?
A: An important seed to my inspiration came from the animals. My interest and love for them and their surroundings has in large shaped what I do today. From them I got the wool which led me into the world of textiles, and from them and the land the world of food, and into training and education. My home and family have played a huge part as well, and I grew up in an artistic house where creativity (and craziness;)?) Was allowed to thrive and blossom, and no urge or idea was considered impossible. If I can pass that view of life on to my child, I will be more than happy.
Q: What do you think are the biggest issues for women your age are facing today?
A: As a woman of today we face many challenges. As much as I dislike to admit it, we are still weighed down under the patriarchy. I see and experience it daily, and I also see how it has had impact on my life over the years. And what drives me crazy is that changes to something I believe to be better are going so slowly on many levels in society. You are supposed to have children, work - and either you are too much of a mum, or you are too much not. You care too much about your appearance, or you care too little… Doomed if we do, doomed if we don`t.
I think we have to be really gentle to each other, and to ourselves. It can be really hard, and it is ok. And by admitting the challenges before us we can gain a better understanding and hopefully transition into something better. And by a bigger understanding, comes a better support.
Q: Is there a woman who has crossed your path, you admire the most?
A: I have come to meet and know many female characters. And there is so many I admire. I admire the one society would call fierce, strong, independent, as much as I admire her opposite, and oh I see so much strength in her too…
Q: How do you like to spend your day; do you have a self-care routine?
A: It comes and goes in seasons of life I think. A precious and important one (and one I can allow myself because I have a husband that lets me sleep in every morning…) is staying up way too late cuddled up with my animals in my sofa, with my knitting, a movie, a cup of tea. Nothing to tend to, all is calm and quiet. Spending time with my dogs, wandering about exploring the forests together or challenge ourselves in training and competition, is another equally important one, present for as long as I can remember.
