Inkblot test by Grosser Heinrich

Grosser Heinrich is a new fashion label established by Astrid Grosser and Gerti Heinrich at 2009 right after their graduation. Since then young designers had won Baltic Fashion Award 2010 and had runways at Berlin‘s Mercedes Benz Fashion Week and Fashion Infection at 2011.

Strong and heavy shaped knit wear meets with soft and floating painted silk. As a main inspiration designers are using psychological themes such a synaesthesia and the test of Hermann Rorschach’s inkblot test.

Avant-gardism meets with dreamy softness. Easy adjustable casual, comfortable and at the same time elegant clothes are an ideal product for urban fashion lover! 

 Gerti Heinrich and Astrid Großer

- Describe yourself shortly. (Individually and/or as a label)

- Großer Heinrich is painting and sculpture in one: a composition of deep coloured prints, heavy flowing and breezy knit with smooth drapes.

We are Großer Heinrich. It’s our mirror. Just look into it!

 Loud and silent. Extravagant and absolutely wearable. Elegant and ironic.

Astrid and Gerti, Großer and Heinrich. One part from each of us.

 - You are working in tandem. How do you find connection between your ideas and visions?

- We are different characters and individuals, but always with the same vision and quality claim. The way to reach or realize the vision is different, too. That brings the unique sign into our work.

- Why do you choose womenswear?

Maybe you will make something more masculine in the future too?

- Our silhouettes are very soft and flowing, quite soft looking. But actually we have shops who offer our pieces for men also.

For our final-collection (diploma) we started with womens and mens wear. Doing mens is quite different from women. We would like to do it but it’s better to concentrate first on one section. We just need a bit time to work it out. If our label gets bigger we definitely want to design for men too.

- What was the first item you created?

- Ahm…Can’t remember, such long time ago. Maybe a necklace out of noodles for my mother…

- Where do you seek for inspiration?

- We are always inspired by ourselves. It’s like a game where each of us is throwing a ball to the other. But additionally and in general we get our inspiration from everywhere. Films, Exhibitions, Art...crazy people!

Our final (diploma) collection is our manifest. We worked with the Inkblot Test of Hermann Rorschach and the topic of psychology and synaesthesia. We developed a special way to create pattern and cuttings out of random shapes, based on the Inkblot Test. Design out of nothing except from ourselves and our interpretation. That’s still our base and background to work with.

- How did you first get the idea to make colourful abstract prints for your fabrics?

- It’s important for us to work with the face of fabrics to develop a feel.

We think as a designer you want to create everything like it’s in your mind. It just makes sense if we can design our whole world, where everything matches. We don’t want to buy any fabric, because then you depend on other designs. You would never find the patter like it’s in your vision.

If you want to tell a story you have to tell everything - not just a part.

Without colours and moods the story is not complete, the characters get no names.

- Do you have some special rituals before you start to create?

- Tidy up.

- What are the basic values for you as for designers?

- Don’t go by the trend. Do what you think is the best for the idea/design.

Think amply - everything is possible.

Risk that some people will hate it and trust that some will love it!

Have fun. If it makes you not happy - leave it.

Find the balance between the collection as an artwork and something what you can really wear.

- Your label is young, do you need to march and fight to get public attention?

- Well, of course it’s not easy to get public attention; there are so many young labels.

We are trying to take chances to reach the public, but we never would prostitute us just for a page in a famous magazine for example.

- What is the biggest achievement in your career?

- Großer Heinrich exists since 2010. In that short time we had a lot of points in life which we are proud about. Like winning the Baltic Fashion Award 2010, getting respect from other international designers, doing a catwalk shows at Berlin Fashion Week or Mados Infekcija and having international buyers.

But we are really proud that our Prof. Martina Glomb (University of Applied Science and Art) is still supporting us and wearing Großer Heinrich since it exists. She used to work for ages at the top with great international designers and artist. Seeing her in Großer Heinrich is biggest compliment.

- Future plans, dream collaborations and hopes?

- We really want to do a video or film. Doing projects with theatre would be great also.

In general: Collaboration with other artists or designers for jewellery, shoes and different exhibitions or performances would be awesome. It always expands our minds.

Somebody out there who is interested??!!

See more: www.grosserheinrich.com