Barbara í Gongini

Barabara Í Gongini is a Faroese-Danish avant-garde designer, originally born in the Faroe islands. From a young age, she had a profound interest in art and design which aided her current career in fashion. She studied fashion at Denmark's School of Design, graduating in 1996.

Her designs often include multi-functional parts and the use of raw materials which was influenced by her upbringing on the remote Faroe Islands. Because of this, many of her pieces can be reused and remade in to other garments, reducing waste and promoting sustainability.

Her first collection was made from fabric residue, showing that she is capable with working with even the offcuts of material. She was still part of the Könrøg movement which was an artist collective formed by 10 Danish artists and designers from 2001-2006, in response to the designer collection, Antwerp Six in the '80s. The Könrøg clothing store in Copenhagen, where Gongini worked for a time, was renowned as one of the most modern and popular shops in the city. It contained many alternative fashion pieces that helped inspire her later work.

When her label, Barabara Í Gongini, was first established in 2005, she designed both male and female pieces, focussing on androgyny and sustainability as well as multi-use garments. Her designs also feature a lot of layering and draping to create interesting silhouettes and unconventional folds. The unusual use of textures means that wool, leather and lace are often featured in the same piece, juxtaposing against the simple, monochrome colours. By only using black fabrics, the shapes and textures are more prominent and speak for the garments. Now, Gongini designs female clothing predominantly, often featuring long coats and dresses and delicate bralettes.

Gongini prides herself on being a zero waste designer and inspiring others to take a similar sustainable approach. By doing this, she is creating iconic and unique designs while having minimal negative impact on the planet, showing that it is possible for humans to do what they like and design while being conscious of the world around us.