AMANDA CALMIUS TALKS CALMIUS ÉVE

Interviewed by Culture Coast Talks editor Daniel John. Interview transcripts might have been edited for length and clarity.

Couture designers are typically found as part of the boutique experience in big cities like New York, Paris, and London. It’s a rare part of the fashion world to get such a close and tailored connection with the designer behind the fashion?

It was exactly that rarity that drew us to start, because why should you have to live in or travel to a big city to create a couture gown these days when digitalization has come so far. We wanted to make couture accessible, to everyone. That will be possible through a digital fitting room we’re currently developing.

How early on did you discover the passion for fashion design?

The idea of becoming a designer hit me like a lightning bolt when I was nineteen, but I have always been interested in fashion.

Are you self-taught or did you study it?

I studied design, pattern-making, and sewing in both Gothenburg and in Stockholm.

Wedding dresses can be very traditional, there’s something timeless about them, by design. And with couture, I imagine that’s something you can offer as well, but what defines and distinguishes your own dress designs?

My own style as a designer is more modern, sensual, and feminine than traditional Scandinavian bridal fashion. We always use the finest, highest-quality fabrics, from carefully selected textile producers based in Barcelona, Paris, Berlin and Amsterdam. We cater to women who want to create their own dream wedding-dress, who want to feel like the most beautiful version of themselves on their wedding day, and enjoy the magical journey of designing a gown from start to finish. Nature is a big inspiration for me. Our dresses are named after flowers and crystals.

What fabrics do you like working with?

I primarily work with silk, chiffon, organza, tulle, and crepe, then add couture lace in different patterns depending on the collection. The 'Time to Bloom' collection features floral lace, while the 'Shine Bright' collection uses glittery lace. And I only select fabric-producers from Europe to really ensure good working conditions and shorter transport distances.

You work with a size you-measurement?

That’s right. That means every single dress we make is sewn to order in the customer’s unique measurements and height.

Weddings symbolize people willing to invest in each other, and give and take to build their dream lives, weddings are for dreamers, the people brave enough to take the leap. What are your dreams for Calmius éve?

That Calmius éve becomes the obvious choice for brides, that we reach people with our message and grow, the goal is to have customers all over the world within a few years, especially in Europe, though I do dream of a life better than my dreams. That’s a little motto I often tell myself.

How often are you sketching and sewing yourself nowadays?

I sketch pretty much every week and I sew when needed, we have a workshop in Riga where amazing women sew our gowns. These days, I mostly do adjustments or final touches before weddings and proms.

What do you do when you need a creative break?

I go for walks or jog in nature with a podcast or music in my headphones or I take little road trips with my partner, preferably to sights on Öland.

Have you started sketching your own wedding dress just yet?

No.

Do you have a favorite among the dresses you have designed?

'Peony', the first dress I ever sketched for Calmius éve will always hold a special place in my heart.

A wedding dress is not something you, fingers crossed, get many times in your life. Maybe you wear it once. Maybe it gets passed on to a daughter. But of course there are many factors related to environmental impact or sustainable consumption?

This is something we care deeply about. We’ve chosen to be completely transparent and share our full production process with customers, we have nothing to hide. In addition to making each dress to order and producing only within Europe, we’re also developing something called "Pre éve" which will be our own second hand platform. There, women can choose to resell their éve gown through us after their wedding or prom.

Does your Öland studio also create opportunities for clients in big cities, in terms of shorter waiting times or better personal contact?

Absolutely. We welcome clients from all over Sweden. Our vision with Calmius éve is to be just as personal digitally as we are in a physical boutique, whether a client comes to our studio in Färjestaden on Öland or books an online meeting, they’ll receive the same personal service and guidance, that is a big part of our business concept. You will fully understand what we mean once the digital fitting room is up and running but even now clients can get in touch. We’re currently looking for pilot clients, brides getting married in the fall or sometime next year, who want their own couture gown at a reduced price, since we’re still in the development phase.

Is there anything new that you're really excited to launch next?

We’re working on evening gowns that will be ready early this summer. For this first year we’re focusing on silk dresses.