CURRICULUM VITAE ANN-SOFIE BACK
Ann-Sofie Back
Born 12th June 1971, Stockholm, Sweden
Fjällgatan 16E
Stockholm 116 28
Sweden
[email protected]
+46735950535
Designer history
What is unique with the brand BACK today is its ability to be both
mainstream and underground at the same time. This is a unique position and
not an option available to a lot of designers. The reason for this lies in
the history of the brand, with Ann-Sofie being exhibited at the ICA and the
Venice Biennale early in her career. For years her design was considered
too conceptual. Today this has changed.
- Julie Cirelli, Contributor Magazine 06 (this interview
first appeared in S magazine in 2011).
BACK dresses a woman that dresses for herself and her peers, not a man,
the clothes are never objectifying. To appreciate BACK you need guts,
which a lot of women have these days. The style has its roots in the
Scandinavian aesthetics in the sense that it is slightly androgynous,
never bourgeois, history-less and therefore more free.
Back has always designed for a real woman, not someone you put on pedestal
or a fantasy.
To begin with fashion was a means to escape from the dull suburb of
Stenhamra just outside Stockholm. Ann-Sofie early on used fashion as a
disguise, to present an idealised version to the world financed by working
nights in a hotdog stand. This experience has shaped her view on fashion,
and still does.
- Ann-sofie Back, Contributor Magazine 06 (this interview
first appeared in Fashion Theroy, Volume II, Issue 4).
Back looks for inspiration in the familiar, social phenomena she doesn’t
agree with or understand. Her ongoing investigation of fashion and
identity has taken her through porn, how exceptionally unshocking the
imagery is and how the porn-look is trickling down to mainstream fashion,
the “pornification” of society.
- Maria Ben Saad, Contributor Magazine 06.
She also looked at celebrity culture, the violent hatred the press show
for the women they hound, it is far fiercer than in the porn industry.
The collection of AW10 was inspired by the aesthetics of clothes in
computer games, she created her own avatar to her own likeness in the
online community 2nd Life and was intrigued by how, when people are able
to completely go crazy with their appearance, most people choose to make
their avatars look like soap opera contestants.
One season when she felt particularly lost for ideas she choose to
pretend to go on an inspiration trip, like “proper” designers do. She
went to the U.S.A and ended up looking at the American stereotypes always
appearing in horror films, “horror stereotypes”.
Ann-Sofie Back graduated from an MA in women’s wear fashion at Central
St Martin’s in 1998. The graduate collection was snapped up by Nicola
Formichetti, then buyer at the Pineal Eye and Back’s work was soon
featured in magazines like Dazed & Confused, Purple (shot by Richard
Prince and Juergen Teller) and Visionaire.
To begin with the collection was financed by her work for Acne as well as
various styling assignments, including the Miu Miu campaign, Self Service
and Purple. The first Ann-Sofie Back RTW collection was shown in Paris in
October 2001 at the Purple Institute. The collection was sold at, for
example, Midwest Tokyo, The Pineal Eye London, Walters Window Wonder
Antwerp, Seven NYC New York, Park Vienna and Point de Suspension Tokyo.
- Anders Edström, photographer, Contributor Magazine 06.
The diffusion line BACK was launched in 2005 and soon took over most of
the sales. By this time the collection was sold at Selfridges, Browns
Focus (London), Nordiska Kompaniet and Åhlens (Sweden) among others.
In 2009 Ann-Sofie moved back to Stockholm after twelve years in London.
Today the company is owned and run together with business partner Jennie
Rosén, has five employees and eighty stockists worldwide. Ann-Sofie divides
her time between her role as Creative Director at Cheap Monday and her
work at BACK. Today the collection is sold at Sprmrkt (Amsterdam),
Opening Ceremony (New York, Tokyo, London and Los Angeles), Daily
Projects (Seoul), Asos (U.K online), Nordiska Kompaniet (Stockholm),
Weekday (Copenhagen, Aarhus, Aalborg, Odense, Bergen, Hamburg,
Gothenburg, Malmö, Stockholm, Oslo, Berlin, Amsterdam, Helsinki, Cologne,
Trondheim and Osaka). Zalando (Germany online) and Liger Store (Hong
Kong) among others.
The brands biggest potential is in Asia and the US but the quickest
growing market is online.
The board of directors at BACK are Margaretha van den Bosch former head
of design at H&M, Katrin Linhard founder of online empire Nelly and
Jesper Kouthoofd co founder of Acne.
Back’s design is currently available on fifteen markets and has been
worn by Rihanna, Robyn, Icona Pop, Björk, Bat for Lashes, Titiyo, Neneh
Cherry, Ellie Goulding, Chloe Sevigny, Pixie Geldof, Kate Moss, Lade Gaga
and even Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden.
Post graduate qualifications
1997-1998 MA Women’s wear fashion, Central St Martin’s College of Art and
Design, London.
Other qualifications
1993-1996 BA Fashion design, Beckmans College of Design, Stockholm.
1993 Basic patternmaking, Tillskärarakademin, Stockholm.
1993 Foundation course fashion design, Beckmans College of Design,
Stockholm.
1991-1992 Foundation art course, Konstskolan i Stockholm, Stockholm.
Employments
2013 graduate tutor graduate project MA Fashion Design, Textilhögskolan,
Borås
2009 (to present day) creative director Cheap Monday, Stockholm.
2005 (to present day) graduate tutor BA Fashion Design, Beckmans College
of Design, Stockholm.
2005 (to present day) designer at own brand BACK, Stockholm.
- Julie Cirelli, Contributor Magazine 06 (This interview
first appeared in S magazine in 2011).
2010-2013 designer at own brand Ann-Sofie Back Atelje, Stockholm.
2001-20010 designer at own brand Ann-Sofie Back, London.
2008 guest tutor MA women’s wear fashion, Central St Martin’s College of
Art and Design, London.
2002-2004 guest tutor and graduate tutor, Ravensbourne College of Design
and Communication.
1999-2001 women’s wear designer, Acne, Stockholm.
1998-1999 women’s wear designer assistant Joe Casely-Hayford, London.
1993-1996 print designer H&M, Stockholm. Part time during studies.
Exhibitions
2014 Svenskt mode: 2000-2015, Sven-Harrys Konstmuseum, Stockholm.
Opening May 2014.
2013 Ränder, rytm, riktning, Nordiska Museet, Stockholm.
2011 Arnhem Mode Biennale, Arnhem.
2011 Moment – Ynglingagatan 1, Moderna Museet, Stockholm.
2008-2010 Swedish fashion – Exploring a new Identity, Fashion and Textile
Museum London, Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo, River South Art Center
Shanghai, White Box Art Museum Beijing.
2005 Textilsommar, Virserums Konsthall, Virserum.
2004 Pret-a-protester, Nordiska Museet, Stockholm.
2005 På modet – ny svensk kläddesign, Dunkers Kulturhus, Helsingborg.
2003 ReShape, Venice Biennale, Venice.
2002 Modes a Suivre, Musée Galliera, Musée de la Mode de la Ville de
Paris, Paris.
2002 Fashion Documenta, Palais du Tokio, Paris.
1999 Stealing Beauty, Institute of Contemporary Art, London.
- Maria Ben Saad, senior fashion lecturer at
Beckman’s College of Design, Contributor Magazine 06.
Publications and documentaries:
2014 “Encens book”, designer portrait, will be published this year by
Weekday and Encens.
2014 “Koka mode”, by April Wickström, yet to be published.
2013 (to present day) “K Special”, a designer portrait of Ann-Sofie Back
for Swedish National Television to be aired autumn 2014.
2012 Contributor magazine “All hail the Queen” an issue solely dedicated
to the works of Ann-Sofie Back. Edited by Maria Ben Saad.
2012 “Modebibeln – den svenska” by Karina Ericsson Wärn, Bonnier Fakta.
2011 Det svenska modeundret by Karin Falk, Norstedts.
2010 “The cabinet that is a narrative”, a bookcase designed by Jonas
Bohlin with books by Lennart Nilsson, No stress advertising.
2009 “After a fashion” by Elisabeth Roberts, Ammonite Press.
2008 “Modedesign – samtal med” by Lotta Lundstedt & Lars Hallnäs, Centrum
för textil forskning.
2007 “Young European fashion designers” by Christine Bierhals, DAAB.
2005 “Sample – 100 Fashion designers – 10 Curators” by Tim Blanks, Harriet
Quick, Patricia Carta, Alexander McQueen, Arianne Phillips, Walter van
Beirendonck, Brana Wolf, Kyoichi Tsuzuki, Ulrich Lehmann & Stephen Todd,
Phaidon.
2005 “Fashion now 2” by Terry Jones & Susie Rushton, Tashen.
2004 “BACK a film about Ann-Sofie Back and fashion” a documentary by Göran
Olsson and senior lecturer in fashion communication Maria Ben Saad made
for Swedish National Television.
2004 “Svensk konst nu” by Sophie Allgårdh & Estelle af Malmborg, Wahlström
Widstrand.
2001 “Visionaire’s fashion 2001 – Designers of the new avantgarde” by
Stephen Gahn and Alix Browne, Laurence King Publishing.
- Cathy Edwards, fasion editor Dazed & Confused, Contributor
Magazine 06 (this quote is taken from “BACK a film about AnnSofie Back and fashion” 2004).
Miscellaneous
2013 “Hall of Femmes Design Talk”, Moderna museet, Stockholm. Participants
included: Ann-Sofie Back, Barbara Kruger, Ruth Ansel, Penny Martin, Janet
Froelich and Cindy Gallop.
2010 own label capsule collection for the Topshop collaborations.
2008 own label capsule collection for the Topshop designer collaborations.
2008 collaboration with Fred Perry, designed two capsule collections.
2006 own label capsule collection for the Topshop designer collaborations.
2001 stylist Miu Miu Campaign.
1998-2002 contributing fashion editor and stylist Self Service Magazine.
1998-2004 contributing fashion editor and stylist Dazed & Confused
Magazine.
1998-2004 stylist Purple, Dune and Doing Bird.
Awards:
2013 designer of the year Swedish Elle awards, Stockholm.
2010 Topshop new generation award for the AW10 collection.
2009 Topshop new Generation awards for SS09 and AW09 collections.
2008 Topshop new generation award for SS08 and AW08 collections.
2007 Topshop new generation award for SS07 and AW07 collections.
2007 designer of the year Damernas värld magazine.
2007 Swiss textiles award runner up, Zurich.
2006 Topshop new generation award for SS06 and AW06 collections.
2004 designer of the year Swedish Elle awards, Stockholm.
2000 designer of the year, designs for Acne, Swedish Elle awards,
Stockholm.
1998 best newcomer, Swedish Elle awards.
For image archive of all past collections from Ann-Sofie Back, BACK and
Ann-Sofie Back Atelje:
www.annsofieback.com
For image archive of all past Cheap Monday collections:
www.cheapmonday.com
- Adam Lezzi, Fashion PR, Contributor
Magazine 06 (this quote is taken from
“BACK a film about Ann-Sofie Back and
fashion” 2004).
- Dr. Philip Warkander, Contributor Magazine 06.
- Dr. Philip Warkander, Contributor Magazine 06.
- Dr. Mathilda Tham, fashion and sustainability
expert, Contributor Magazine 06.
- Maria Ben Saad, Senior fashion lecturer at
Beckman’s College of Design, Contributor Magazine 06.
- Julie Cirelli, Contributor Magazine 06 (this interview
first appeared in S magazine in 2011).
- Lauren Cochrane, Contributor Magazine 06 (this
quote is taken from a text written by Lauren
Cochrane in I-D magazine from 2006).