Fat Chat: The House Of Boing

Name: Sandra Bamminger
Age: ?
Occupation: Designer
Web links: http://www.houseofboing.com/ / http://www.sandrabamminger.com/

Hi Sandra, the label has been around for nearly 9 years now….how did the journey begin?

Well actually i originally came to this country just to stay for one year.. to do a Foundation in Art & Design. However I really liked the feel of the art world, found myself passionate about creating wearable sculptures, applied to Central Saint Martins College, got accepted and as you’d say the rest is history.

I love the design concept and your brand definetely stands out from the crowd! Where do you draw your inspiration from?

Originally most of them were a response to reading up on black & white Art books on kinetic art from the 70s… As I got really disappointed that most of the Artists by the time of reading (around 2000) decided to incorporate elements into my clothes range. To me those ideas just captured everything about futurism and how the future should look like to me.
These days I still get inspired by sculptures but just as much by ancient craft techniques new to me, ready to be re-interpreted. Recently I have also got really excited by print again and I am off on a venture of turning holiday pics into psychedelic black and white op art screenprints.

You use a varied range of materials in your work, from silk & hand-made embroidery & to knit & crochet. What’s your favourite material to work with?

Usually its whatever material that gets me the effect I am after. I remain quite open to everything I haven’t done before, so one year i may do lots of traditional crochet while the next I am lusting after heavily printed smart fabrics, while all along i use crazy hatmaking materials to create sculptural shapes.

Theres some amazing design elements that defy the laws of gravity!…their almost like works of art. Without revealing too many secrets what materials do you use to create the ‘boing’ effect?

Well, when I first started making bouncy dresses I faced a bit of a dilemma: Iwanted the shapes to be rigid and stand out by themselves, while still responding to the wearers and their movements while still being light enough to be realistically wearable. So via lamp design and some lamp making, experimenting with casts made from plaster, metal, wood etc. I found that a combination of perspex rods and hat making fabrics that have stiffeners incorporated into them automatically make a good pairing. I am still reworking and updating this technique constantly.

I noticed that a majority of your items can be hired..what made you decide to offer this option?

I actually worked on a business model for the Princes Trust, plus I also sold lots of items to hire shops in Paris & New York. Especially in New York hiring out design items for special nights seems a well established way of getting the often young and hip but rather cash strapped potential wearers what they want. Perhaps the credit crunch will make it easier to finally import this practice over here too?

You have also branched out into millinery with your latest website including hat designs (sandrabamminger.com), has this always been a passion of yours?
Well as I had been exploring hatmaking fabrics for years without actuallyever placing them directly on the head I have finally managed to get roundto make a hat.

And finally we always like to end on a random note….jaffa cakes or digestive biscuits?
Ohh.. that depends on the day. I probably hardly ever would turn down either. However right now, I’d really fancy a digestive biscuit (perhaps them really posh ones with a caramel layer too!)

Thanks Sandra ! check out the website for the full range, you won't be dissapointed.... I loved it:)

Interview: Fusion