Q&A : Lina Osterman Creative Director Pudel

London based Swedish label Pudel is the brainchild of Founder & Creative Director Lina Osterman. Lina Osterman's cuts are flattering on both men and women in line with the current androgynous mood sweeping mens fashion and style. I had the chance to ask her a few questions about the brand and her new namesake label.

At what point did you realize that fashion design was the career path you wanted to follow?

I've always wanted to express my creativity somehow and I had a big interest in clothing when I was younger.

Why did you decide to study in London as opposed to say Paris, Milan or New York?

I moved away from home at 17 to study a fashion high school in north Sweden, I met a girl there who was studying in London. I had never been there but applied and got in. You worked with Jens Laugesen for sometime and designed knitwear collections, in what ways do you feel the experience has impacted your growth and maturity as a designer creatively?

The work with Jens was great, he is a very talented designer. I first assisted his knitwear designer (Imken) and she thought me a lot of things. When she left Jens & I continued to do the handknit which was a great opportunity for me.

I notice you use a lot of knits in your collections, is this influenced by your previous work under Jens and also your cultural roots?

I am very interested in knitwear. It was also my pathway at Central Saint Martins.

Your new namesake label Lina Osterman, why did you decide to create it and what are the ethos and goals of the label?

When I began to design Pudel I was still studying at St Martins and when we had the collaboration with TOPSHOP in 2005 I decided to take a break from school. Therefore I graduated last year (2008), so my first Lina Osterman collection was my graduate collection. I got a lot of attention from buyers so I decided to start another company where I can express all my creativity.