Hello! My name is Liene and I am from Latvia, Liepaja. I am 23 years old. I have just graduated fromLiepaja Design and Arts highschool in Clothing design speciality. In these four years I have masteredvarious techniques and also acquired valuable experience by taking part in several internships and bytaking part in International Young Fashion Designers Competition Habitus Baltija 2015 in Riga. One of theinternships was RIGA FASHION WEEK 2013 SPRING/SUMMER. For five days I had to help designers inbackstage and carry out all preparation work before RIGA FASHION WEEK. It gave me a broader look onthe process of organizing such an event as well as how designers prepare for it. The most interesting isthat by being an intern I thought to myself that I too wish to achieve the moment when I could take partin a similar event as a designer with my own fashion show. It was not even two years when I actuallycould slip into the role of those designers by taking part in Habitus Baltija 2015 young fashion designerscompetition with my own men’s clothing collection. I have also been in internships outside the borders ofLatvia. It was a two week internship in Glasgow Kelvin College. There I learned to sew Victorian corsets. A young man who told about his experience with learning the techniques of corsete making and his ownapproach in designing them was truly inspiring for me. It also was a wonderful experience to be in a different environment, school and culture. In my free time I could explore Glasgow city, and it felt likehome. I am one of those people who can easily adapt to any place and environment and be comfortable, even more if there are friendly and welcoming people around. I am very fond of fashion and in the futureI would like to open my own showroom store.I personally like clothes with their own character, that aredifferent than others and I set no rules. My clothing is like a show and arts. Every year I try to attend theLMA (Latvian Academy of Arts) fashion show, because there is always something very interesting, uniqueand something I would like to wear when going out. That way I feel like I can highlight my personality. I also follow the latest trends out side of Latvia. The first show that comes to mind is MARCOMARCO fashion shows – really crazy and without any rules!

I am making unisex clothing. Every piece from my collection suits both men and women. I usually makeeach piece of clothing in one copy only to make the wearer feel more original and as if the piece ofclothing was made especially for him/her. For each collection I like to unify the esthetic and artistic use. Each collection is a chalange for me, because rather than drawing out the sketch , I tend to make thelooks up In my mind and proceed to creating them. The idea becomes clear when I get my hands on thematerials and colours. I usualy create some acessories along with the suit, for example a hat or a mask.

In my portfolio you can see my works from school, which consist of both men and female clothes, but mylatest collection is the one that consists of the unisex clothing. I want to participate in this contest, because I think it would be a great step for my growth and I could get my target audience to see mycollections outside of Latvia too. This is the moment when I feel that i'm really close to my dream andthat will become a reality real soon.