In Conversation with Stine Goya

Emma Bowkett

Writer and expert / Posted on

Stine Goya has well and truly earned her place among our favourite Scandinavian fashion designers. With her SS20 runway show bursting with bright bold beautiful looks, Stine’s sartorial quirk has quickly brought her designs to the attention fashion’s most influential, including Lucy Williams, Jeanette Madsen and Babba Rivera to name a few. Cleverly combining the traditional Scandi aesthetic with stand out colours, Stine’s collection’s boast mixed prints, textures, pops of colour and feminine details. To find out a bit more about the brand, we sat down with Stine to talk everything from career highlights to sustainability in fashion.

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#GOYAPEOPLE AT OUR #HOUSEOFGOYA SHOW @gxiayan in the Maca dress Shop via link in bio #stinegoya #goyamelody #cphfw 📸@thestylestalkercom

A post shared by STINE GOYA (@stinegoyastudio) on Aug 12, 2019 at 11:57pm PDT

#1 You’ve had a plethora of careers in the fashion industry form modelling to fashion editor, can you tell us your top career highlights?

It’s really been a privilege to be able to work across so many areas in the fashion industry, I have been incredibly lucky to have built my career in this way. I think one of my biggest career highlights has got to be winning the Elle Style Awards both in 2017 & 2019 – it is such an incredible feeling to be acknowledge by your peers in this way, and I’m deeply grateful for the support and community within Denmark. Another recent one, would be Michelle Obama wearing custom Stine Goya as part of her European tour. It was a massive game changer for us – and a moment where I really felt that the years of work and development had led to this precise moment.

#2 Who or what do you look to for inspiration for Stine Goya collections?

The inspiration behind each collection is always quite varied. It can be a film, a particular phrase, or a painting that starts the conversation and leads into something much bigger. For our AW19 collection we were inspired by American writer Truman Capote, his world, his muses and his aesthetic. We looked at his lifestyle and friends – affectionately names The Swans – and created a Stine Goya universe within which our customers could explore their individual styles through print and strong feminine pieces.

#3 Talk us through your average day?

One of my favourite things about being a designer is the fact that no days are the same. I love to be involved not only in design but in the decision making process across all teams – so a lot of my time is spent with department heads discussing strategy and upcoming projects. From fittings to sales feedback – shoots to press interviews – it’s busy but critical to keeping the company growing.

#4 Are there any stand out AW19 trends that you’ll be adopting?

Naturally, I’m an advocate for strong colours – and from the collections I’ve seen, there is a real movement to present bold looks in direct contrast to the minimal palettes that have been the talk of the town for many seasons now. Strong suiting is also something I love to invest in. I love the juxtaposition of structural looks against my softer more feminine pieces.

#5 What’s your favourite piece from the new collection?

Honestly, choosing my favourite piece is like being force to choose a favourite child – it’s impossible! I think our SS20 House of Goya Collection was super special – as it was a moment where we really pushed the boundaries of our design process. If I had to choose – I would say the finale dress – the Ina Gown is perhaps my favourite. It’s one of our Sustainable Showpieces – printed 100% without water-use on organic cotton with hand embroidered recycled PET sequin. For me it shows how far Stine Goya is pushing our customer’s understanding of what sustainable fashion can be.

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SS20 #HOUSEOFGOYA SERVING LOOKS 7/34 Gia top & Joselyn shorts 8/34 Chloris dress 9/34 Sustainable showpiece Lindy 10/34 Coco dress 11/34 Sustainable showpiece Brianna #stinegoya #SS20 #cphfw 📸@jamescochranephoto

A post shared by STINE GOYA (@stinegoyastudio) on Aug 9, 2019 at 2:07am PDT

#6 How do you see the Stine Goya label evolving?

Core to our brand DNA are our hand-painted prints and bold colour palette – as the brand continues to evolve and grow – we will push this process further. We are in such a good position of growth at present but it is important to me to not lose this part of our story.

#7 You’ve designed an AW19 sustainable capsule collection, how much of a focus is sustainability for the brand?

Sustainability is a huge focus for the brand going forward. In line with our AW19 Sustainable Capsule launching we published our Sustainable Policy and Goals from 2019 to 2025 focusing on 3 areas of opportunity PRODUCT, PLANET, PEOPLE. It’s really important to me to make this a priority for my business, be transparent in our shortcomings and our achievements and educate our customers to the opportunities within this area. We want to show that becoming a sustainable brand is a process – but a fun and empowering endeavour.

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Get down to business in the sequin-embellished suit from our AW19 Sustainable Capsule Shop the look via #netsustain on @netaporter #stinegoya #goyacycle #netaporter 📸@jettejors

A post shared by STINE GOYA (@stinegoyastudio) on Sep 10, 2019 at 1:53am PDT

#8 Where is your go-to summer getaway destination?

Being born & raised in Denmark – I definitely cherish travelling towards the sun. I recently spent 3 weeks in Mexico, near Tulum with my family which was beyond amazing moving between the tropical forest and beach. Also, as part of my design process I often travel to Milan for Salone de Mobile – it’s such a rich experience I hate to miss it.

#9 What’s your favourite spot for dinner in Copenhagen?

Lumskebugten is a consistent favourite of mine – locally sourced produce, all vegetarian with a classic Danish twist. Plus, it’s pretty close to our showroom & offices so I feel like I’m always there!