S6E09 Modular Color with Sofia Ilmonen

This first autumn podcast episode features Finnish fashion designer Sofia Ilmonen, who discusses her approach to creating modular, transformable garments that can be reshaped and reassembled like building blocks. Ilmonen details how her use of simple square or rectangular modules contributes to her sustainability goals. She also explains her focus on "sizeless" garments aiming to increase longevity by addressing the poor fit, which she identifies as one of the biggest reasons for discarding clothing. 

Sofia Ilmonen is a fashion designer whose work centres on modular, transformable clothing that merges sustainability with innovative garment design. At the core of her concept is adaptability — both in silhouette and size — with the aim of promoting a more responsible and inclusive fashion culture. The modular approach extends garment lifespans by allowing pieces to be reassembled and reshaped endlessly.

All garments are built from square-shaped modules, a form that not only follows zero-waste cutting principles but also embodies the idea of continuous design. Each module is compatible with any part of a garment and is joined using a unique system of specially designed 3D-printed buttons. This enables infinite transformations without sewing and makes the garments sizeless, adaptable to many body shapes and styles.

Sofia’s work has been presented in international exhibitions and featured in publications such as British and Scandinavian Vogue. Her Aalto University thesis was recognized with the Marimekko Award and the Finnish Textile and Fashion Prize, and she received the prestigious Mercedes-Benz Sustainability Prize at the Festival de Hyères. Her modular collections have also been showcased at Berlin and Copenhagen Fashion Weeks.

Before founding her own label, Sofia worked extensively in London in roles ranging from seamstress and creative pattern cutter to designer. Her three years at Alexander McQueen, immersed in the world of high fashion and craftsmanship, left a profound influence on her design philosophy and continue to shape her practice today.

Transcript

Judith van Vliet: Welcome back. After this wonderful summer, at least I hope you had a wonderful summer. Welcome back to the Color Authority. And we're going to start this season with a finished fashion designer. Sophia Ilmonen is a fashion designer dedicated to creating modular, transformal garments. Her work invites new ways of experiencing clothing and pieces that can be reshaped and reassembled like building blocks, offering endless possibilities. At the heart of her practice is a conscious response to the short lifespan of garments. Blending creativity with responsibility, Sophia's quietly charting a fresh path in fashion where imagination and of course, sustainability meet. Good afternoon, Sophia. I'm happy to be back after the summer and happy to be talking to you always in Helsinki. How are you?

Sofia Ilmonen: I'm good, thank you. Very well. Weather is lovely. It's. It's becoming kind of like autumn season here. Yeah. Nature is changing, but it's still lovely and sunshine at least today. So, yeah, feeling really, really good.

Judith van Vliet: I think it's a lucky thing for us, we have seasons. I think seasons also is so inspirational for when you're a designer because if you live in a constant climate, also the colors just around you change less, doesn't it? I mean, it is very inspirational.

Sofia Ilmonen: That is true. Yeah. And definitely like here in Finland, like there are four seasons, especially on north of Finland, so the colors change completely. Obviously winter is different to summer, but also now like autumn colors that they are beautiful. So really looking forward to going into this. And also I feel like autumn is also. Because in here the school starts like. Yeah, like beginning of, of August. So it feels like a new, new season or new start for even. For me, even, even not going to school anymore. But. So there's something, something in the air.

Judith van Vliet: Yeah. A lot of people say spring is like a new start and refreshing. But actually autumn is as well, like it's, you know, some, some people, it's, I think, I guess it's a positive twist that you give to it because a lot of people miss summer when it's gone.

Sofia Ilmonen: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Judith van Vliet: So you've, you've obviously born and raised in Finland. So there's, I mean we've, I even had many discussions about the terms about what does Nordic mean and what does scandi mean, which countries are included and which ones are not. Because we all tend to think that when you talk about Scandinavia, we all Nordic countries are included. I found out that's not the case. But also when we think about generally, let's say design coming also from, from your northern part of Europe, it's really minimalism that we think about. But your pieces are anything but minimalistic. They're very dreamy, fantasy, like volume. They literally are like this dream, dream coming through, I think for, for many women. But so how, how's that? And loads of color as well normally. Also when we look up the northern colors, they' extremely colorful. So what, what is your main inspiration when you look at your, your designs and how you become inspired?

Sofia Ilmonen: Yeah, yeah, I know my, my designs are far from minimalistic, but I love playing with the kind of like the volume and the silhouettes and the detailing. And I've been also thinking, like, where does it come from? But when. When you said about this, like the dreamy, dreamy looks and dreamy designs, maybe. I grew up in North. I didn't necessarily have designers that I knew, so I lived their design dream through, through magazines and whenever I got my hands on, on any like, international magazines like Vogue, that was kind of like I was dreaming of that. So could that be. I haven't really thought about this, but could, could that be one reason that I'm now living that kind of reality? Reality that I've missed when I was younger, but also, I mean, I loved when I was a kid, I used to do. Do garments for, or Barbies and so on. So it was kind of like that, that was my, my way of, of, of making my designs into reality at that, at that time. But yeah, maybe it is like, what, where does the inspiration come from? It can be really small things. It can be, it can be a, a, it can be a color that inspires me. It can be a, A kind of like a story, something nostalgic from my, from my childhood. A small thing that then grows into a bigger theme. But also, I think for me, it's quite specific in this modular, transformable design that I do and that really keeps kind of inspiring me time after time. And I remember when I started kind of developing this concept and this idea, loads of people used to say to me, like, am I kind of limiting myself too much just working with square modules or rectangular forms? But what I have found out after five or six years, that, no, actually it kind of feeds me, inspires me. Like how different ways you can just use these simple shapes. Yeah. So that's, that's a constant inspiration for sure. Yeah.

Judith van Vliet: So talking about you being Nordic or your, your background, obviously being Finnish, you still live obviously in Finland. I know you travel a lot, obviously you do get the country, but it's. So you have influences from obviously a lot of places, but how do you think you were influenced in your work, being born in a large part of great darkness in the winter, especially if you were born in the north of Finland and then never ending summers and sun in, in the, in the summer period. Like how, how has that influenced also your, your design?

Sofia Ilmonen: Yeah, that is the contrast between the seasons. Yeah, maybe. Maybe it's again kind of like are you kind of like trying to get away from the darkness by creating these dream worlds or. Well, for me, I call it my modular universe and through that. But also, I mean I'm that person who loves winters and cold weather and snow, so I actually enjoy that as well. And then the summers and honestly the lights and like being constantly like lights, it's quite magical. And you every. After every winter you forget like, oh my goodness, has it been always so light? Like where does it, where does it come from? And it's always a surprise and it's almost like a joke that everyone keeps saying this year after year. But yeah, I love, love how you can feel the different seasons that it changes it kind of like rhythms your even like your year.

Judith van Vliet: What is color to you personally? So besides you looking at it in, in your work, of course, but what is it to you looking at indeed the darkness and the light of, of what literally your life is every year?

Sofia Ilmonen: Yeah, colors, I, I think they are so powerful. Like. Yeah, it can be, it can be kind of like a mood, it can be a certain type of energy. And I think colors, they definitely have the kind of like ability to kind of like sp. Shift how you yourself even kind of live in the world or how I can shift your mood or like even the people around you, how, how, how they see you, it kind of like, you know, it can be both soft and hard or joyful or, or like, you know, a bit moody. But like, if I'm thinking about my, my design work, it's. It's definitely not like a, almost like a decoration. It's definitely part of the story.

Judith van Vliet: Yeah, no, I think color is always part of a story. Like nobody just slaps a color onto something. Well, I think that's actually still happening and I think that's people that probably need a bit of advice. Do you think that your color play because your colors are very bright most of the time? I mean, obviously there's also some neutrals and some blacks in your work. Do you think that is indeed due to you growing up in, in the country where, yes, there is color, but it's either. There's hardly any vibrant colors due to obviously the seasons?

Sofia Ilmonen: That is a good question. So, like I said, I've never maybe thought about it that way. It just. It kind of like, came quite naturally for me to choose these colors that I'm using. And really, I don't know, it kind of like. Like I said, it's almost like its own character on. On the garment when it has a. But funnily enough, now, like, the recent collection that I've done, I've. I've used white, gray, beige, and black. So I. I think I had some sort of, like. I don't know what it is, but, like, I. Maybe I needed. Needed to step back from the bright colors for the. For the. The recent collection.

Judith van Vliet: Yeah, that could be. I think also when. So I always teach my clients, when you work a lot with saturated colors, obviously at a certain point, it can get quite. It can get tiresome. So sometimes you just need, again, like, this blank canvas, something that's more tranquil and more calming. And that's the same with you. You're probably going through a period where you need colors that are a bit more down. Down to earth, probably. It's funny.

Sofia Ilmonen: Yeah. Yeah. I think that that's what it is. And now already thinking about the next collection, I have, like, loads of ideas that I want to use. Includes some brighter colors.

Judith van Vliet: Happy to hear about that.

Sofia Ilmonen: Yes.

Judith van Vliet: You've. I mean, you've had quite the journey. You've. You've been all over the place. Of course, you've. You've. You've had your own collection of release since a while, but you've had a lot of experience at brands like Alexander McQueen. And this all. Obviously, it's. It's a part of who you are, of course, and who you are as a designer. But can you talk a little bit how this experience in Alexander in London let you to your own creations? And also, what are pieces that you took with you? And were there others that you were like, I'm leaving that behind. This is not something I want to deal with in my own brand.

Sofia Ilmonen: Yeah. I think especially working at McQueen, it was that mentality that when you need to achieve a certain kind of, like, look, detail, silhouette, whatever it was, it doesn't matter whether it takes an hour or weeks or two weeks or. Or a month. You just, like, you do that to achieve that beautiful final finish and that kind of appreciation for craftsmanship. Yeah. And determination to creating beautiful, like, handcrafted garments. That was just amazing there. And I have to say, I worked alongside people who have worked in the atelier for decades, so I learned so much from them, like technical Knowledge and also of knowledge within, within that field. So I feel really privileged that I had that experience. And yeah, I think some of the kind of like techniques that I maybe use there, like auto two techniques you can definitely see in my work. And also I think that some sort of, I'm not comparing myself to McQueen at all but that kind of like mentality that things can take a longer time and that still like, you know, it's okay. Although in this type of like maybe in market place where everything needs to be quick and cheap almost or affordable, you can still create beautiful things and that's valuable. Yeah, so that's definitely something that my mind had shifted towards. But then when working for a bigger business fashion house, you are one worker in a bigger team and obviously then you might not have the opportunity to affect things or have much decision power in those bigger companies. So then maybe that's something that I now got to or have to do all the decisions myself. So. But that was something that I was kind of like, you know, if I had an idea it would have been great to share. But obviously I understood that it's, it's a, it takes a while and it's a longer process and also. Yeah. How many seasons? There's like four, four different collections a year that those like bigger companies does and that is just a lot. And that kind of like fast paced world even in a higher fashion fashion houses. I've definitely something that I've left behind and I'm concentrating only one, one collection a year. So so definitely trying to slow it down.

Judith van Vliet: Yeah, a little bit more of slow fashion instead of fast fashion. I think also when you buy one of your pieces you're going to keep it for the rest of your life because it's so particular. It is really for you know, it is like a piece that you wear, you know, also special occasions and stuff like that. So I don't think it's something that you just buy and then again, again, again it's like it's your, it could be your, your personality piece, right. The piece that you wear on important moments. And I think that's different than obviously what fast fashion is doing.

Sofia Ilmonen: Yeah, yeah, no, absolutely. And then yeah, one part of the, the concept is that yeah, they are transformable and I, and I really mean that. So that basically the modular structure that I've developed allows you to change, let's say if you have a full module top, you can actually change them into four module trousers. So from a top or like long sleeve shirt into trousers, that is possible. So and I mean that's just like couple options for those amount of modules. It can be, it can be many, many more. So literally, you know, it's the circulation of the garment. You still have the same building blocks, but the silhouette can be different.

Judith van Vliet: Yeah, so I've done. So I do a lot of trends for companies and obviously anybody who's looking into what's happening in interior world, in architecture. And then we always talk about modular furniture, you know, housing, adaptability, multi generational living, because so everything has to be modular. But it's the first time I heard about modular design. So it's the first time I heard about what you do, which is modular design. You have the squares and the rectangulars as you said, and you can completely adapt them. But how can someone. Can you explain a little bit more in depth and how can somebody adapt them? Like I would already see myself with one of your pieces and not know where to start. So I mean.

Sofia Ilmonen: Yeah, yeah, I mean it doesn't happen like in. It takes like a couple of hours to change the silhouettes. And at the moment I actually offer this transformation service so you can send your garment back, choose another style, and then I create that for you. Or we create it in here at our studio for the future. Yeah, I'm planning to do this like kits or like instructions how you can actually change the garments yourself. It is actually so you don't need sewing machine to do any of the changes. So I basically have these two headed buttons that doesn't need sewing, but you actually loop them through the structure. That's how it happens. So yeah, no sewing machine is needed. It's the buttons who does the magic. But there's also these cords that goes into the structure so then you can gather the garments into different shapes and that kind of gives you then the size kind of adaptability. So my garments are actually like one size garments or actually I like sizeless term better.

Judith van Vliet: Yeah, sizeless garments. Well, they've got, I mean, I think a lot of shops sell this, you know, it's one size only. And I'm like, no, it's not, because I don't fit in it. So it's not one size. Stop saying it's only one size. And you only did one size because I don't fit, you know, because I'm, I'm very tall and you know, a bit bigger than I guess the, the average, particularly Spanish woman. But it's. So you do size less. It sounds so much.

Sofia Ilmonen: Yeah, yeah, I, I think exactly that, that if you say like Almost the. The phrase that one size fits all that. That doesn't necessarily happen. And I. I don't want to kind of like say that to my garments either, but there are definitely loads of. Loads of ways is that you can adjust the garment, actually. Yeah, like. Like, proportion wise, like, we are all different heights, so. So the skirt part can be in different places in dresses and so on. So there are. There are lots of things that can be adapted and adjusted on these garments.

Judith van Vliet: Yeah. And that's why you have the volume, of course, because if you have more volume and then you can. With the cords, you can make it, you know, a little bit bigger, a little bit tighter. I think it's a very interesting, very interesting concept. Hence you obviously. Well, you're technically here because we have a friend in common, obviously, Susanna. Susanna Bjlund, who was wearing one of your creations. And I obviously, I had to wear it when I was in Stockholm. And then obviously, like, who is this girl who designs these pieces? And then here we are, see.

Sofia Ilmonen: Brilliant. Yeah.

Judith van Vliet: So zero ways is a goal, obviously, for many brands. I think zero waste is like, it's super, super, super tough. I think it's even tougher for the fashion industry unless you're obviously doing everything in 3D printing. But even with 3D printing, there's some waste. What are solutions that, for example, your fashion items bring to this table that are tapping into this whole concept of also zero waste and circularity?

Sofia Ilmonen: Yeah, well, because they are square pieces or rectangular shapes, they quite nicely fit into the width of their fabric, so there's hardly any waste when making the garments.

Judith van Vliet: So.

Sofia Ilmonen: So in that way, material waste, it's almost zero. And also because of the. They're kind of like all the pieces are built with using just the same kind of, like, modules, although I do have four different types. But basically I can have just a stack of modules, and then when there is a order, I can make, make the garment, whatever is ordered into that silhouette from those modules that I have stacked. So they are never kind of going to waste or they are kind of discarded because they are the wrong size or wrong silhouette or wrong style. So that's working really well in that way as well. And also, I mean, even collections, when I do collections, I have been cooperating old modules or, like, the old styles, but then reassembling them into new silhouettes. So I even kind of like recycle, cycle or circulate the kind of old. I don't want to say old, but the modules from the previous collections into the new. Just because it's always like yeah, telling a story and how to tell it in different ways. So it's so much about the silhouette. So those even circulate as well.

Judith van Vliet: I think that's an important point that is recurring every conversation. Again, we need to step away from thinking that new needs to be new. Innovation can also be something that you already have existing. It's on the shelf, but it's just giving it a different twist or tweak. And that's what you're doing as well.

Sofia Ilmonen: You're.

Judith van Vliet: You do a lot of material research. Also. I think this is very much part obviously also of creating something that obviously is better for this world. How how is material part of your your creations? Because you work with multiple materials. So how do you weave this in into your your brand?

Sofia Ilmonen: Yeah, no, I, I actually I love their testing part and trying out different materials and especially because I do these, this, this modular structure, I always have to test it with that. Then how it trades how, how it behaves with with the structure. And would it actually then work in use or in what kind of garments? So so yeah that's definitely one big part of of of the of my work. And also because they are kind of like the pieces are meant to be transformed. I always need to think about like yeah how they're. How the piece or how the material looks on the, on the reverse side, for example, how how does it work if you twist it in in kind of like in an ankle and so on. So it's kind of like quite also like quite technical mindset when choosing the materials. But obviously then in the end it needs to be the aesthetic that then why. Why I choose choose a material and I've been quite lucky to do collaborations for example with Spinova. It's a Finnish technology where you can recycle cellulose based or like even like recycle cotton and viscose as well with a really minimal impact on the. On the environment. And yeah, we did actually kind of like two collections with them. So this like yeah experience was really nice to be on the kind of almost like frontline to use use the material and test it and then give feedback for them how it how does work on. On garments because that's where. Where they want to focus on on. On clothing materials. But also then actually I've I've done collaboration with Biocolor which uses natural color and, and test them and research them and they want to kind of well find out different aspects of. Of natural dyes, but especially on their kind of industrial level. How, how Natural dyes could be, be more kind of more usable in, in, in, in, in the industry. And then I mean that was, that was research on color but also in different materials, how the natural dyes work in, in different materials.

Judith van Vliet: Yeah. Have you, so you've done natural color dyes in one of your garments already and it's part of your collection.

Sofia Ilmonen: So actually they're, they're my, my Cratchit collection. I had a couple of two, two looks that were naturally dyed, really this bright pink or fuchsia color, but then also green. And I love doing natural dyeing and I would love to maybe have more of that, that in my collections. But maybe it's the fact that they are not that like colorfast just yet maybe. So that's maybe something that doesn't just yet go with the width. With my concept when I'm thinking about the longevity of garments, obviously you can always re dye them. But also there are already companies who sell ready naturally dyed materials and that's super exciting. So I'm definitely following that with close eye. And also there is this one Finnish company called Natural Indigo or Natural Indigo, I don't know if you've heard of them, but they are really pushing forward with, with the like industry level natural dyeing. And I think the latest one now is maybe their coffee crowns that they are using from cafes, taking the used coffee crowns and then turning that into dyes, which is again, I think that's brilliant and super exciting to kind of like see where that, where that goes.

Judith van Vliet: Yeah, I've also, when I was looking on your Instagram, I also saw that you created a dress that envisioned the protection of the Baltic Sea, which obviously is your sea for an award ceremony. What was that? And talk us a little bit about that experience of course, which obviously probably was amazing and the process that you went through.

Sofia Ilmonen: Yeah, yeah, that was actually. Yeah, that was an amazing experience. So this was last end of last year and there is this Finnish independence reception at the Presidential palace happening every year and people get invited and then those who don't get invited watch it on the telly. So we literally sit down at home in the sofas and watch when people walk in and they shake hands with the president. So that's the moment that you know, you see everyone who's coming in, you see how they are dressed and you see their dresses. So that's a big thing and it's a kind of like it mines people might sound bit silly, but it's a lovely kind of tradition and celebrational moment. So yeah. Annie Jarvidalo was invited to the reception. And she's a landscape architect. And in her work, it's really important for her to kind of advocate for Baltic Sea. It's super fragile. So then she wanted a garment that would kind of, like, highlight that. So then she loved my work as well. So then she was asking, like, whether there would be a possibility to just. To kind of like, incorporate somehow this idea of Baltic Sea and the production. And then there was. I started thinking about Julia Loughman, who is the head of department of Seaweed. She's the expert on seaweed. So she came along and we started to think, like, okay, we want to have the actual seaweed on the garment. But then also, like I mentioned about biocolors. So then we collaborated with them as well. So the garment was naturally dyed with red onion peels. So it had this lovely cream tone. And then also a seaweed, which was the similar tone, and that worked as a decoration on the track. And. Yeah, then, yeah, Annie wore that at the. At the reception. And, yeah, it was. It was. It was really special experience.

Judith van Vliet: Were you there or were you on the sofa watching?

Sofia Ilmonen: I was on the sofa watching. So I didn't get invitation. Maybe, hopefully, you know, hopefully one day, but. But not that time. But it was. It was. It was special in. In the way I feel like. Because there was kind of like this. This almost like research art and kind of like design aspects all coming together and. Yeah, and the dress looked beautiful on me as well. So that was good.

Judith van Vliet: No, I loved it. I loved it.

Sofia Ilmonen: Yeah.

Judith van Vliet: So this was obviously something that inherently, you selected colors that were obviously inspired by algae and then the specific algae, obviously, of the Baltic Sea. But how do you. If it started such a project, how do you select colors for your garment? Because very often they're mono color. But then obviously the jacket that I wore very shortly was multicolor. How do you come about your process?

Sofia Ilmonen: It's quite intuitive, I think, like, choosing the colors. It's about the. Maybe. Maybe it's about the story or the research that I kind of, like, have that at the moment that I want to reflect on the collection. So. So I wouldn't have one specific kind of, like, way. Way of doing that. But like I said at the beginning, like, color is so much about the mood. So then I want to choose the colors that kind of reflect that. But also, like, maybe when choosing materials, it's also the technical or more kind of like, maybe that. That side of the story. So, for example, what kind of colors are available for small Business like me, not every supplier are ready. Like, you know, their. Their minimum quantity orders are quite high. High for me. I never thought about that.

Judith van Vliet: That's true. I never thought about that. You can select whatever you want because you don't have big batches.

Sofia Ilmonen: Yeah. Yeah. So that's. Maybe sometimes that I. I might find a beautiful, beautiful fabric or beautiful color. But then, you know, if I can't buy hundreds of meters, then maybe, yeah, I can't. I can't obviously use that then. And then also, also maybe. So how the modular structure is, I have this loop tape sewn on top of the. The material, and that has certain colors on it. So then I have the color card on. On their available colors. So then when I want to do that matching, obviously that is kind of like do that, that picking, like what. What tape color works in what fabric colors. So it's kind of like matching those. And although they have wide range of colors, they don't have everything. So. So also that is kind of like something that is maybe, you know. Yeah, I can't choose all the. All the colors, but maybe the fact.

Judith van Vliet: That you can't pick everything, it also makes you more inventive.

Sofia Ilmonen: Well, this is as well, like, with the concept, I think again, it's almost like feeding my inspiration rather than kind of like restricting it. So I haven't found it such a bad kind of thing just yet. And if I want to, there's always the possibility to me to mix my own color. So when. When I come to that, when I've used all the options on the color card, then. Then I can start mixing, mixing my own colors. But I have to come back to that. That jacket that you wore. Wore the leather jacket. It's actually funny because those. Those leather squares, they used to be bags. I made them into like, folded bags, different kind of like handbags and clutch bags and so on. And I've had them seen my graduation collection, and they've been just waiting there. And then I thought, okay, this is beautiful, Beautiful, like reindeer leather. And they are just sitting there. And you know, the colors on that, they are really lovely as well. So I thought, okay, I only have one or maybe max two of the same module. Like, okay, what could I do with these? And I haven't really done multicolored things before because I've always felt like, okay, this is distracting me from there, from the silhouette. So it kind of like felt like when I'm doing this, this full layered silhouettes, I want the color to be just one. So I'm not, you know, it's not distracting from the actual shape. But for this jacket, again, when. When I had those just, like, one per color, I thought, okay, now is my chance to create. Try this multicolored jacket or garment. And I made it. I loved the style, but I wasn't still sure about the colorways. I had to had the jacket on a mannequin for, like, I think it was there for a week. And every morning I came to the studio, I was like, okay, I'm liking this more. And then in the end of the week, I was like, okay, this just. This is great. Like, why haven't I done this before? So it was kind of like, maybe a learning journey for me as well, that I've been so used to just using a singular color. So now expanding definitely towards multicolored pieces more.

Judith van Vliet: Yeah, I think that's a great lesson. A lot of people just say, okay, pick a color, and then that's it. That's done. No, it's very important that you come back to that color once, twice, just as many times as you need to be certain that that's. And I know in fast fashion, it's not like that, but at least when you do your home, for example, or when you buy a piece, it's really important. You need to look at it a little bit longer so you know how you feel. Because it's all about emotions, right?

Sofia Ilmonen: Yeah, yeah, absolutely.

Judith van Vliet: So when you look at color, obviously, a lot of what I hear, a lot of my industry right now. Oh, but color is applied, so it's not sustainable, because then in the recycling process, obviously, you can't really detach it. Also, if it's very bright, maybe people get tired of it, and then they, you know. So how do you see that color in the sustainable process? How. How do you deal with that in your daily work?

Sofia Ilmonen: No, that. That is a good question and definitely true. And have to say I haven't really found an answer to that yet, because although I try to kind of, like, do as well as I can in within, like, sustainability, obviously there, it's still. It's a. It's a process. And like I said about the natural materials, that the. Maybe the dye fastness isn't at its level, like with synthetic dyes just yet. And could you actually embrace that idea that they maybe fade more easily than taking it as almost like a bad thing, that the colors fade on natural dyes? So maybe that is something. Again, it's a process. And I still think in a way that creating clothes, it's still about in the end, why would you choose a garment, obviously you would feel appealed to it. You, you, you, you like the style or the color or, or whatever it is a little detail on it and, and, and a garment that you would love to wear. So what's the point of like, let's say, do doing garments that doesn't spark any joy on, on anyone, but it would be the most sustainable garment in the world. Although it's not so black and white. I know definitely that. So, so in a way I try to always think. Think that I do have this, this core of my work, which, which I believe in and which I, which is kind of almost like the guide for me. Well for, for whatever I do and the values there and then that kind of like, it kind of like guides me, but also it kind of like tries me to do better. So kind of like keeping my eyes open for new developments on that field.

Judith van Vliet: Yeah, I think there's different ways to also look at values. I mean, everybody's now really stuck on obviously circularity and zero waste. But I think one of the other values that your brand really brings is inclusivity. You know, you literally say, I want to design for all, not just for a few. Can you talk a little bit about this aspect about your garments?

Sofia Ilmonen: Yeah. So the garments, like I said, they are kind of designed to be sizeless. So my sizing guide actually for the kind of basic form, it goes from EU 34 to EU 46. So it's quite a wide range on just that one garment. And obviously they will look different on different bodies, but, but still kind of like it is the same garment. And it's so much. When I was doing research on, on kind of like transformable garments or, or, or so it was so much about the kind of fact that what's good things about it that it's, it's obvious that your body will change during, during the times and what's there maybe the, one of the, the, the biggest reasons of, of discarding a garment, it's a bad fit. So, so that was maybe kind of like also tapping into that. That fact that you, you are not, you are not a size and you are. You. You're still valuable whatever size you are. So, so it's kind of like that kind of idea what resonates with me a lot like quite personally as well. And I, and I love the literally be and kind of like live with you and change with you. Well in size or in silhouettes and styles. Yeah. And yeah, I try to communicate that through, through Kind of like how I present my garments in different bodies and that it doesn't just fit into one basic standard size.

Judith van Vliet: Yeah, yeah. It's a good thing. I mean, slowly the world is changing, but sometimes we have a fallback again. And so it's. It's. It's good to hear that there's people like you out there that are, you know, thinking differently. I think that's important in. In this. In today's world, to think differently already is very positive thing. When we look at your personal color power, I think everybody has a color power, so that's also a new color. I have a new question that I'm thinking about, you know, asking everybody on my podcast. But what is your personal color power?

Sofia Ilmonen: Well, if I would just need to choose one color, it would be definitely pink. And I mean, that type of, like, it's not. It's not baby pink. It's this quite bright, I think, like flamingo. But if you can think about flamingo, that type of pink, and I think that's maybe. That's maybe true both for myself and for my brand. I think pink has so much power. It can be kind of like. It's kind of like being confident without being aggressive type of thing. And I think it's optimistic. It's quite energetic, playful. Just love it. But then on the contrast side of things, I myself, I wear quite a lot of black, probably like most of us do. And maybe for me, it's kind of like, maybe it feels safe and grounding, kind of like wear plaque. And also when working on kind of like this quite visual job, sometimes it's nice to wear a plaque that it doesn't distract you from anything else. So maybe, maybe somehow that I would think that pink is maybe my kind of, like, I don't know, my. My statement color. But then maybe black is maybe then my comfort color.

Judith van Vliet: Yeah. But it's the comfort color for many people, because black makes you invisible.

Sofia Ilmonen: Yeah, yeah, that as well. Yeah, yeah.

Judith van Vliet: It makes us skinnier. And at least that's, you know, even though it's the heaviest color color, it makes us skinnier.

Sofia Ilmonen: Yeah.

Judith van Vliet: I'm not allowed to buy black anymore, so.

Sofia Ilmonen: Yeah. Really?

Judith van Vliet: No, I'm not. Every time I'm in the shop, like, oh, but we have it in black and, like, can't do it. Like, I'm not allowed anymore.

Sofia Ilmonen: Good, good. I. Maybe I should do that rule as well.

Judith van Vliet: But. Yeah. Oh, this was so lovely. Sophia. I thank you from the bottom of my heart to just. It's a joy listening to you and thank you so much for being part of of Color Authority.

Sofia Ilmonen: No, thank you so much. Thank you for having me.

Judith van Vliet: Thank you for listening to another podcast of the Color Authority. I hope you enjoyed it. Please rate, comment and feedback the show. So let us know what you think and next month we will come back to you with another colorful episode.