• Intelligencer
  • The Cut
  • Vulture
  • The Strategist
  • Curbed
  • Grub Street
  • Subscribe to the Magazine Give a Gift Subscription Buy Back Issues Current Issue Contents
    Subscribe to New York Magazine
  • Subscribe
  • Profile
    Sign Out
The Cut
  • Style
  • Self
  • Culture
  • Power
Style
  • Fashion
  • Beauty
  • Parties & Red Carpet
  • Fashion Shows
  • Cathy Horyn
  • The Cut Shop
Self
  • Health & Wellness
  • The State of the Uterus
  • Parenting
  • Advice
  • Sex & Relationships
  • Horoscopes
Culture
  • Books
  • Television
  • Movies
  • Music
  • Celebrity
Power
  • Politics
  • Work
  • Money
  • Rebecca Traister
More
  • Latest Stories
  • Video
  • About Us
  • nymag.com
  • New York Magazine
  • Intelligencer
  • Vulture
  • The Cut
  • The Strategist
  • Grub Street
  • Curbed
meet the new designer
July 29, 2013

Rodebjer: A Minimalist, Handmade Brand That Meryl Streep Has Worn

By Julie Ma

Share

  • Share
  • Tweet
Photo: Courtesy of Carin

Carin Rodebjer grew up on an island called Gotland in the Baltic Sea. “Where Ingmar Bergman used to live,” she specified, while taking a moment out of her vacation to chat with the Cut about her eponymous line. Though the designer didn’t necessarily grow up glued to the pages of Vogue (like one famous flame-haired editor who also grew up on an island), she was always interested in clothing. She began designing and making patterns for her own outfits at age 10, and her mother and her stylish circle of friends — “bohemian, artistic types,” she says — taught Rodebjer everything she uses in her own line, from appreciating the beauty of the handmade (sewing, knitting, handcrafting) to understanding the importance of fabric quality; her mother would use only natural, non-synthetic materials, like wools, cottons, and silks.

When Rodebjer packed her bags to leave her idyllic surroundings for New York in her mid-twenties, she brought her minimal eye to classes at FIT, and, ultimately, to her own business. She launched her first collection in 2000 to follow her “inner mission,” which she describes as “democratic luxury.” “I wanted to do something holistic,” she explains, “something that’s aesthetic but emotional and intellectual as well.” Her fall-winter 2013 collection achieves that with its striking silhouettes, luxe materials from Italy and Paris, handmade knits of wool (shorn right off the backs of her mother’s friend’s sheep), and splashes of whimsy. Click through the slideshow to see Rodebjer’s collection, including curly haired sheepskin jackets; knits with voluminous fringe collars; embossed, elegant sweatsuits; and flouncy pink chiffon tops. Perhaps you’ll see why Meryl Streep is a fan. Below, the Cut spoke to the designer about her fashion influences, her appreciation for the handmade, and the ideal Rodebjer woman.

You grew up on a remote island — when would you say you first got interested in fashion?
I think I’ve always been interested, at least in clothing. When I grew up in the countryside, I didn’t know any people being designers. No Swedes [ed. note: Gotland is technically in Sweden] were designers at that time [laughs]. It kind of exploded in Sweden in the last ten years, this fashion scene. I knew I was interested and I was quite obsessed with clothing and sewing and making my own designs. I tried the business in Sweden first, but I didn’t see an opportunity to work with fashion. But when I moved to New York, I realized that that was what I wanted to do. Fashion was everywhere and being a designer was quite a normal profession to have.

What was your inspiration for this collection?
The inspiration was nature. It’s been nature-oriented lately. I think I moved to New York and I started longing for nature [laughs]. I looked back at my childhood, at the isolated environment I lived in, and I looked into nature. But it was really my childhood and the perspective of a child — that’s why we had all those structures and details going on, and there’s a little bit of mysticism.

How would you say your line’s aesthetic has evolved over the years?
It’s evolving because we’re getting bigger and the company’s growing so much. It’s still the same kind of core in the collection — classical pieces with the outburst of fun — so it’s quite minimal in one way, but it has explosions of energy in between, and I think that it’s been a core that I’ve been following all the time. It might be a little more sophisticated now because we have more means. It’s the first time we have a possibility to show the ambition and balance that we have within the company.

Tell me about knits — was there a reason this collection had an emphasis on the handmade?
Especially with the fall collection, I was super obsessed with the handmade thing because I wanted to create a closer, emotionally engaged garment made by hand. The knits and fringes are all handmade. I like the extra generosity of the handmade. I just realized, I was also obsessed with what’s exclusive today. Money isn’t really exclusive any longer. I wondered, What can be exclusive? It’s what’s in your mind that can be exclusive nowadays. This extra about things being handmade — it adds an extra dimension.

Who would you say is the woman you’re designing for?
Rodebjer has always been about openness. I think the kind of women I relate to is a kind of a strong, self-reliant woman who knows what her ideas are and what she’s about to do. There are a lot of New York women who would be perfect for Rodebjer. Women I love, I’d say are like Kate Winslet and Cate Blanchett. I had Meryl Streep wearing Rodebjer once. She’s an amazing woman.

New York boutiques that stock Rodebjer include Bird, Honey in the Rough, and Assembly.

Shop: Flat Sandals

  • Topshop, $50

  • clio, $185

  • Jeffrey Campbell, $50

  • Rag & Bone, $145

Related

Rosie Assoulin’s Voluminous, Structured First Collection
View
1 / 33 Photos
Photo: Courtesy of Carin
Photo: Courtesy of Carin
Photo: Courtesy of Carin
Photo: Courtesy of Carin
Photo: Courtesy of Carin
Photo: Courtesy of Carin
Photo: Courtesy of Carin
Photo: Courtesy of Carin
Photo: Courtesy of Carin
Photo: Courtesy of Carin
Photo: Courtesy of Carin
Photo: Courtesy of Carin
Photo: Courtesy of Carin
Photo: Courtesy of Carin
Photo: Courtesy of Carin
Photo: Courtesy of Carin
Photo: Courtesy of Carin
Photo: Courtesy of Carin
Photo: Courtesy of Carin
Photo: Courtesy of Carin
Photo: Courtesy of Carin
Photo: Courtesy of Carin
Photo: Courtesy of Carin
Photo: Courtesy of Carin
Photo: Courtesy of Carin
Photo: Courtesy of Carin
Photo: Courtesy of Carin
Photo: Courtesy of Carin
Photo: Courtesy of Carin
Photo: Courtesy of Carin
Photo: Courtesy of Carin
Photo: Courtesy of Carin
Photo: Courtesy of Carin
1 / 33

Tags:

  • meet the new designer
  • rodebjer
  • fall winter 2013
  • knits
  • sweden
  • q&a
  • carin rodebjer
  • gotland
  • minimalism
  • meryl streep
  • slideshow
  • More

More Galleries

oscars 2023 Mar. 12, 2023
Oscars Red Carpet 2023: Every Look  Rihanna! Florence Pugh! Michelle Yeoh! They’re all here. 
celebrity Feb. 19, 2023
All the Best Looks From the 2023 BAFTAs Red Carpet  Florence Pugh, Barry Keoghan, and Angela Bassett brought color to the red carpet. 
grammys 2023 Feb. 5, 2023
Every Look From the 2023 Grammys Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, Harry Styles, Lizzo, Bad Bunny, Adele, Doja Cat, Jack Harlow, Mary J. Blige, Sam Smith, and more.
By Brooke LaMantia
Jan. 10, 2023
All the Looks From the 2023 Golden Globes  Sheryl Lee Ralph, Jenna Ortega, Jessica Chastain, Julia Garner, Jeremy Allen White, Angela Bassett, and more. 
parties! Sept. 23, 2022
Katie Holmes, Chloë Sevigny, and More of the Bestest Party Pics This Week  Chanel, Mejuri, and more celebrate. 
parties! Sept. 16, 2022
Doja Cat, Lil Nas X, and More of the Bestest Party Pics This Week  Fendi, Frame, and Coach all celebrated NYFW. 
emmys 2022 Sept. 12, 2022
Emmys 2022: All the Red Carpet Looks  Updating: What Hollywood is wearing to the 2022 Primetime Emmy Awards. 
By Olivia Luppino
nyfw spring 2023 Sept. 9, 2022
Gigi Hadid, Chlöe Bailey, and More of the Bestest Party Pics of the Week  Saks Fifth Avenue, Longchamp, and more celebrate the beginning of NYFW. 
rip Sept. 9, 2022
The Queen Sure Did Love to Color-Coordinate  Monochrome for decades. 
red carpet Sept. 6, 2022
The Venice Film Festival Is a Major Fashion Event  Valentino and Gucci and Armani, oh my. 
red carpet June 5, 2022
All the Best Looks at the 2022 MTV Movie and TV Awards  Sydney Sweeney, Vanessa Hudgens, Jay Ellis, and more! 
parties! May 20, 2022
The Bestest Party Looks of the Week  Harry Styles > everyone! 
parties! May 13, 2022
The Bestest Party Looks of the Week  Bury me in Dove Cameron’s Saint Sintra skirt. 
parties! May 6, 2022
The Bestest Party Looks of the Week  Cue the Met Gala after-party FOMO. 
met gala 2022 May 2, 2022
Met Gala 2022: All the Looks [Photos]  Billie Eilish, Kim Kardashian, Michelle Yeoh, Hailey Bieber, Megan Thee Stallion, Cardi B, Blake Lively, and more. 
parties! Apr. 29, 2022
The Bestest Party Looks of the Week  This one goes to Olivia Rodrigo and her sweater vest. 
parties! Apr. 22, 2022
The Bestest Party Looks of the Week  “Fuck those Zoom tops.” 
celebrity style Apr. 18, 2022
The Best Looks From Coachella 2022  From Harry Styles’s sparkling Gucci set to Megan Thee Stallion’s metallic bodysuit. 
style Apr. 13, 2022
A Look Inside the New Museum’s Spring Gala  Featuring all the best looks. 
grammys 2022 Apr. 3, 2022
Grammy Awards 2022 Red Carpet: All the Looks  Lady Gaga, Olivia Rodrigo, Lenny Kravitz, Lil Nas X, Billie Eilish, and more. 
  • Style
  • Self
  • Culture
  • Power
  • About The Cut
  • About New York Magazine
  • Newsletters
  • Help
  • Contact
  • Press
  • Media Kit
  • We’re Hiring
  • Privacy
  • Terms
  • Ad Choices
  • Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information
  • Accessibility
The Cut is a Vox Media Network. © 2023 Vox Media, LLC. All rights reserved.