NEKLO

Swedes, Jenny Brittberg and Gabriel Aanesen are the Neklo duo. Working with a mix of upcycled & vintage women’s clothing, Jenny breathes new life into second hand finds that are, in some instances, destined for the dumpster. Their collections retain the retro flair of yesteryear while updating and modernizing pieces to give them a fresh new face, perfect for spring.

Jenny, please tell us a bit about your background, how you met and how you found yourselves in Berlin working on Neklo.
I grew up a bit outside of Gothenburg in Onsala and moved here to Berlin 7 months ago, after I graduated high school. We met a few times in Gothenburg during the summer of 2009. Then, we decided to hitchhike together to Berlin. It was the first time either of us had visited Berlin but we fell in love with the city and decided to move here together.

For as long as I can remember, my dream has been to work with clothes and especially second hand. My mom is a seamstress, so when I was younger I would always watch her sew – when I started myself everything felt very natural. I do the creative part, and Gabriel works with everything else, like managing the website and doing the photography.

All of your garments are made from vintage and second hand garments, where do you find most of your materials and what types of pieces, patterns and colors are you drawn to?
I look almost everywhere: flea-markets, different second hand shops, both here in Berlin and in Sweden, and on the internet. I’m mostly drawn to dresses and skirts with retro style. It’s really important how the garment feels to me, before I start working on it. I want to be inspired by the history of the piece in order to give it a new life.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of using found materials as your base for street fashion?
I love to work with used materials, so when I started working on Neklo it was an obvious choice for me. There are many reasons why I choose second hand materials! I love the treasure hunt for the best pieces. I can go around in the same store for hours and look through every piece until I find what I like. I also don’t find the need to buy newly produced materials when there are already so many beautiful things that just need a little bit of care.

When you work with used materials you’re always limited in what you can do, and that’s the only bad part. You only have a certain amount of fabric to work with so sometimes it is hard to go all the way with your creativity. Using found materials also means you have to be really careful with what you choose to buy, to make sure that the fabric is in really good condition and so on.

How do you feel your work and lives have been influenced now that most of your production is based in Berlin?
The biggest differences between working here and in Sweden are probably that here, in Berlin, I meet so many people that are doing creative things and I always get inspired by those types of interactions. But it’s sometimes hard to find good materials here, for a fair price, but on the other hand, vintage has become so big in Sweden so there, the competition to find nice pieces is becoming more difficult.

A selection of Neklo’s collection will be available at SemiDomesticated’s Spring Bird event on March 5th-6th. Check out more of their work on their website and blog.