My next story is about women and fashion, about women in fashion to be more precise.

But I want to start with a little complaining :)

After each publication somebody necessarily writes that the designer's clothes is absolutely impossible to wear. How to go out wearing it?

I want to say that, of course, you need to distinguish between collections for the catwalk, the so-called "high fashion", which are devoted to development and effect. It is not a coincidence that many, if not all fashion houses have to make "pret-a-porte" clothes (by the way now this term is virtually replaced by the term "ready-to-wear") not only "haute couture". I hope everyone understands the difference.

Therefore, for my story I chose a designer with very interesting and wearable clothes. There is only one secret: not everybody will wear these garments. They will be worn by those who are deeply familiar with the matter.

This fashion is said to be fashion for the soul.

First, a little about the terms. Before that, we talked about such fashion trends as deconstruction, avant-garde and minimalism.

It turns out that there are grunge, boho, shabby, Japanese forest moris and some mysterious "lagenlook"? Certainly they are not global "directions", but they are styles, there are many of them in the focus areas. But these styles don't seem to belong to three trend... It is very important to understand why it is so. Maybe because fashion is something natural that came "from below". Again, those who are familiar with the matter know what it is and they know that all of these styles look very similar, to the point of confusion. Apparently, this is because they all have common roots — they grew out of imitation of English rural style, which is so pretty and intimate and at the same time... stylish!

Experts attribute the collection of the Swedish clothing designer Ewa Iwalla to the style of "lagenlook". This is quite a new term in the fashion dictionary. (from English look and lagen (layers)). I think that this term quite successfully combines all of these styles. Ewa created the brand "Ewa i Walla" which is an ultimate dream for those who like all these rustic, deliberately casual garments, connecting all that we love about the Bohemian look — asymmetry, wrinkling and raw edges.

The modern version of the brand was created in 2002. We know very little about its founder — her real name is Ewa Linnaeus Ewalla, she is well over 60 and she loves cats and old cars.

Ewa tells more about her brand. This is a Swedish design brand of women's clothing with innovative details, quality materials and creative design in unique combinations which create something special. The clothes is filled with passion, personality, beauty and personal attitude. The clothing reflects the essence of the client, it is timeless, regardless of the latest trends. The garments are very simple, yet full of deep, natural and historical sense. You will find details such as laces, flounces, monograms and embroidery, ribbons, buttons, patches, raw edges and mix of materials — all this turns the clothing into a work of art. This style allows free combination of separate things regardless of the season. There are no limits, only opportunities!

Designer Ewa Iwalla loves to create something unexpected. Ewa has always followed her own path with the philosophy that everything is possible. This is clearly expressed in her design and the development of her vision.

At the moment, the designer creates two collections a year — spring/summer and autumn/winter.

Here is her latest collection:

fall-winter 2018

"Warm summer days give way to a clear autumn sky...

Wander through the forest on a winding path, listen to the sounds of the forest, which is so wild and untamed but still very welcoming and peaceful. Standing on the edge of the field looking at the rising sun gives you time to reflect, time to breathe."

"The collection gives you "poems of nature", the festival of joy from the vicinity of Hälsingland, a historical province in Central Sweden with a wonderful forest just around the corner. This new collection offers gorgeous skirts and fabulous dresses in archaic colors with large floral prints that evoke the romance of old oil paintings.

Organic cotton and hemp are used in the development of five beautiful looks that perfectly fit even with a warm sweater. The collection also presents accessories – cuffs, bags, pillow cases and curtains that give a special homeliness".

Ewa's clothes was especially popular in 2010, after a successful show in Paris.

From the collection of autumn/winter 2012

2014 collection was also enthusiastically received, that's when the brand got a of fans from Russia:

And it was then when the well-known fan of this style Helena Bonham Carter posed in Ewa's outfits for Harper's Bazaar magazine (photographer — John Swannell).

After the show in France Ewa gave a short interview.

In this interview she told me that she was originally inspired by various cultures, and collision of these cultures. Also Ewa has always been inspired by simple Swedish farmers. She takes many things from the past century, blending them with high fashion and creating new designs. Sometimes her friend and representative Christine talks for Ewa because she does not speak English very good. Christine said that young Ewa was a painter of pottery, and taught her a lot of work. Ewa started making clothes back in '94 (it is quite late, the designer was already over 40 years old.) Ewa's brand was created in 2000, it was a new style for her which got a great success.

And yes, she is from a very small village in central Sweden, near the ocean.

Question: A potter, an artist and a designer, I'm sure you have a pretty interesting story! What else can you tell us about yourself?

Eva:

Oh, I can tell you that I love old cars. At the moment I have four of them. The oldest is of 1964, it's an old Volvo. And I have a Citroen cabriolet, also very old, and then I have a Saab cabriolet and I have just bought PG Cruiser. I love old cars... and I love cats. And I collect different things. All my life I have been a collector. I always look for the things I like, so my house is full of old things and new things. My house is about 300 square meters, and I love to go out and collect things. This is my life. I collect everything.

Christine:

All her life is quite an interesting story. From the beginning she was quite poor and worked by herself. She traveled to other countries at a very early age and... she's like a bum!

Eve:

We didn't have money, so I started to make clothes. I sewed garments of old men's and women's clothes and turned them into my own designs.

— When you went around the world, where did you go?

Eva:

When I was very young I went to France and worked for a man who was making films. So I went to the beach handing out flyers for his films. I stayed with him in the mountains, in Cannes. We worked during the day in terrible clothes on the beach. After that I went to London as an au pairs and a cleaner in a hotel. After that I went home and met my husband, the farmer. So now I'm here.

Christine:

He's the one who keeps her here. Otherwise, she would still travel around the world.

Eva:

I'm a real tramp.

Question:

Do you have anything else that the world should know about you?

Eva:

Oh... what am I supposed to say? If they wait, I hope they will see me in Mexico or in the United States.

And what life lesson do you want to share?

Ewa to Christine in Swedish: What does she mean?

Christine to Ewa: Oh, she means if you have learned some important life lesson that you can share ...

Eva: Yes, it is necessary to keep the feet on the floor. Don't think you mean something. Whatever you do in life you still need to stand on the floor. If not, it will be very difficult if you fall (she means: keep your feet on the ground. If you don't, you'll just have to fall.)

These are the lessons of resistance from the magnificent Ewa Iwalla!

This is infinitely beautiful story, it pretty much tells us about the origins of Ewa's creativity and about the origins of creativity in general.