Richard Söderberg

'obscur is a language for the creator, a language intended to express a certain view of the world and a reaction. a reaction to the impureness and inconsistency that surrounds us'

      

Born in Helsingborg in the south of Sweden, Richard Söderberg spent his childhood moving around frequently. Raised in a rather controlled environment, he developed an anti-statement mentality towards everything, a feeling which he kept inside while showing a normal face on the outside.

Instead of sulking and withdrawing to his dark feelings though, Richard has preferred to turn them into something productive. His ambition and drive in everything he gets involved with has resulted in the birth of a label, Obscur, through which he expresses his feelings and personality in the form of garments.

Richard creates clothes after absorbing the spirit of the dark and misty landscapes of his home country.His deep love of dark Scandinavian music is also of great inspiration and has been translated into the garments.
We asked Richard what music he is currently listening to.. 

sisters of mercy

lustmord

sunn o)))
demdike stare
trisomie 21

Draped fabrics, washed leathers and muted colours provide the signature elements to his work. He uses an array of linens, wools, cottons and leathers, developing new fabrics by melting them together or blending dyes and structures. He is also known to explore surfaces and insides,dye processes and fits,rather than shapes and silhouettes.

Exposing layers of raw edges, garments are double or tripled layered sometimes combining rigid materials with softer ones fusing leather with sheer fabrications.A raw and naked finish is often used to expose the handcraft within the garment.Treated and hand-altered leather is commonly used as it is in authentic, traditional scandinavian clothes.

Richard is to some extent trying to create all-round key garments that can easily worn by different personalities to create the perfect balance of an outfit heavy and stiff materials create beautiful armour on the outside with a soft inner core.

To quote his manifesto:

Obscur is not about being drawn to extremes, but rather an urge to refine classic silhouettes to perfection. Honest and powerful expression reveals the true design behind the garments, and therefore minimal styling is required. Achieving a pure esthetic can be difficult as there are many elements to consider.

'the world is constantly changing, but obscur’s raw and straightforward view on beautiful garments, however, not something that can be compromised on'

                          
                      obscur@fallow.com.au