Irene Peukes studied Fashion and Art in Hamburg and Barcelona and works since 7 years as a shoedesigner for Camper in Mallorca.

From the outset, her focus was unconventional, being more interested in the concept of design from angles which were not strictly limited by market forces. Photography, drawing and painting lent a different dimension to her perception of materials and form, and together with her distinct approach to colour and the treatment of textiles, she presented her first collections in ModaFad, the Gaudí fashion shows and Circuit BCN.

Irene has worked professionally for two important companies: Artextil and Camper. She has adapted to the changes in demand in both the textile design and shoe design markets whilst always managing to retain an air of freshness and simplicity, even minimalist at times, combining imagination with a down-to-earth approach.  Seeking simplicity, she has experimented and travelled in search of natural materials and the handmade skills of different communities in South America and the East. Participating in projects like these has made her especially aware of the value of working with little means while relying on basic materials and primary colours.

In a way, her particular sensitivity has more to do with the work of artists such as Sonia Delaunay, Mark Rothko, Rebecca Horn, Pipilotti Rist or Jonathan Meese than with the glamour and superficiality which sometimes  surround the world of fashion. Thus, her vision is conscientiously removed from haute couture and despite her admiration for designers such as Issey Miyake, Dries van Noten, Claudia Skoda or Sybilla, her real inspiration comes from a combination of her interest in the evolution of contemporary art and her close association with the traditional methods and forms of hand-made work.

Irene works on the textiles with her hands, printing, dying, painting, writing, embroidering, plaiting and personalizing her work in a way that is different to the industrial processes which dominate today’s production. It is for this reason that she is committed to projects like “Mon” which is based on the possibilities of different natural materials to make different products by hand using different cultural and handmade skills.

Her work demonstrates a world of future possibilites in which pure technology, synthetic materials, mass production and all things artificial do not suffocate the basic sources of creativity.

[Felipe Hernandez]