I'm always blown away by artists who are truly self-expressive - people who tap their inner souls to create stunning work that's a reflection of their outlook on life. In a nutshell, that's what drew me to the work of Vilte, a self-taught felt designer who speaks openly about creating "poetry out of fibers." Her one-of-a-kind pieces are always pretty, but there's also a lot of drama and sensuality in her work, as if each piece is meant to tell a much more complicated story. Here's what Vilte and I discussed during a recent conversation.
Please tell me about yourself.
I am a felt artist from one of the Northern European countries from the Baltic, Lithuania. I am a little careful in using the words "artist" and "designer" to describe what I am now, as I have never been trained as either. (note: Vilte was once a dancer, earned a masters degree in health psychology, but eventually returned to a career in the textile arts).
Textile [work] has become a very important subject and object in my life over the past six years. My eco textile and art pieces are a means to create, express, communicate, and make visual links of perceptions in life. It's usually an intuitive reflection of my feeling about something.
Creating is one of the best feelings a human can experience. You get to observe the response others have to what you created. It's like giving a message to others that is encoded in your fiber poetry. That's exactly what I call my work, "poetry of fibers".
How did you get started working with felt?
I started due to a fascination about the properties of fibers to create new continuous fabrics. Since my mind wasn't constrained with what felt must be and the rules around making it, I began experimenting.
I had been a dancer for 10 years. I quit dancing to study psychology. I always longed for dance and realized that working with felt was a way to compensate for dancing. Now, it's not me who is dancing but my hands, which make the wool and other fibers move, entangle, and interlock.
If you could film this process with a macro camera, you would see a dance of these migrating fibers. Even my finished pieces have movement encoded in them - they're flowing, organic, never static.
What's your approach to transforming felt into fashion?
There is a fascinating eco movement going on in fashion. But what I really miss seeing in most of the eco dresses is some seduction and chic feeling.
When making my own dresses, I like to add at least a little seduction, a feeling of chic, so that the woman wearing them will feel beautiful and special. There must be a temptation, a conversation, and sensuality built in!
What are some of your favorite pieces and why?
I never think about it. The pieces that become more dear to me probably have more rawness of my soul, purer feelings and most sincere inner conversations that matter for me most and maybe not for someone else.
You also teach felting across the globe. Are you inspired to teach others because of your work with Claudy Jongstra?
When I met Claudy, I had already formed as a felt maker after going through years of my personal experiments in felt. I already had commitments to teach. But Claudy Jongstra was the person who encouraged my artistic expression and in a way, set me free from myself.
What brought me to teaching was at first a simple demand by others who were drawn to my way of felting. Or, I would rather say, my feeling of felt.
There are hundreds of felt makers with excellent felting skills, but not too many who reveal their uniqueness in their felting. My workshops focus on the latter. I believe a key to uniqueness can be discovered by adding a feeling to the process.
Do you aspire to show your work at one of the fashion weeks held around the globe?
Last year (2011), I made some felt pieces for the ready-to-wear collection of Josephus Thimister that was shown during Paris Fashion Week in March (the felt piece below was part of Vilte's collection for Thimister shown at Paris Fashion Week). [But] I do not aspire to show my work at one of the fashion weeks. I don't have reasons for entering that big world of fashion. I work all by myself, at my own pace, at my own pleasure.
At this stage of my life, I am happy doing everything by myself, from dreaming, designing, discovering new materials, felting with my own two hands, to taking photos of my work, packing and shipping my pieces to clients, and using the internet for making my personal, more intimate shows.
Vilte is a true "artist" who follows her inner self to create stunning designs that are definitely "wearable art." I especially like the mix of textures and patterns she creates and how she combines felt with silk or wool to produce sensual fashions with lots of drama.
Thanks to Vilte for sharing her fascinating story. You can see more of her work at the Vilte Etsy Shop or at her Felt Felt Felt Feeling blog.
