From the pressures of social media to the recession, our generation has been forced to live through some trying times. According to Beate Karlsson — the designer behind the fashion label AVAVAV — looking and feeling rich is just one of the many ways of coping, whether it be showing off their newest designer bag or logomania runway fit on Instagram.
Speaking with HBX on her Spring/Summer 2023 collection, fittingly titled "Filthy Rich," Karlsson shares, "The luxury industry is, in a way, a game of looking rich and exposing it, so that’s how I got into it. I think the idea of 'flexing' is interesting, also since we’ve been in an era of trash luxury." The result is a range of hoodies, tees and more adorned with rhinestones spelling out dollar signs, "Filthy Rich" and "Business of Gold Digging," as well as bootleg logomania dresses.
The irony of looking rich and put together has become an overarching theme for some of the most recent collections from the AVAVAV founder and creative director. The 28-year-old, who also designs for Pyer Moss, has created viral moments from her recent runway shows by having models collapsing on her SS23 "Filthy Rich" collection at Milan Fashion Week, followed by the FW23 "Fake it till you break it" season featuring outfits that came apart on stage.
To further learn about Karlsson and her design philosophy, we caught up with the designer to chat about her SS23 collection for AVAVAV below. You can shop the Florence and Stockholm-based brand's "Filthy Rich" collection now on HBX.
Before we talk about your collection, tell us about yourself. Who are you and what background do you come from?
I’m a designer and business owner from Stockholm. I’ve been living in New York, London and Florence for the past 10 years and now I’m back in my hometown. I have a cat named Larry.
Tell us about your "Filthy Rich" collection. Why did you decide to focus on the idea of looking rich? Was it a message on today's society, social media and so on?
I think it started with the recession and how everyone was starting to talk about money. The luxury industry is, in a way, a game of looking rich and exposing it, so that’s how I got into it. I think the idea of "flexing" is interesting, also since we’ve been in an era of trash luxury. I wanted to do a collection that played with self-acclaimed richness through fashion, while also commenting on the contemporary landscape of faking things. We all filter our life online and anyone can self-acclaim anything, but it hurts when you break that illusion and realize you're actually very poor (laughs).
What is your definition of "rich"?
That you can afford almost anything.
While there are statement pieces like the Bootleg dress that highlighted this collection, you also included quite a few relatively simpler designs like logo T-shirts, hoodies and caps for SS23. These garments wouldn't be the first thing that comes to mind when thinking of "Filthy Rich" — what was the creative process behind these garments?
I was playing with different ways of exposing richness, so bootleg logos of iconic brands was one of the themes, but I also wanted to include more straightforward items that just screamed statements like "Filthy Rich."
Your "Filthy Rich" collection went viral not only because of the designs but also because you had everyone falling on the runway. How did that aspect of the collection come to be and what connection did you make between falling models and the idea of "feeling and looking rich"?
The performance part of the presentation was something we felt created a funny contrast to the theme. That it’s easy to pretend, but also easy to fall down hard when you do.
Can you name a song that you've been listening to lately that embodies the "Filthy Rich" energy?
“Talk to Me” by Rich The Kid and Tory Lanez.
Aside from this collection, what are some things you do on a regular basis that makes you feel rich?
Sending invoices!
