An interview with Angela Fredericks - The designer of Sulkenka

The creation of Sulkenka has been a long but rewarding process for designer Angela Fredericks from East Sydney Tafe. Her stunning pieces are the result of hours and hours of preparation and refinement, aimed at women who thrive on daring and outrageous fashion. Fredericks is not one to cut back on costs, opting to use Ksubi denim which has undergone a specific wash back process to achieve its colour and ensure its quality. The modern designs and chic silhouettes are reminiscent of various aspects of other established labels: The big shoulders of Balmain, the wearability and simplicity of Alexander Wang, the mysteriousness of Givenchy and the sexiness of Gucci – all desirable factors in any garment. Since the Tafe Fashion show back in November, some of Angela’s pieces have been shot to potentially go into some well-known fashion magazines -  Sulkenka is definitely a label to keep your eyes open for! Below is a brief interview with the designer for those who are interested in dangerous and daring fashion!  

Where did the name Sulkenka come from and what does it mean?

The name for Sulkenka is a word in polish which stands for dress. However I changed the spelling of it.  

Have you always wanted to be a fashion designer or did it come to you at a later age?

I have always enjoyed sewing and designing but I was first studying dance at uni and wanted to become a dancer in a company but had an injury and had to give it up. That’s went I went to East Sydney Tafe to Study Fashion Design.

What was your inspiration behind your new range?

The inspiration originally was drawn from biomechanical images I found and then its just evolved by itself, through the fabric textures and manipulations I was creating such as the eyelets. I looked at bondage images as a source of inspiration when it came to styling the pieces.

What processes did you go through to achieve the final look?

I had to get the denim washed back from a dark colour, got the eyeleting done and all of the beading was hand sewn. The nude garments were dyed but went wrong so many times I spent a small fortune on getting the exact colour I wanted!

What kind of women are these pieces aimed at?

Women who aren’t afraid and love to wear stand out over the top pieces. Women who love fashion.

What is your favourite piece of the collection? 

The bondage strap dress – It took hundreds and hundreds of hours to complete loads of hand sewing and had to puncture a whole for all 800 eyelets that went into it.

Are you inspired by the style of other established labels? My favourite labels are Balmain, Alexander Wang, Givenchy, Gucci, Pringle and Preen to name a few.

Do you plan on making more ranges in the future? At the moment I’m just having a holiday. I’ve always wanted to become a stylist before I had my own label but I think I am going to do both. I want to create my label slowly as of next year and see where it will take me.  

Thanks for your time Ange!

If anyone is interested in ordering or the prices of the garments please feel free to email us at godzilla@godzillagoestoparis.com