YNRY pieces juxtapose and assemble unexpected materials that are characterised by a neutral colours’ palette vaguely reminiscent of organic matter, yet sprinkled with metallic and glittering details fuelling a glowing aesthetic. Garments with raw and refined lines generate the first collection of this cutting-edge slow-fashion brand, delineating apparels that appear in transition between performative costumes and clothes for the everyday urban landscape.

Unfolding between outfits that are more closely fitted to the body through sensual transparencies and looks conceived with a semblance of armours and protective shields, the collection's pieces manifest themselves as externalisations and materialisations of emotions and impulses.

A subversive yet vulnerable spirit seems to animate the process of the Berlin-based emergent designer Luisa Weißflog, the creative identity behind the label. Concepts such as sustainability, care and hybridity can be named among YNRY’s primary intuitions. In fact, the designer conceives genderless and size-neutral styles, considering them as fluid elements that the wearers are encouraged to interpret by adapting the components to their unique body shapes. A conscious take towards the act of dressing is one of the brand's most urgent concerns. Without renouncing its irreverent and winking attitude, YNRY aspires to become a voice for a wished shift in the approach to fashion.

Would you briefly introduce yourself and the idea behind YNRY and mention the core values that feed your creative approach?

There was a moment when I was sitting on a balcony by a lake, looking into the distance. This mood was so strong that I thought that all the work I had done so far and never shared needed to be seen. I never felt ready to go out and present my inner self through my work. But at some point, I realised that I've never felt ready, and that I may never feel ready, and that it's just a matter of doing it. And that was when YNRY was born.

YNRY stands for “you're not ready yet”. I'm not ready yet, you're not ready yet - no one is ever ready, it's just about doing it.

YNRY's core values are slow fashion, sustainability and an un-gendered/no-size approach.

Slow fashion stands in contrast to the fast fashion industry. It integrates the habitus of conscious consumption. The focus is on using resources that already exist with unique designs. The production in Berlin happens through transparent and honest communication of materials, work route, etc. Sustainability must grow organically to remain! Decelerate the process of dressing and wearing through elaborate design and establishing it as a culture it’s one of the goals.

No Gender. No Size. Fuck gender. Wear whatever you want. The pieces are designed to fit different body shapes.

What defines your passion and interest in fashion? Is YNRY your first engagement in this field, or did you have previous experience?

YNRY is my first engagement in this field, and I have no previous experience in the fashion industry as a designer. I have been working as a model for several years, so I know the fashion business from that perspective, and it is a privilege to have these insights.

YNRY is not just about fashion, it's about expressing feelings, how I feel and how many other people may feel as well. I don't design more pieces that die in the closet. Each piece tells a story, and when you wear it, it transforms you into a certain mood. It can protect you, it can give you strength, or it can make your eyes pee. I'm not primarily concerned with making money from sales; I want more than anything to share my experience with others and for the community and anyone who feels similarly to become part of that flow.

Your new project YNRY seems to be very intimate, closely related to the process of finding an identity and somehow driven by a personal archive of emotions. Where does Luisa end, and YNRY begin?

Luisa ends when it comes to expressing emotions. Talking about emotions has never really been a strength of mine. YNRY is my way of expressing my feelings. So whenever I feel something inside me that I can't describe with words, I start working. Materials reflect emotions, so I choose the materials that best fit my feelings. Then I start working with them. The result is, for example, an amour made of silicone. When I started with the armour, I never thought about armours before. But when I was done, I realised that this idea reflected my feelings. An armour protects you from everything that hurts you. It protects you from anger, fear and anxiety, from losing control. Every piece I make is a one-off design, charged with emotion. So if you want to get to know me, look at my pieces, and you will begin to understand me. My collections are my personal archive of emotions.

What sources of inspiration do you draw from when conceiving your collections and selecting the materials? And what do you aspire to express and convey with your garments?

I work with metal, with its strength and brutality. There is something cold and clear, something protective and also protected produced by a surreal construction. Also, I feel attracted by superzoom. I see things through my phone while zooming in really close; it gives me a different perspective. It gives me the ability to see sections without the distraction of the environment. It gives me focus. Deconstructed elements by man are also a source of inspiration. Man is contradictory, and so are deconstructed elements like buildings, nuclear power plants, coal-fired power plants, vacant buildings, dirt, dying plants. Man's actions are what give me the sense of an end. And this mood that everything will eventually end takes away my fear and releases me and my creativity.

Let’s take my latest drop to expand the conversation: COLLECTION01.

YNRY collaborates with choreographers to create a dance film that re-contextualises pole dance through contemporary dance. The interplay of the performers' movements, the music, and the idea of creating a safe space for female, non-binary artists as a community without hierarchy, working together as friends with friends to create, inspired YNRY to design COLLECTION01. YNRY designed the costumes for this film called AMNION. It was hosted by Dzialdov this past October in Berlin.

COLLECTION01 stands for empowerment, freeing yourself from the old. From everything that constricts and restricts. It is about finding one's own centre and coming to rest in it, as well as in one's own environment including the community.

As for the design, The down pants are inspired by riding pants and resemble armour. The silicone pieces are reminiscent of armour in the form of underwear and cover the neck, heart and intimate area. The latex bodysuits and panties imitate a second, seemingly alien layer of skin. Glitter lingerie and tulle dress on bare skin symbolise arriving at one's centre. Armour serves as protection. Protection from loss of control, for fear of injury. The bodies represent the process of releasing these fears through the act of skinning. The lingerie and the tulle dress represent empowerment and the power of pure being through liberation.

How do you envision the future development of YNRY, and what are your hopes and aspirations for the project?

YNRY is also a small negative homage to INRI (aka religion). Just as religion can empower people, it can also restrict them. Restrictions are never good; they hold us back. We are afraid of the unknown and of going further down the path. We don't get involved in the flow of creativity and life. In summer 2021, when YNRY was born, we decided that one day we would take over churches to build flagship stores in them and create a real safe space where everyone is welcome. There will be fashion from YNRY, but also exhibitions and performances, parties like in the CHURCH. YNRY will find a home, and so will you. Also, it is very sustainable as churches are literally dying.