Inger Solberg
It was a wonderful Wednesday afternoon, when the three of us got together for a shoot in Goa for the gorgeous and valorous camouflage collection designed by Inger Solberg and Liv Barfoed. I simply fell in love with the name of their brand ,“LIV-ING” as it signifies “Soul”. Liv and Inger have been friends for the last 32 years and their passion for creating a line together gave life to LIV – ING. Both Inger and Liv are gorgeous women who have gained expertise in their respective professions.
Rupika Chopra & LIV Barfoed
Inger is a celebrated designer from Denmark and she fell in love with designing clothes since she was 17 years old. She kept on practicing new creations and by then her heart knew that this was her calling. She went to a formal school of Design to train herself as a Designer. As destiny played it’s part, she came to India in 1989 and she felt a deep connection with the magical country. She moved to India permanently in the year 2000 – she smiles and adorably says, ” Mera dil pakka Hindustani hai.”
Inger started her factory in New Delhi and she initiated designing for reputed private labels like H&M, BeYoung etc. LIV and Inger, proudly call their collection ” Madam Soldier” . Inger says, “she has always faced challenges like a fighter and friends compare her fighting spirit to that of Goddess Durga”. So this collection is a story of a woman who possess a heart of a warrior.
I love the way Inger describes their collection as “Rough and Romantic” and shares that, “As a woman, one has to be rough to survive in this world and also be feminine to be in sync with herself and the real world.” I love that thought!!
Liv Barfoed has been a former model and she was the first stylist in Denmark. She has been in the fashion Industry from the 80’s. She also educated herself as a designer and worked for many Danish companies one of them being “Royal Copenhagen”, where she designed a huge accessories collection. She has done many editorials and fashion shows for a lot of big Danish brands and Givenchy & Balmain in Paris. She has been involved in promoting reputed brands in Denmark. Liv has also worked as a PR and a Marketing professional and she continues to bring her expertise to their brand LIV-ING.
The collection is made of high quality cotton produced in India. The printing is also done in the country itself. I love the romance added by the lace on this indomitable print, doing absolute justice to Inger’s depiction of “Rough and Romantic”. It simply makes it exotic! The best part about camouflage print is that, when adorned, it doesn’t need to be blazoned, as it just declares the bold attitude of a personality.
The collection represents a robust and a fearless vibe. I love the fact that women of any age can look spectacular in this collection. The dresses are breathable and light and can be beautifully accessorised with beads and funky earrings. The style can make anyone stand out and that is the euphoria created by LIV-ING for their summer collection.
Well, I simply loved shooting for LIV-ING and ” THE MADAM SOLDIER ” collection has definitely stirred my emotions for now but wait till you see what LIV – ING has in store for you in their Fall collection. I cannot wait to grab my hands on it and I promise you, CAMOUFLAGE IS HERE TO STAY!!!
Photographer : Francois Matthys