We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Lika Steel. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Lika below.

Lika, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

So many of my past and future projects are meaningful to me, but I have a personal attachment to the art projects, that is when I feel the most purpose in my work, contributing to the fashion and art community by supporting the values of both. I like creating new opportunities and connecting in unconventional ways to ultimately improve my talents. Fashion is a form of art and today it’s becoming very common to see contemporary artists working directly with fashion houses on special collections. For the last two years I’ve been working on the fashion and art project, collaborating with thirty talented artists, where LIKA STEEL dresses were used as a canvas for the artist’s self-expression. The project is named Symbiosis and integrates fashion design and paint medium in a collection of garments and artworks. Our motivation is to integrate two artistic fields that often use similar tools, design skills, but ultimately create distinctive outcomes with different audiences. This project addresses issues of copycat and product counterfeiting in the fashion industry through art and supports uniqueness.
The experience of working with the artists is priceless, I feel very lucky that we can create together, and support slow fashion. About thirty hand painted dresses will be exhibited at THE HIVE Gallery Bee Cave Galleria throughout February, where each dress will be an unquestionable marker of fashion and art symbiosis.

I would like to take this opportunity to invite all the residents and the guests of Austin Tx to Symbiosis exhibition, which will be held at the Hive Gallery in February.
Bee Cave Arts Foundation
12700 Hill Country Blvd. T125
Bee Cave, Texas
Exhibition Feb 1- Feb 24
Reception Feb 4, 2-4PM

Lika, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am a fashion designer and owner of LIKA STEEL fashion brand. LIKA STEEL is a women’s wear brand that is offering one-of-a-kind handmade evening, cocktail, and bridal dresses. I am embracing slow fashion which considers the processes and resources required to make clothing. It encourages slower production schedules, fair wages, and minimum waste. LIKA STEEL philosophy is articulating uniqueness and individuality through personalized design. My dresses set apart from others in that they are not mass produced, they are extraordinarily unique and fall into the realm of art. My creations are also rare, as they can take many hours each to construct, enabling me to only create a limited supply each season.
LIKA STEEL dresses are an extension of my artistic vision, passion for keeping fashion unrepeatable, and my desire to make women feel bold and unique when wearing it.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist for me is having a voice and expressing it. Your art gives other people a new perspective. By sharing how you see the world, you provide a new perspective for other people to consider. Your work can expand the minds of others. You have the ability to move people intellectually or emotionally through something you’ve made. It is a powerful feeling to witness your artwork making others feel or think something.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

Society will best support artists, creatives and the creative ecosystem by educating youth on fine art, incentivize them to spend time on artistic endeavors, engaging youth through art classes, exhibits, collaborative art projects and with simple messaging, encouraging the arts.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: http://instagram.com/lika_steel
• Facebook: http://facebook.com/likasteel

Image Credits
Shara Nickell, Jason Berkman, Gabby Tropea, Tatum Forbis, Julia Railey, MollyRose Lyons