Beyond the hype // Ebba Zingmark

Ebba Zingmark is a 15 year old student from Umeå, Sweden

Tell us a little bit about yourself and where you live.

My name is Ebba Zingmark and I’m 15. I recently moved to a pretty small city in northern Sweden, Umeå (though compared to other cities in Sweden, it’s pretty big.) What you don’t know about yourself, everybody else knows about you in Umeå. One way or another, everybody knows everybody, and the gossip spreads very fast. Before I lived in a small village, with a population of about 200 people, mostly oldies, but my family moved into the town last year, thank god!

I don’t “do” anything, besides studying at Hagaskoland and trying to have time for my friends, school, and my blog.

What are your passions?

My passions are almost everything that’s creative. Like painting, photography, fashion, music and so on. I also have a passion for animals. I’ve got two dogs and a cat which I love sooo much and I would never even consider wearing real fur. Need I say that I’m a vegetarian?

How did you first get interested in fashion and why is it important?

I’ve always loved experimenting with colours and shapes, so it came very naturally to me.

How do you describe the fashion scene in Umeå compared to other major cities/fashion capitals?

Comparing to other Swedish cities, Umeå isn’t very fashionable; we're kind of isolated from trends and such here in the north, so when someone’s suddenly wearing something new and different, it always get a lot of whispers and attention.

What do you love about living in Sweden?

It’s very beautiful and close to nature. Although I’m often longing for places far away from cold, mediocre Sweden, I would never stand to live in a city farther away from nature than Umeå.

All seasons are so beautiful; when all leaves get orange and red in the fall, when the whole town is covered in snow during the winter (not to mention the northern lights at night), or just having a walk in the forest and suddenly meeting a moose.

Top 3 places to visit in Sweden:

If you visit Sweden during the summer, you definitely should go to a music festival, like Peace and Love or Arvikafestivalen. That’s a place where all shy and dull Swedes just get a little crazy, and for once don’t care about peer pressure and such.

Or maybe you should discover nature; go canoeing, climbing, tenting in the forests or something.

And you can always visit our beautiful capital, Stockholm. It isn’t just the city that’s beautiful, it's full of beautiful and stylish people too.

Describe your personal style and its influences / inspiration.

My style is very variable, depending on my mood, the seasons and so on. In the winter you have to focus at keeping yourself warm (try to walk one kilometer every morning in -25 with too thin clothes and still look good), so in the spring when it’s getting warmer I’ve been holding back for almost half a year, then I just let it all out and gets a little crazy.

Favorite designers and places to shop?

I’ve never got the thing with brands and designers. When I see a garment, I know if I think it looks good or not, and a name on the price tag or a brand will not change that. (I’ll probably get a lot of complaints about this now, haha.) I love to shop second hand, I think its so exciting when the garment has a history behind it, and you don’t know what it experienced and who has worn it before.

The first thing you look at in another person's outfit is:

The shapes and silhouette I think.

What do you skimp on?

Jewelry. I do think it looks good on others, as long it’s not too much, but I rarely use more than a ring or a necklace.

What do you splurge on?

Hats and caps!

A fashion rule you never break:

I don’t think there are so many rules in fashion anymore. You can dress almost anyway you want to, and still make it fashion from some point of view.

What do you think is the most recent notable trend to appear/reappear, and what are your thoughts on it?

I think yellow is a colour that will appear more widely soon. I get a lot of my inspiration from nature, so this is a trend I definitely will follow. It feels good to wear more happy colours now, when it just gets darker and rainier/snowier (the first snowflakes fell yesterday night).

What is the most underrated item in menswear and womenswear?

Glasses, I love glasses. It looks so nerdy and cool at the same time and can be used as an accessory, though many people seem to think it’s only for those with poor vision.

What is your next "must have" purchase?

A pair of oldman-pants.

Are there any fashion icons or famous people whose style you admire?

At most I get inspired by my friends and by people on the street (and by all cool looks on LB, of course). There are many cool famous people but I can’t think of any particular.

What's on your iPod / bookshelf / DVD player at the moment?

I’m a big fan of the Swedish singer/songwriter Håkan Hellström and the band Kent. Most of the music I listen to is Swedish, but one song i really like that isn’t is Dog Days Are Over by Florence And The Machine.

What can't you live without?

Food! And my friends, my dogs and cat and music, of course.

Next place you want to travel to:

Somewhere far away. Like New Zealand. It would be so fantastic to experience the landscape and the people there.

What is your personal favorite outfit on LOOKBOOK by you, and by another member?

By me I think it is IGGY, cause it's my style all over. As a picture, I really really love Madeline Inspired by Regine P, but from a fashion point of view I have to say Too fast to live, too young to die by Elle May L. I get so many summer festival-feelings when I see it, and I really love the combination with the jumpsuit and the green blazer.

In the year 2015 you will be:

Photographer, world president, rockstar, stylist, writer, not a clue! I have so many plans and ideas so it could be anything.

What would you say to someone seeking general fashion advice?

Trust your sense of style and don’t care about anyone else. Cliché but true.

Adam G. wants to know: If your life had a soundtrack, what would be this past summer's song and why?

Girls - Lust for life. Cause this summer has been very spontaneous and crazy. And I think it fits so well.

What should we ask the next interviewee?

What is the weirdest thing you own?