If you’re into iridescence, Memphis design, and raw, hungry talent, up-and-coming designer Anny Wang is one to watch. The Swedish-born, Copenhagen-based 23-year-old is behind the furniture collection Akin, as well as a series of otherwordly 3D illustrations released bi-monthly via Tumblr and Instagram. Fascinated by her dreamy, pastel universe—part '90s beach-house, part space exploration—we asked her to create an exclusive series of illustrations for us around the theme of OC shoes.
Free to interpret the prompt however she wanted, Wang delivered a set of far-out images filled with her signature textured surfaces and geometric shapes, most of which have reflective surfaces that depict another angle of their surroundings. “I wanted to invite the viewer to associate freely—whether it’s memories of their own or imaginations of whom the owner of the shoe might be,” Wang says. OC’s Slip-On Platform Sneakers and knee-high boots look right at home amidst her set-like environments, which are in fact quite personal: “Aesthetically, they’re a mix of things,” Wang says. “A little bit of myself and my childhood, Opening Ceremony, and a pinch of Sottsass.”
The illustrations are constructed using a software program called MODO, which she discovered in college. Keen to teach herself how to digitally model, Wang began using MODO as a tool to create things other than school assignments. She’d challenge herself to model weird forms, materials, and foliage—anything that’d pop into her head. “I’m mostly just playing around,” Wang says. “But once I get started, I don’t want to stop.”
Like her digital creations, Wang’s world is chock-full of sampling: she’s currently interning at architecture and design firm Studio David Thulstrup, and sharpening her skills in industrial, graphic, and spatial design, as well as visual art. For her, this diverse output is a natural means to an end. “I lack patience, and I also really like experimenting,” she explains. “I also feel like I have to constantly try new things to keep stimulating my creativity.” Her design process echoes her fast-and-loose M.O.: She starts by sketching but quickly dives into the making process, getting her hands dirty and figuring a design out as she goes along.
Growing up in a tiny Swedish town, Wang didn’t have any major art world influencers. “Art was not a subject we spoke of at home,” Wang says. Her parents wanted her to become a doctor, so in an act of rebellion, she chose to pursue art. Wang studied interior and spatial design in high school, and later applied to HDK School of Design and Crafts in Göthenburg, Sweden, where she recently completed her degree.
“Creating art is a sort of therapy for yourself, a message you want to tell, and fun,” Wang says. “It makes me feel good.” As for where she’ll land in the creative sphere, she’s hoping to keep her focus broad. “Ideally I want to focus on all of these things forever,” Wang says. “Maybe someday I’ll have to pick just one.”
Tiffany Jow is a writer living in New York. You can follow her at @TiffanyJow![]()
Check out the Opening Ceremony
Free to interpret the prompt however she wanted, Wang delivered a set of far-out images filled with her signature textured surfaces and geometric shapes, most of which have reflective surfaces that depict another angle of their surroundings. “I wanted to invite the viewer to associate freely—whether it’s memories of their own or imaginations of whom the owner of the shoe might be,” Wang says. OC’s Slip-On Platform Sneakers and knee-high boots look right at home amidst her set-like environments, which are in fact quite personal: “Aesthetically, they’re a mix of things,” Wang says. “A little bit of myself and my childhood, Opening Ceremony, and a pinch of Sottsass.”
The illustrations are constructed using a software program called MODO, which she discovered in college. Keen to teach herself how to digitally model, Wang began using MODO as a tool to create things other than school assignments. She’d challenge herself to model weird forms, materials, and foliage—anything that’d pop into her head. “I’m mostly just playing around,” Wang says. “But once I get started, I don’t want to stop.”
Like her digital creations, Wang’s world is chock-full of sampling: she’s currently interning at architecture and design firm Studio David Thulstrup, and sharpening her skills in industrial, graphic, and spatial design, as well as visual art. For her, this diverse output is a natural means to an end. “I lack patience, and I also really like experimenting,” she explains. “I also feel like I have to constantly try new things to keep stimulating my creativity.” Her design process echoes her fast-and-loose M.O.: She starts by sketching but quickly dives into the making process, getting her hands dirty and figuring a design out as she goes along.
Growing up in a tiny Swedish town, Wang didn’t have any major art world influencers. “Art was not a subject we spoke of at home,” Wang says. Her parents wanted her to become a doctor, so in an act of rebellion, she chose to pursue art. Wang studied interior and spatial design in high school, and later applied to HDK School of Design and Crafts in Göthenburg, Sweden, where she recently completed her degree.
“Creating art is a sort of therapy for yourself, a message you want to tell, and fun,” Wang says. “It makes me feel good.” As for where she’ll land in the creative sphere, she’s hoping to keep her focus broad. “Ideally I want to focus on all of these things forever,” Wang says. “Maybe someday I’ll have to pick just one.”
Tiffany Jow is a writer living in New York. You can follow her at @TiffanyJow
Check out the Opening Ceremony