Erik Charlotte VonSosen is a womenswear designer based in Los Angeles, California.

I first learned to sew at 15 years old, when my grandmother taught me how to operate the machine. Nine years later, I still spend hours in front of the very same machine. Aside from the basics that my grandmother taught me as a teenager, every skill I’ve learned about designing, patterning, and sewing has come from dissecting the garments in the world around me and endless trial and error.

As a designer, I love creating extreme silhouettes with structural corsetry and layering gathered fabrics. I’m enthralled by volume and proportions, as much of my work reflects a juxtaposition of rigid structure and negative space formed by steel-boned corsets, and near-uncontrollable explosions of volume with bubble skirts, tulle, and gathered ruffles. My work aims to capture a delicate and fleeting vision of femininity, fragility, sensuality, and strength through the lens of my experience as a transsexual woman. I’m informed by a romantic view of the world where everything has the capacity to be beautiful. I’m inspired by architecture, video game characters, the sea, anatomy, and my loved ones.

As a person, I love playing Pokémon, collecting vintage lingerie, and listening to electronic R&B music. I’m passionate about transgender advocacy and learning about everything I possibly can. I get excited for any event that gives me an opportunity to dress up. My favorite fabrics at the moment are taffeta, twill, and brocade. I’m currently listening to a lot of Kelela, Perfume, and Amy Winehouse.