Karolin Lysén Wins NK Young Talent by Beckmans with a Celebration of Modern Femininity

When Karolin Lysén was named this year’s NK Young Talent, it marked the culmination of a lifelong passion for fashion, craftsmanship and femininity. Drawing inspiration from childhood fantasies of bows, glitter and ruffles, the Beckmans graduate transformed nostalgic symbols into a confident celebration of womanhood, earning recognition for a collection that combines couture-inspired construction with a deeply personal story.

Ulrika Lindqvist: Congratulations on winning the NK Young Talent award, what are your initial feelings?

Karolin Lysén: I was completely shocked. This was something I really wanted to win, but I didn’t dare let myself hope for it – I didn’t want to think too highly of myself. So when it happened it just felt incredibly meaningful. Getting recognition for all the hard work, and knowing that something I created and truly stand behind resonated with someone else – that feeling was just extraordinary.

UL: Please tell me a bit of your backstory, what did you study or work with before getting accepted to Beckmans?

KL: I’ve wanted to be a designer ever since I was a child. As a child I was always drawing, and my grandmother taught me to sew – we made clothes for my Barbies together, and that’s really where it all started. But over the years I lost sight of that dream and tried to follow a more academic path. It wasn’t until I started making disco dance costumes that the feeling came back, and I understood that this was what I really wanted to do. At 23 I made the decision to go all in – I moved from Östersund to Stockholm, started at Tillskärarakademin and then continued at Beckmans.

UL: What initially drew you to the fashion industry?

KL: It was never really a conscious choice – it was more like something I kept coming back to no matter what. The joy of creating clothes, the craft behind a well-constructed garment, the way what you wear can make you feel. I’ve always been drawn to couture and the kind of detailed, considered construction that makes something truly extraordinary. That’s what pulls me in.

UL: What is your inspiration behind your designs and this collection in particular?

KL: This collection starts in my childhood. I used to draw myself in big princess dresses filled with bows, glitter and ruffles – a fantasy world where everything could be beautiful, playful and free. As a child my dream was to be a princess. Today my dream is to be a confident woman, and it’s in that shift that the whole collection lives. I took those childhood elements – the bow, the glitter, the ruffle – and gave them a new role. They’re no longer decorations from a girlhood dream, but design elements that highlight the feminine silhouette and put the woman’s body at the centre.

UL: Can you share some insights into your creative process?

KL: This is honestly the hardest question for me to answer, because for me it’s almost entirely instinct. The process always starts with finding a concept – and I can’t tell you when it comes or how it comes. What I can say is that my inspiration tends to come from things that bring me joy. A film I love, a song, an experience – or in this case, my childhood. But wherever it comes from, I need to feel genuinely excited by it. When I find a concept I really connect with, images start forming in my head almost immediately.

Then I sketch. A lot. The goal is to find that first silhouette that feels right for the concept – and when I find it, I pin it to the wall. That sketch becomes my anchor, and I keep sketching from there. I can generate an enormous amount of drawings at that stage, and most of them get thrown away. I repeat that process until I know what I actually want to create.

After that comes the material – and a lot of that evolves throughout the process. Things keep happening and changing all the way through the toile stage. It’s never fully resolved until it’s done.

UL: What are your core values as a designer?

KL: Craft, femininity and confidence. I want to create clothes that feel considered and well-made, that celebrate the female silhouette, and that give the woman wearing them a sense of ownership – over how she looks and how she feels. Clothes that let her take up space.

UL: What was the biggest challenge creating this collection?

KL: Time, without a doubt. I felt like I was fighting the clock the entire way through. And then there was the moment I ran out of fabric – I’d bought deadstock silk taffeta and it simply ran out before I was finished. I went back to the supplier and they had a tiny piece left, and it was exactly – exactly – enough to complete the collection. 

UL: What can we expect from you in the near future?

KL: I live very much in the present, and right now I’m exactly where I want to be – working as a junior designer at H&M, being part of a team and learning every day. I love the collaborative side of fashion and that’s what I’m focused on right now. As for what comes next, I’m keeping an open mind. But I’m not in a rush – I’m happy to be here.