Young costume designer Dainius Bendikas is a gifted storyteller by way of his whimsical collections.   Each piece is exquisitely handcrafted, bringing a very “sculpted” look to Bendikas’ aesthetic… and they are certainly original. 
Bendikas studied costume design in Lithuania at the Vilnius Art Academy where he presented various collections on an international stage by way of festivals and fashion competitions, as well as a few personal exhibitions.  In January of 2010 Bendikas traveled to Iceland to participate in a student exchange program.  While in Reykjavik, Bendikas completed an internship with Israeli designer Sruli Recht.

His time spent in Reykjavik proved to bring great inspiration.  In fact, it was the environment of Iceland itself that brought about the concept for his most recent menswear collection “Since Motion is All.”  The young designer’s creative process usually takes route in his surroundings, studying the affect they have on his emotions, and from there he creates; “Experience and influence of nature around Iceland face the feeling, which later converted to abstract emotion, which lead to costumes.”

Bendikas creates a story behind each collection and in this case the men who would wear his pieces are meant to evoke the feeling of “a motley crew composed of elements of diverse or varied characters” in a forever changing world.  His designs bring the words resourceful or ‘functional” to mind, each piece an intricately crafted part of a larger story.

The true joy, according to Bendikas, is in the process of creating his collections.  He gets caught up in the whimsy and fantasy of the characters and stories that become the framework for each design.  “I’ve always seen costume as a shield guarding the inner world –we all have it, we all treasure it.  Then there’s the part where emotion comes to reality process of making and it’s the most important part, because when you make it whole particular emotions are flowing in the air and you feel like you are there, in that fiction.”

Bendikas is only in his early twenties, which means there are many more collections to come.  His fresh perspective and original style is one to keep on your radar and we look forward to many more of his fantasy-meets-science-fiction costume collections.  That is, right after he completes his final year of his BA studies.