Bio
KATE LINSTROM GREW UP IN OMAHA, in a home with six other siblings--each of whom possesses a unique and often-colorful personality. Her parents repurposed everyday objects to make them function in a creative and useful way for their sprawling family. She was particularly influenced by her older sister's love for painting and drawing, leading her to develop and refine her own artistic skills.
Kate studied art and psychology at the University of Kansas. Upon graduating in 2000 she traveled throughout Europe, visiting 14 different countries. The first two months were spent
traveling with her older sister, a contemporary artist who was determined to visit a handful of museums and art galleries in every city they visited. She then moved to New York City and worked at Sotheby's, the world-renowned auction house. Attending gallery openings and receptions in the art world, she found the edgy and creative fashion as fascinating as the art on view. Inspired by the individual expression she observed and the need to express her own creativity, Kate started taking night classes at the Fashion Institute of
Technology. From Sotheby's she went on to manage a private contemporary art collection, while continuing her formal education in fashion design.In 2003 Kate spent two months in an orphanage in Kenya, followed by a month in Paris living in a studio by the Arc d'Triomphe. It was during this fateful summer that her vision was formed. Kate's label, objets trouvès (French for "found objects") draws its inspiration from the beautiful vintage objects she discovered in the flea markets of Paris and the creative ways in which her African friends found objects and gave them a new life.
She designs for women who are romantic, adventurous, humorus and most of all, themselves.
Each wearer is meant to find her own way to wear the garment and give it a unique history.
Silk-screened within each garment is a "lost object"--a secret hidden from view and to be
discovered, ensuring that each piece is as unique as the wearer.