Ephemera

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Fashion

Copenhagen Fashion Week SS24: The Dawn of a Sweet, Subversive Seam

August 11, 2023

With major outpours and windswept gowns in lieu of Denmark’s balmy summer months, there’s something else that changed the atmosphere within the Nordics and, in particular, at Copenhagen Fashion Week. Danish culture is not one to aim for confinement, as its neighboring regions — namely, the Finnish and Swedish — joined in seamless fashion this week, nurturing a genuine allyship by bringing a wealth of creativity to the fore. On the political front, however, as a result of Russia’s war with Ukraine, both Finland and Sweden broke a neutrality tracing back over two centuries, fusing with the NATO alliance this summer. And I cannot help but wonder: was the energy felt in Denmark some emotive antidote of sorts, convertible into fear, affection or fellowship?

The questions rise, scenarios evolve, and new circumstances reach new peaks. But this week, dramatic downturns shined a light on positive fashion. From Ballroom moments at Latimmer, heartfelt euphoria at Nicklas Skovgaard and crime scene energy at PLN, all kinds of synergies were indeed felt. Below, office gives you the lowdown you needed, on a season that juxtaposed subtlety and all-out subversiveness. You’re welcome.

Text by Vilda Krog
Photo credits throughout

A Roege Hove SS24

If one imagines Scandinavian knits, Amalie Røge Hove’s skintight creations are barely what first comes to mind, at least not a few seasons ago. Through her unorthodox approach, the young designer has successfully carved out her signature, and managed to turn the concept of knitwear into a much broader universe. Hove’s technique allows her designs to welcome all sizes: each garment stretches, thus putting individuality at the forefront of her creations. As for this season, the collection was introduced to the sound of an airplane taking off, a busy sidewalk buzzing in the background, possibly from a capital bigger than Copenhagen. Tonal boldness was present, and worked well: lime green, soft pink, and orange dressed the female silhouettes, stepping outside of Hove’s neutral spectrum.

PLN SS24

Being criticized for the overwhelming darkness of last season’s presentation, this invitation kindly prepared us for its complete opposite: “WEAR YOUR SUNGLASSES,” it asked, and the crowd did as they were told. Luckily, one might say, for the almost surgical lighting of Nikolaj Kunsthal situated as an extension of the church, would have left one blind. At least now the audience only left death, as the sound, created by artist Sausha De La Ossa, was bone-chilling. The collection was mostly black, with some dashes of silver, but sometimes an all pink, beige, or purple look punctuated the line up allowing the crowd to catch some well needed air. Shoulders were big and wide – made of caps – and denim were long and perfectly loose fit.Yet the creatures were not convicted to death, rather to the truth. Through his designs Nielses seeks companionship by disrupting the notions of what's considered normal. What is more real, reality or the absurd? One only finds out if the person manages to find themself first, the designer argues. And as the show came to an end, perhaps Nielsen reached his state of sobriety, for just as his NT colleague – Nicklas Skovgaard – closed his presentation earlier that day; with an all white, yet not all virgin, version of a bride, so did PLN, too.

Henrik Vibskov SS24

A question more relevant today than ever, yet one which Henrik Vibskov victoriously has unfolded via his unconventional ways of thinking for over two decades is: what is the role of a creative director today? Since graduating from Central Saint Martins in 2001, Vibskovs practice has continued to span an eclectic range of creative disciplines. Confronting the conservative ways of thinking, consequences led him to compose a universe of his own, and this Wednesday evening at the Design Museum of Denmark, we were once again invited to take a trip with his spaceship. As unpredictable as the outcome of any millionaire-moon-travel, all the audience knows when it comes to Vibskov, is to expect the unexpected. The Unboxing Waltz Tutorial, the waltzy whirls were crosscut with the freestyle by MC Jahmarl Crick, aka KyleLondonnn, whose lyrics propelled the energy from slow and subtle to eccentric and electric. All very Vibskov. The idea of boxing, as an athletic practice, was further articulated through the collection, as there were deconstructed gloves transformed into barbaric hats, shoes that came padded around the ankle, and beautiful low-waisted structures. Patterns were mixed, matched and layered on top of each other, while lace hoodies were styled either underneath blazers or sweatshirts. Textures traveled from light to heavy and the collection carried a bold color seam. Thus, not only as a creative director, but as an artist, it perfectly aligns with the approach Vibskov has been practicing since his dawn as a designer, the one which the industry is now following along with.

Fashion

On AI, Change and the Modern Resonance of Inclusion: GANNI SS24

August 10, 2023

Scandi girls gone partying? Well, hey, anything goes. Ditte Reffstrup was picturing modern-girls roaming in fuss-free ensembles for Spring, but, she was quick to note, she’s not one for philosophical fantasies when inspirations are concerned. “I wanted us to really push ourselves this season, to see if we could create the most elevated GANNI looks we’ve ever done,” she detailed. Reffstrup is far from the only designer thinking about elegance and Nordic chic. The wild card in the mix was the futuristic influence, nodding to accessories inspired by AI — namely, terminator-like shades, subtly juxtaposed to a tailored and neat edge. It’s that whatever-clever naivetè to dress just as you please that got Reffstrup thinking: If Fall girls were to stick to a retro spirit, how could the Spring counterparts build into strong, modern twenty-first century women?

Text by Chidozie Obasi
Photos by James Cochrane

As the setting exalted the delicate wears on display, Reffstrup’s commitment to the heritage of Danish daywear yielded some solid looks, creating a lightness that has been missing from past seasons. There was a great emphasis on tailoring, admittedly, and a knitted dress that could easily move from day to night, showing a palate cleanser of a collection: textiles got sleeker this season with accentuated waistlines and fitted shoulders, while cut lines on jackets with an origami patterned feel were also standouts, teamed with pieces spliced together suiting checks for a playful twist on tradition. A tradition that finds fresh, inclusive ground, as the brand unveiled an impressive collaboration with model and diversity advocate Paloma Elsesser, who partnered to design a size inclusive range that champions the model's style and influential voice in the world of fashion. “Paloma is a dream girl,” cheerfully notes Reffstrup, explaining that, “Her style is unmatched and serves as such an inspiration to the industry and women around the world.”

After several seasons of frantic prints and bold designs, GANNI’s pared-back neutrals looked new; in particular, the earthy shades. Those came in striped-like cardigans and two-piece sets inspired by textured surfaces and the tactility of trees, taking form in a transparent, hooded dress silhouette adorned with draping on the hip and styled with matching pants. The ability to pull off, say, skin-tight volumes is no mean feat: but the GANNI girl knows a thing or two about marking edgy territory without falling into the banal. Cheeky! But then again, a chic-cheek feel might very well be what Reffstrup does best; there were minis rendered in black, encrusted with shimmering clusters of sequins, alternated by tailored black leather-like dresses with white contrast stitching and sequins bedecking a knitted dress. Also top notch: Western-inspired cowboy boots to bikers and slouchy pointy-toed knee-highs.

The brand is not for style amateurs who want to simply veer towards a minimal edge, but in the more digestible offerings one can find its price (albeit, there’s an extremely ample range to sample from). Perhaps Reffstrup’s smartest idea here was her play on casual femininity, pairing strict suiting, for instance, with a generously provocative, sensual leather accent. All in all, this was a strong and perky collection with a potent taste that had girls dancing to the sound of a bouncy beat, raising a glass to honor positive change. Cheers to that.

Fashion

Reward if Found

When fashion designer Mohamed Khattabi contemplated starting his own brand, these were some of the questions he asked himself. Used to seeing beautiful, exciting—new—things all the time on social media, he yearned for more than just mere replication. “How could what I make help people?” he asked. “How could I start a brand and maintain the motivation to go on and keep doing it with all that is present out there?”

Born in Tetouan Morocco—a small town next to Tangiers—Mohamed’s ten year sojourn in Paris has granted him a nuanced perspective on the shifting interplay of cultures, particularly in centralized hubs, like Paris, New York, or London. These crucibles are where immigrants balance what they know with what they learn, where countercultures emerge to antagonize established norms.

For years, Mohamed grappled with the question of migration and displacement, deciding how to best depict this through clothes and visuals. One day while browsing through the archive at the Fondazione Prada in Milan, he discovered Kurt Cobain’s rag-tag journal of song notes with the words “Reward if Found” scrawled across the front cover. To him, it was a fated discovery; he already planned to include Rif in the name of whatever project he started – after the mountains in Morocco where the country’s independence was forged – so naturally, Reward if Found fit seamlessly.

The brand, founded in 2020, is both self-actualization and transgression from the norm; a punk spirit imbues both its designs and its social advocacy. There are bubble tees with phrases like ‘end discrimination before it ends you,’ ‘down with this sort of thing’ and ‘who will?’; striped long-sleeve tops and camo iterations with ‘sex is good but have you tried fucking the system’ across them; more conceptualized garments like tartan bubble skirts, gelato fringe sweatshirts, moppy zip ups, and mermaid denim skirts.

Mohamed even partners with organizations like Famille Au Grand Coeur which welcomes, supports, and finds host families for LGBTQ+ individuals, asylum seekers, and refugees. He creates all of his patterns digitally, uses deadstock materials, and intentionally weaves a thread from one collection to the next. RiF is almost an homage to the world of fantasy of pioneers like Vivienne Westwood and Jeal Paul Gaultier and yet as contemporary as tried-and-true New York fairytales Vaquera and Eckhaus Latta. RiF transcends temporality, establishing a general feeling of belonging through interwoven cultural moments.

When Faisal reached out with the idea to bring Mohamed's creations to life with friend and photographer Marc Ludwigsen, we were all for it. The South Asian-French New Yorker, stylist and creative's project cements RiF in the downtown scene with a pictoral narrative that embodies the punk DIY spirit of the brand.

Faisal's cast, made up of friends that inspire him, is a window into the niche community that inhabits the lower part of Manhattan. In Faisal’s words, “the entire cast is true to their core, espousing and paying homage to various moments from the past, be they punk, New Romantic, indie eras, in line with the brand's ethos of disruption and migration. When we thought about the project and how and with whom we could shoot it, we didn't even really think about punk or music or transgression, it just sort of came together naturally.”

Sabina Sas, who introduced Faisal to the Tompkins, LES, and Chinatown music scenes – as committed as he to “reliving different eras, to camping the visuals of Nancy Spungen one day and Stevie Nicks the next.”

Charles “Bobo” Therese, a born-and-raised New Yorker who lives down the block from Faisal, and “inhabits today’s music scene so profoundly, with a strong nod to 70s visuals, like someone out of Rolling Stone profile from yesteryear.”

Rob Yaegar, a proud sex worker, writer and New Yorker who believes in his “ethical commitment to serving others, creativity, meditation and compassion, all while living outside convention.”