On the eve of New York Fashion Week, I am still mulling over a number of collections I saw in Denmark, which seem to me to speak to larger narratives in fashion. There continues to be a lot of buzz around menswear, which is in the midst of an exciting evolution and expansion. This category was in the spotlight at Copenhagen Fashion Week, especially in the collections of Nordic talent; Schnayderman’s from Sweden, Latimmier from Finland, as well as Denmark’s own P. L. N.
Experience: Schnayderman’s
It’s apt that Schnayderman’s creative director Hampus Bernhoff used time as his theme this spring, because the brand, founded a decade ago in Stockholm, seemed to come of age this season. Launched as a shirt company with a penchant for artist collaborations, Schnayderman’s has slowly expanded its offerings, and now it feels like a youth-focused denim brand. With its first physical show, Schnayderman’s reset the clock, as it were, on that perception. The collection consisted of twelve looks, one for each hour on the face of a clock, as indicated by the number badges each model wore. To further drive the point home, for the finale, they each took their place on a backwards running clock. the models wore. The opening look played with the idea of the classic button down, but also with shirting fabric which was richly draped; what followed were hipster takes on a casual wardrobe for a modern man, a mix of sporty and office-ready keepers.
This fresh vision comes from a designer with many years of experience. A graduate of Central Saint Martins, Bernhoff previously worked with Kelly Wearstler and Elizabeth and James, as well as spending four years at Acne Studios, which has become a training ground for many talented designers. Increasingly we are seeing designers who have been working in the industry branch out in new directions, a reminder that when we are talking about emerging talent, we’re not just talking about age, but new platforms of expression.
