Copenhagen Fashion Week: Material trends for AW15
|February 4th, 2015
|9:00 AM
Lucky enough to have a royal family to call their own, an event in Denmark knows it's hit it big when the crowned Princess Mary responds 'yes' to an invitation and turns up to see what's going on. It was Copenhagen Fashion Week's privilege to seat the Australian-born Danish princess front row at random intervals of the three-day schedule. Joining a crowd of fashion editors and buyers, Princess Mary was one of many spectators eager to see what luxury furs, skins and wools the Scandinavian design pack was to about to give out to keep warm in AW15.
- Mark Kenly Domino TanEstablished in 2012, Tan made Princess Mary feel at home with sculptural tailoring in mid-century elegance and silhouettes (think Dior). Known for his use of surprising materials, the designer radicalised animal hide, sourcing Greenlandic sealskin, before re-conditioning it to look in dual-angled textures. The skin was sometimes glossy like mink on coats, the other times chunky like rough wool for knitwear. Tan continued with the aesthetic of heavy interior fabrics (where he usually links up with textile house Kvadrat) in a bid to set an I-love-ugly trend for AW15. “Maybe a bit ugly in the right constellation—perfect but not perfect,” he told reporters.2. Asgur Juel LarsenDanish menswear designer Asgur Juel Larsen launched a subcultural vibe for AW15, offering anarchic Victorian gents (and some ladies too) in relaxed tailoring from the his Hotel D’Angleterre show. Old-world outerwear dominated the looks, enflamed by faux furs in graffiti motifs. Floral camouflage prints on wool overcoats added to the amped-up streetwear feel. Other fabric tricks displayed by the Men's International Woolmark Prize 2015 finalist included embossed, suede-utilitarian outfits, pairing off against neon red skull embroidery on overcoats, and gold-foil leather trenches. Danish royal red ended the collection more in tune to winter hues, with rough wool fibers twisting their way over roll-neck, long line jackets and sweaters.3. Freya DalsjöDesign newcomer, Freya Dalsjö, who studied at Antwerp’s Royal Academy of Fine Arts, opened her show with a film, outlining the procedures of her textural fabric work and constructed fur pieces. Using splice manufacturing (the process of cutting fabric across its width and overlapping layers in between the two ends of a lay) fur coats came in mink, leather, Mongolian lamb, and broadtail revealing pleated backs tucked-in by stylized bulldog clips. bold colours and lines rounded out Dalsjö architectural approach to craftsmanship for AW15.4. Maikel Tawadros Maikel Tawadros presented a collection of asymmetry, with rocked-up layered looks and mixed fabric combinations. The label is synonymous with textured leather, wool, as well as sleek silks and soft jersey. Entitled 'Nomad', standout pieces included a woolen knitted sweater dress with dip-hem that trailed behind and a longline black overcoat with voluminous fur sleeves. Meanwhile, sheer shoulder pieces in tulle added a royal elegance to monochrome black outfits. In true Tawadros style the collection, "struck a balance between rigid architectural shapes and genteel natural fabric."