The size and energy of the crowd at Henrik Vibskov’s show was like that at a concert. He’s the OG of the Copenhagen scene, a man who has always gone his own way, and who regularly applies his creative mind to projects outside of fashion. At the end of last year the new King and Queen (then the Crown Prince couple) presented him with the Kronprinsparrets Priser culture award for being “a shining example of a designer who masters a variety of disciplines and dares to challenge them.”
His fall show was a good demonstration of that. Vibskov has created inflatable costumes for a performance of Flammenwerfer (Flame Thrower) in Malmö this spring, and dancers wearing them appeared on a set consisting of doors with round windows from which were pulled long drapes of pink fabric, putting the title of the collection, The Daily Chewing Gum Therapy Session, into context.
The contextual framework for the season was arrived at during a company meeting at which the topic under discussion was dream work scenarios. One of the suggestions was daily therapy sessions. “I think everything at the moment is super fragile,” the designer related, and one reaction to that is therapy of all sorts; using light, working with animals, playing games, handicraft. In Vibskov’s case it is chewing nicotine gum. “Is it addiction, or is it therapy?” he wondered aloud.
For fall Vibskov remains hooked on some familiar silhouettes. As usual, his fabrics changed more than his basic shapes. Also as usual, his fabrics were carefully developed; some, like a chess game jacquard, were inspired by the theme. Vibskov cuts a great coat and jacket and those in a heavy houndstooth grid were notable. Flannel-like plaids had an outdoorsy-meets-cozy vibe, though knits were on the tame side. Womenswear is a more static category at the brand, so it was nice to see some experimentation with square-ish jackets inspired by paper folding. The contrast of sheer prints over solids was best on the final dress, which shimmered as the model walked.
While some exploration of silhouette would be welcome, the experience of a Vibskov show, and the takeaways, are always bigger than fashion. The designer is tuned into the state of the world and offers ideas, empathy, and fantasy as antidotes. Is fashion one too? “During the pandemic and after we’ve seen an explosion of creativity, people sitting at home doing stuff. Is it therapy? Maybe,” he mused. “The world’s so fragile, and it’s like, what can you do? You don’t really know, but individual needs are much easier to tackle. So you think, ‘Okay, I can’t do anything about the world or the environment and wars and people, but maybe I can take the smallest step, and that’s to work a bit with yourself.”
The way forward, Vibskov seems to be suggesting, is to go your own way and take care of yourself, and one way to do that, of course, is to dress to feel your best.
