25/08/2014

Freya Dalsjø – On the Edge

For up-and-coming designer Freya Dalsjø, things have been moving like a clockwork. After graduating from the Antwerp Royal Academy of Fine Arts she launched – in June 2012 – her own brand Freya Dalsjø, and was given the honor of opening Copenhagen Fashion Week. Since then, Freya Dalsjø has been described as a fashion innovator always bringing a bold statement to the runway. Numerous collaborations with designers in Denmark have been made, including Kopenhagen Fur and Nørgaard på Strøget. Her design and innovative skill has given her recognition both nationally and internationally; most recently the young designer was nominated for the Dansk Design Talent Award.

Over the years, Freya Dalsjø has shown diversity in her work. In her AW13 collection the feel was quite dark and futuristic. Women were presented as very confident and seductive – almost untouchable – with neoprene, leather and fur as well as exaggerated shoulders as the main component, creating a very postmodern look. For SS14 it was as if the women had been lifted into a more serene state. The reference to the 1990s was there in silky slip dresses, as well as that to Eastern culture, with layered effects, draping, boxy shapes and superb use of color. For AW14, an architectural touch was introduced as a compliment to the layering, with the use of color-blocking remaining untouched in order to create unique prints and mix of materials to add dimension to the garment. It built a modern take on the 1960s, with several minimalistic pieces creating both staples and stand outs for the Scandinavian winter. When witnessing Freya Dalsjø SS15 collection there was a clear range of know-how and talent being demonstrated. Draping, structured pieces and many more elements caught the eye: laid back colorful elegance at its best, making you long for spring.

Freya Dalsjø isn’t simply a designer caught in the moment, her design has an eclectic element that invokes a thought process in the viewer and brings forth the notion that a woman who wears Freya Dalsjø doesn’t just use clothes as a mere reflection of herself but as a way of framing herself: the surroundings and feelings of a woman are capsulated into the act of dressing.

Victoria Edman 
Share: Facebook,  Twitter  
04/02/2013

COPENHAGEN FASHION WEEK AW13

COPENHAGEN FASHION WEEK AW13

Last week’s fashion happenings took place in the north and The Blogazine went from Stockholm to Copenhagen and crowded with the other 60 000 guests dressed to shield from the January cold.

Despite the large differencies in collections and style, there were some trends, from colours to details and techniques, that was shown repeatedly. Just like in the pre-season collections, the emerald felt somewhat like a key colour on the somber palette. Cut-outs, geometric shapes and graphic prints were other apparent elements, defining the simple silhouettes and often very wearable collections.

Last year’s opening act, Freya Dalsjø showed another confident collection for Autumn/Winter 2013 and had collaborated with Kopenhagen Fur, unexpectedly mixing this debated material with neoprene. In knits, we watched Gaia’s simple yet statuesque silhouettes, rich colour palette and mix between large and heavy to the finest loops. Vivienne Westwood, old in the game but new among the shows on the CPHFW schedule, was one of the highlights for the Danes with guests.

Another established designer celebrated her 10 years anniversary by throwing a real play: at the Royal Theatre, among crystal chandeliers and champagne, opera glasses and a personal letter from the designer in our hands, the By Marlene Birger show was one big celebration. Starting out rather expected, she ended with a ‘grand final’ of statement pieces.


Expectations, even though in another sense, was also the subject for the young designer Stine Riis. Having won the H&M Design Award 2012 as well as collaborating with the Italian high-end store Luisa Via Roma, no one expected less one year later. She delivered a put-together collection with a colour palette in harmony with both the inspiration and the season, confirming the standing point of her brand R II S. “The fall season certainly is my comfort zone and with this collection I feel that it all came together”, the designer told The Blogazine after the show. On the menswear side, Han Kjøbenhavn had gattered every cool kid in town in an old school gym hall and presented a complete men’s wardrobe. The collection managed to stay whole, even though showing a range of outfits from lazy Sunday’s to more dressed up occasions.

During CPH fashion week several buyer’s fairs attract the international audience, and as a growing segment of the business, a whole area was dedicated to that fashion that we don’t always pay much attention to: children’s wear. To widen the views, The Blogazine paid a visit to the kid’s area and attended the Noa Noa Miniature show, where we found ourselves in a fairyworld of smiles and joy.

On a 45-show schedule there are a lot that one could bring up to light: the Desingers’ Nest Award (rewarding especially skillful design students) collaborating with Honest by, the new model regulations and another 2 600 brands attending northern Europe’s largest fashion festival, to name but a few. Scandinavia continues to contribute with an interesting point of view, different from what we might see at the upcoming weeks in London, Paris and Milan.

Lisa Olsson Hjerpe – Image courtesy of Copenhagen Fashion Week®

Share: Facebook,  Twitter  
09/08/2012

Copenhagen Fashion Week: Democratic Design

Copenhagen Fashion Week: Democratic Design

Scandinavian fashion has since long been on The Blogazine’s radar, and yesterday we went to Denmark for the inaugural of Copenhagen Fashion Week. Together with the three fairs, which will also take place during the week, the audience in Copenhagen can go from commercial looks to designers that are pushing the boundaries. Though, Scandinavian fashion might rather be known for being ‘democratic’ than avant-garde. During our first day of shows we saw adaptable collections of fine Scandinavian design and ended our day on a rooftop in the meatpacking district of Copenhagen.


The honours of doing the official opening show was given to Freya Dalsjö, the designer hailing from the Antwerp Royal Academy of Fine Arts and known for uniting fashion with art. The models were walking the runway to the rhythm of a heavy beat and in company of an army, a video projected to the backdrop. The powerful yet simple looks draw attention to military shapes in both sun visors and garments, and presented the attention to details in the cuts and concord of colours. From Freya Dalsjö’s Scandinavian commanding simplicity, to Stine Ladefoged‘s detailed and playful knits. The work between heavy and fine gauges was creating interesting silhouettes, shaping and volume.

From two fairly powerful shows to the most innocent one of the day; YDE. With the show being held outside in a beautiful courtyard and light, romantic and sensual yet glamorous, looks in colours going from soft yellow and green to strong pinks and lilac, the inspiration wasn’t to be mistaken. “I was very much inspired by flowers and wanted to create a sort of Garden of Eden,” the designer Ole Yde told the Blogazine after the show. YDE makes, beside the regular prêt-à-porter collections, also custom made pieces. “I have to emphasize that what we do is not haute couture, it’s something completely different. We create one of a kind pieces for special customers, but it can be anything from a day dress to evening wear, the important is that we make them feel good and comfortable.”


From the light and glamour, back to a dark collection at David Andersen. Both the men’s and women’s collections were carried out on the runway, and the similarities in the shapes in between were present. Tailcoat cuts, layers and material mixes presented in clean silhouettes where a little sequins, shimmer and sparks brought a pleasant life to the otherwise dark collection. The evening’s crowd pleaser came in Wackerhaus, who filled the house to the brim and presented an astonishing collection where the ‘wearability’ went from day to evening. Despite a long day behind us, we couldn’t miss the Henrik Vibskov show, which was a performance of its own, and where the graphic prints were carried out by models whose ebony skin colour brought an effective contrast to the vivid colours.

For the evening’s final stop, The Blogazine went to the meatpacking district and Soho House rooftop for Hubert‘s show with a live musical performance and models in slow motion. A collection where all the impressions of the day came together and confirmed the Scandinavian S/S 13.


Lisa Olsson Hjerpe – Image courtesy of COPENHAGEN FASHION WEEK®.

Share: Facebook,  Twitter