Collection Reviews

How is a normal day like in the life of Danish sensation Henrik Vibskov?

Right now its Saturday…I’m sitting in a tour bus on the way to Pukkel Pop music festival in Belgium; tomorrow lowlands festival in Holland and then we hit Denmark on Monday morning and I will go to the
design studio since I’ve just done the ss08 collection which started with the Paris show so have get ready for a new collection . I’m going on a worldwide tour with Trentemøller this autumn going to the US, Australia, and Europe, so I’m pretty busy.

How do you feel about the press calling you the new Danish sensation or being the center of attention at the Copenhagen fashion week?

First of all, I wouldn’t call me new any more but yeah fine with me anyway…
Copenhagen fashion week is clean and structured so I like the fact that I can "pump up
the jam" a little

Have you ever felt awkwardly special when you presented your spring line for
the second time and still got as many ovations as the first time?

hmmmm do sure I understand i think was my 12th-13th collection
……hmmmm?????????

[I was referring to his spring 08 line, but unfortunately he didn’t get it]

Which are the basic concepts behind the ''fantabulous fantasy bicycle music factory''? How did you come up with the ideas for the show? Are you really ''that'' related to music?

The installation is a mix of 2 thoughts , bicycles generating music and a frame structure with the colors light pink and a ultra marine blue, then mixed together. I would say more just watch pictures and sound on my website…

Does your current aesthetic reflect your current personal taste or look?

Yes…you haven’t seen a picture of me ahhhh...hihi

Which individuals, movements or others influenced you during the
> process of designing the spring line? Video games?

mmmmnn videogames…is more a blowup digitalized artwork with influences from South America, a bit of s Scottish man look, many colors which i like and big raincoats and a lot more…

Do you think that at one point your pixilated t-shirts will become a ''huge'' hot selling item?

Maybe…that would be could nice ahh

Do you think that some other Danish designers envy your success?

They better do .,,. we have to move forward

How do you see yourself in 5 years? Do you think that you will be designing more lines or a separate Label by that time?

I’m fine like it is right now…but maybe some more Henrik Vibskov stores around the world

Can you predict how the predominant fashion aesthetic will be in 5
years?

Green life

Have you already started working on your fall line? If so, which are going to be the main pieces, styles or colors?

Not yet…sorry

Are you happy with how things are working for you right now?

Yes, I’m a little too busy though with the music tour and so.

Photo source and rights: Nina Strand.

It’s midday, I send an email to Adam. He is in New York and I’m in Argentina - we are very far apart. I’m working, he is working. We are both workaholics.

A few minutes go by and he replies. We are finally ready to start the interview.

Adam Spagnolo is his name and I wrote an entry about his fall menswear line very recently. His work features masculine, yet finely tailored pieces. He aspires to satisfy every men’s fashion necessity - specially those which include dressing up.

And so the interview begins.

Adam, let me start by saying we are thrilled to have you here. Tell me a bit of where you are right now and how is an ordinary day of yours. Does your life currently revolve around fashion? I mean would you define yourself as a total workaholic

Today, like most days, I was up very early working on my line. Doing what I can to get my name out there. Ordinarily my thoughts are thoroughly focused on developing my label. To say that my life revolves around fashion is an understatement. My life is fashion. It's what motivates me. Workaholic? Yes.

And that's the key for creating a successful line I believe. How long do you think it will take you to construct your ideal company?

In five years, I hope I've obtained a few things. I want a strong reputation, I of course want to be in business and if I'm lucky I'll have a team that enjoys working with me. That would be ideal.

Beyond that, and I think most designers would agree, this is something I want to do for the rest of my life. In an industry that's constantly changing, ideally you will adapt and move forward

I must admit Adam, that you are heavily loaded with passion. It’s amazing how you manage to transmit your emotions, it's delightful to hear you. And do you see yourself designing several lines including an accessories collection and others by that time?

That would be nice, but I can't get ahead of myself. First, I need sales. That's what is important to me right now.

Intelligent move. So you say that men are looking for a way to dress up without relying on old guard ideas; what things have led you to believe that?

That comes from two things. It's both a reflection of my personal taste and also a reflection of where the market is going. For young guys my age, lately they've been stuck wearing t-shirts and jeans. Especially in cities like New York, where dress codes at work are much more lax, it's easy to fall into that rut. Fortunately for menswear, there's a crop of highly talented young designers who are reinterpreting what it means to dress up. I, myself, have always loved a good suit and embrace the opportunity to recreate what has long been the backbone of a man's wardrobe.

That's very true; I mean New York has lately been missing that sartorial flavor

Your line is very masculine yet youthful; what elements do you believe to be essential when trying to evoke your fashion principles?

Absolutely my silk fly front. Yes, it's masculine and youthful, but it's also so much more. It's so versatile. I could easily fit that item into so many different types of wardrobes. Typically my look changes drastically from season to season, and having an item like that just eases the transition.It makes things easier. Dare I say, it becomes a bit of a signature.

Superb, silk is an extraordinary fabric. Which designers or artists are you influenced by?

My inspiration never comes from just one source, I just pay attention to what's in front of me and look for ways to incorporate.

Have you already started working for your fall 08 collection? Which pieces, styles or colors do you think that will be essential next season?

I have started sketching my next collection, but I'm not giving anything away just yet. You'll just have to wait and see haha

Is there anything in particular that you would like say about yourself regarding your work?

I'm self taught, and very fortunate that I've met people who are willing to help me along the way.

For more information and availability, go to www.adamspagnolo.com

Martin Margiela is one of the few designers who has a very defined aesthetic, you can easily tell when is a Margiela look and when is not - no matter how casual or ordinary it might seem at first. But his pieces do not always exude the Margiela style when worn separately. And that’s not exactly bad. Therefore I thought it would be good to write about one exclusive item of his latest menswear collection, and for such task I’ve chosen the green pants.

Over the last couple of seasons, we have seen colorful pants - specially in the women selection. And green has been one of the most used colors, but most of the times these colorful pants were jeans. I cannot recall seeing a candid colorful pant like the ones I’m talking about that wasn’t made of denim.

On his new collection, Martin Margiela includes a extremely nice pair of green cotton pants which seem perfectly appropriate for his style. You would think that they would serve as a complementary item, but it’s the other way around. It’s what you wear when using it, that complements the green pants. Instead of being just a nice looking item, they are the nucleus of an outfit.

The other great thing of these pants is that they are very easy to pull off. Meaning that you can look different and original without feeling nervous or wearing something that actually does not fit you. I strongly believe that these pants should be an essential item in any men’s wardrobe. They will boost your self-confidence, they will make you look good, and you will be wearing Margiela.

As I finished writing the entry about Stockholm’s fashion week, I couldn’t do anything but search for the new Swedish label that is heating up the scene. My search didn’t last long, and the results were great. Obscur is the name and it has androgyny written all over it.

For those of you who like the Ann D. type of aesthetic, Obscur will rapidly become one of your favorite brands. It portrays the same type of moody style that Ann D, but it’s more structured - very light, but remarkably tailored.

There isn’t too much to say about Obscur’s designer background - mainly because I don’t know who it is. His work seems very appropriate for the current time and I love the fact that he tried to add more “pieces” to the androgynous formula. Besides the skinny pants, the obscure palette, and the long light-weight jackets, he also included tall rubber boots in his menswear line. And I swear that wearing rubber black boots with skinny jeans will be one of the upcoming trends next season. Seriously, mind my words because you won’t be able to find a pair of these boots in all Scandinavia.

We’re accustomed to see great things coming from Europe or the US, and we never really pay attention to other designers coming from diverse parts of the globe. But there are truly talented designers across the world which are relatively unknown when they shouldn‘t. There are of course some exceptions to the “rule”, such as Alexandre Herchcovitch from Brazil or Carolina Herrera from Venezuela, but generally we have no clue about what is going on in other regions of the world. Today, hoping to amuse you with new labels from around the globe, I present a label called Material Boy which comes directly from Australia.

Material Boy is a label who appeared as an ex-pro surfer called Mic Eaton launched it in 2003 in Perth, Australia. Its debut in the local fashion caused quite the stir and critics defined the label as ground braking. It’s not completely unknown outside Australia since a couple of Retailers in Los Angeles sell his designs as well as a major boutique in London; but it’s minuscule compared to the size of “company” we usually deal with.

Material Boy’s fall-winter 07 collections features a great use of candid colors, creating eccentric hoodies and other cotton pieces, low-crotched slim pants, and a great deal of juvenility. His low-crotched slim pants are a signature piece, and were always present since the label appeared - today they are present in gray and blue. Apart from the low-crotched pants, Mic Eatong also included super skinny tights on his new line. These are the most savvy item of the season, because they are not only a hard to wear garments but they are also multicolored in some cases. And that’s something Mic loves to do: deeply mixing colors. For fall 07, Mic did not only present multicolored hoodies, but very nicely “fitted” sneakers as well.

I believe that this is his most approachable line to date, since others featured more wacky garments and a heavier use of color - and trust me on this one because do you know on what he based his Fall 06 collection? Super Mario Bros