In the mood of Henrik Vibskov: ‘inspiration for this collection included cement mixers and swimming pools’
Relaxnews: Is there a famous person, historical or contemporary, who could represent this new collection?
Henrik Vibskov: I haven’t really been focusing the collection around one specific role model, but more towards a visionary human being. It could be someone like a Mongolian monk left alone in the rainy mountains. The monk-like headpieces for this collection are strangely related to that character. On the graphic side, I have been inspired by water studies and how a human being acts around water. The structure in the styles relates to how waves act when they hit each other, and prints are inspired by a male figure just before he dips himself into the water. So reflections of water and body shapes naturally became a constant theme in the collection.
R: If you had to sum up your collection in just one key piece, which would you choose? Can you describe it? How would you accessorize the collection?
HV: Summer knitwear. And I would have to go for two key pieces: One knit piece that reflects the mirror of the water in soft cotton with black and white print, and a slightly more graphical style, knitted in double jacquard in orange and mint, inspired by different forms of building material. For an accessory to go with the knit, it would be the backpack with this season’s strong print with the building blocks.
R: What was the starting point for this collection?
HV: It actually all started with the collaboration with the Norwegian National Opera and Ballet and choreographer Alexander Ekman, and the production of Swan Lake at Oslo Opera House.
As an extension of this then came visions of rotating cement mixers, construction sites, bricks, swimming pools and water sports… a whirlpool of outlandish invention.
R: Can you name a movie or some music that could be associated with this collection?
HV: That would be P. J. Harvey’s “Down By the Water.”
R: What idea or which person best defines contemporary elegance?
HV: Elegance is how you treat other human beings and how they respond to that.
R: What made you decide to become a fashion designer?
HV: I started out as a musician at the age of ten, and figured out how closely related music and identity is. Fashion came soon after.
