21 August, 2014

Copenhagen studio visits: Nicklas Kunz

Nicklas Kunz’s Studio. Photo: Hans H. Bærholm. Styling: Pholoso Selebogo

There’s not much rough and tumble in the residential district of Fredriksberg, an enclave in the heart of Copenhagen. The single family homes and three-storey brick buildings are surrounded by gardens and parks, a contrast to the concrete and canals that signify the city’s downtown district.

It seems an odd place, then, for menswear designer Nicklas Kunz’s studio. Best known for his hard-edged streetwear, Kunz himself looks as though he’d fit in better in Nørrebro or in the newly developed artists’ enclave on Papirøen (Paper Island), where Henrik Vibskov keeps his studio.

Nicklas Kunz’s Studio. Photo: Hans H. Bærholm. Styling: Pholoso Selebogo

You’d hardly know from outside the unremarkable red brick building that a fashion designer was hard at work inside. The location is a testament to Kunz’s aesthetic – one that celebrates a well-curated appearance without attracting too much attention in doing so. It’s Scandinavian in its adherence to the Law of Jante, Aksel Sandemose’s rules promoting anti-exceptionalism. Yet the collections Kunz has been producing since 2012 have drawn plenty of attention, the pieces adorning local hip-hop musicians and international stars like Kendrick Lamar.

His showing at the Grand Theater as part of Copenhagen Fashion Week SS 2015 certainly left people talking. Tattooed and dreadlocked, the male models exuded a tough, urban air that contrasted with the ornate interior of the darkened space. It’s exactly the look he was intending as he showed off a collection he said was initially inspired by “The Godfather” movies.

Nicklas Kunz’s Studio. Photo: Hans H. Bærholm. Styling: Pholoso Selebogo

“This collection just went stylish gangster,” Kunz said. “With reference to the whole environment, the slickness, the attitude, everything. Even the models at the show. They weren’t professionals, just friends and men I saw out on the street, and got the right vibe from.”

And vibe is exactly what it’s about. Interested in redefining the fashion world’s concept of masculinity by bringing sex more to the fore, he’s said in past that his clothes are designed to subtly catch a woman’s eye when worn out on the street.

“I make clothes for men who like dirty girls. Not literally, of course. But for men who like a woman who can hold herself. A strong woman,” he said. “And I always start with the visuals.”

True as that may be – Kunz keeps an inspiration board Tumblr on his website that’s filled with sexy images – the studio in which most of Kunz’s work is done is minimal at best. With white walls and steel shelves, there are pattern pieces pinned to the walls and fabric samples folded neatly on shelves. There isn’t much colour in the space.

Nor, for that matter, in his collections. Working with the standard Nordic colour palette, heavy on black and white, for SS 2015, Kunz added a subdued yellow to draw out the clean lines on the pieces. A black long-sleeve is accented with a yellow tartan neckline, resulting in a simultaneously outspoken yet subdued look. There was also a series of loose knee-length shorts reminiscent of nineties NBA basketball uniforms combined with form-fitting hooded shirts or asymmetrically-zippered motorcycle jackets. Mixed with basics – skins or jersey shirts with logoed banding – these signature pieces stand out.

The resulting streetwear look definitely fits the notion of the “Legendary Hoodlum.”