Taken from Sleek 40 “Man & Boy”. Total look by Freya Dalsjö
Freya Dalsjö’s eponymous label is turning heads in her native Copenhagen and beyond
For an up-and-coming designer like Freya Dalsjö, things couldn’t have gone better. The Antwerp Royal Academy of Fine Arts graduate launched Freya Dalsjø (note the minor name change) just last year after having moved back to the Danish capital, and presented her second collection (for SS13), as the official opener of Copenhagen Fashion Week. Her signature is one that the young Dane describes as “exploring, confident and insisting; determined, conceptual and seductive,” and it was her avant-garde, architectural silhouettes and the trick of mixing unusual materials like neoprene with fur that first attracted attention. But the more we see from this brilliant newbie, the more it becomes clear: Freya Dalsjø isn’t simply zeitgeisty, but it’s also a thoughtful and eclectic label that appeals to the heart as well as the head.
Sleek: With your fresh perspective on the process of design, how do you approach fashion? Freya Dalsjö: I am interested in the way you perceive your surroundings, what you want to express and why. And of course, as I work around women, I am interested in what a woman wants to feel like. It’s a good starting point for me – thinking of a situation or a feeling, creating a certain atmosphere that then surrounds and forms the clothes. But there has to be a certain tension to the debate, to use this in my work.
The SS14 collection seems to mark a break from your former collections, showing the Freya Dalsjø woman in another way. What changed? My AW13 collection was quite dark and bombastic, presenting the woman as very confident, seductive and also hard to reach. It was made for the evening, for going out and expressing yourself. For SS14, I wanted to show another aspect of this woman: I tried to capture the intimate feeling of waking up all alone on a light summer morning, honest and naked in the sense of not having uniformed yourself yet. The breeze, the smells, the light and damp – it had to be something very clear, clean and fresh, though strict at the same time. I think women can be both, sharp and soft. I don’t want to limit myself and work around the same visual outcome each season. There is no need to repeat – only to develop.
What could future developments look like? We as fashion designers can learn something from the long process of making a building. In architecture, you create something that you would want to be just as proud of in 50 years’ time. I want to think about clothes like that as well – don’t keep on filling the world with unnecessary crap. Create something that is worth staying here for years to come, something of quality that people really appreciate.
What is your best-loved piece from the SS14 collection? My favourites are the big silk kimonos, they are so lovely to wear and look great. I can’t wait to pull them on – I would never design anything I wouldn’t wear myself! Also I love the flat sandals coming either with a leather strap or with fluffy fur. Shoes are so important to the look, they really finish your idea. In general, I am a huge fan of fur, and therefore I collaborate with Kopenhagen Fur. I like the quality, the softness, and the way you can handle it – that’s ultimate luxe.
Interview by Celina Plag. Taken from Sleek 40 “Man&Boy”
Photography: Jesper Lindström
Styling: Emilie Guldbrandsen at Unique Creatives
Hair: Mette Thiorsgaard at Unique Creatives
Make-up: Louise Polano at Unique Creatives
Model: Rakul Villebæk at Unique Models
Taken from Sleek 40 “Man & Boy”. Total look by Freya Dalsjö
Taken from Sleek 40 “Man & Boy”. Total look by Freya Dalsjö
Taken from Sleek 40 “Man & Boy”. Total look by Freya Dalsjö
Taken from Sleek 40 “Man & Boy”. Total look by Freya Dalsjö