This year marks Henrik Vibskov’s 25th in fashion, but the staging and theme of his spring collection affirmed that his inner child, and sense of playfulness, remain not only intact, but irrepressible. Vibskov started a kind of revolution when he moved back to Copenhagen after graduating from Central Saint Martins. He’s certainly not the first Danish designer to revel in color, print, and pattern, but he reset the standards at the start of a new decade and century, and others followed his lead. There’s no doubt that Vibskov’s success contributed to that of Copenhagen Fashion Week, which was established 20 years ago.
In a pre-show chat the designer categorized the current times as “wobbly”; his universe is similarly off-kilter but in a charming and sometimes wacky way. Listening to Vibskov unravel his theme, it seemed this season would lean wackier than usual, but the collection was surprisingly, and pleasingly, measured—at least by Vibs’s standards. The designer noted that he toned down the palette while retaining his signature use of patterns, elaborate jacquards, and graphics.
The show opened strong with a loose-weave jacket and culottes for men; skorts showed up later on. Bright, active sport inspired separates were a welcome addition. Vibskov used elastic to create unexpected ruffles on sturdy raincoats for him and her. There was a smart, plaid-lined trench, the slight hint of milkmaid panniers in skirts with drawstrings, and a romantic basque-shaped top. Footprints appeared on lie, lie lie one of the colorful scarf prints. How they got there is via a roundabout route.
Fashion is just one of the activities of Vibskov, who is also a talented musician, costume creator, etc. When asked if he thinks of himself as a designer first the Dane replied: “I sometimes describe myself more as just a creative mind that goes a little bit in all kinds of directions.” Listening to him explain his theme is proof of how accurate his statement is.
The origins of the spring show reach all the way back to childhood. As the result of a skin condition, Vibskov developed a preoccupation with lotions. “It’s a little bit awkward to have that kind of [interest] because it’s not particularly masculine, you could say. [Then] I thought, hey, maybe cream could be the whole concept of something and my addiction to it as a beginning point.” The leap from skin cream to whipped cream wasn’t a big one. Getting to the next step was tricky, though. “So as I do,” he said, “I added an extra element and that was feet”—specifically he reimagined an old advertising image of tootsies peeking out from under an umbrella. The set included barefoot nappers and spinning wheels of red and white fabric.
Maybe this one-time basketball player was secretly a theater kid because for Vibskov, the show’s truly the thing. “It’s a big priority from my side to have that opportunity to play around and try things out and challenge myself. That whole thing is just super important,” he said. “The fun part is to challenge people’s minds and views and curiosity on what you can do; the combinations and silhouettes…” We are the beneficiaries of Vibskov’s inquiring mind.
