Copenhagen A/W 2014: The Fashion Capital of Scandinavia

Asger Juel Larsen presented a collection called Arctic Suburb Manual of daring digital prints of heads, legs and arms ~ a sort of dolls' horror show that no one could take their eyes off. Larsen's designs are a clash of textures but have an aesthetic that is both hardcore industrial and romantic.

Our fashion correspondent Limor Helfgott looks at Scandinavian fashion and chooses the best new talents and established designers at Copenhagen Fashion Week for Autumn/Winter 2014

THERE are many reasons to get excited about Copenhagen Fashion Week, including the street style and the chic, winning looks of the new autumn collections. We’ve had our eye on Scandinavian fashion and particularly on the scene in the Danish capital. Danish designers are starting to have the same impact as those in London and it is now the place for young talents to be educated.

Presenting its autumn/winter 2014 fashion week, Copenhagen lived up to its reputation for edgy, imaginative shows. Bringing Danish fashion to the world, the catwalks had a mix of new and established Scandinavian designers with avant-guarde upcoming labels. Local hero, Mads Nørgaard returned to show his collections to the Danish crowd after a four year absence. Barbara I Gongini brought a strong dose of innovation while Henrik Vibskov added colorful prints and fabrics. Veronica B. Vallenes presented soft classic Norwegian silhouettes on the runway for her show.There were many highlights from the catwalks, but some shone brighter than others and made this fashion week outstanding.

Asger Juel Larsen (see his collection below) is one of the rising stars of menswear with his creations worn by pop stars like Rihanna. The rule-breaking, adventurous designer established himself in the UK after graduating from the London Collage of Fashion. He has worked for John Richmond and Burberry Prorsum and and he is now one of Scandinavia's brightest stars.

Larsen's current collection is called Arctic Suburb Manual and uses lots of nylon and high-tech fabrics. There were functional and slouchy metallic pants and boxy, glossy jackets in grey,white and turquoise. The wearable, well fitted collection also introduced Larsen's signature mix of prints which look cool instead of screamingly tacky.

Next to the tribal patterns, he presented daring digital prints of heads, legs and arms, a sort of doll's horror show that it was difficult to take your eyes off. Larsen's designs are a clash of textures full of an aesthetic that is both hardcore industrial and romantic.

Fashion house Baum und Pherdgarten (see collection below) was founded in 1999 by Rikke Baumgarten and Helle Hestehave. They like to approach their designs with a touch of irony and humor and the brand is well-known for its innovative approach, quality and focus on details.

They presented a strong A/W 2014 collection that was a celebration of prints, feminine shapes and lace combined with sporty influences. The tartan trend was an overall print in the show, quilted jerseys with quirky accents such as leopard prints. The monochrome palette was dotted with splashes of oxblood, lilac and a very beautiful bottle green. 

The signature piece was the flared mini skirt with pleats also appearing on sleeves and peplum tops. Grandpa collars also featured and were layered with knitwear, shirts with contrast piping, sequins (we saw a lot on the catwalks!), snakeskin (that too!) exposed zippers, leather panels, chiffon and quilting. Again layering was a key player in styling this collection as well as experimenting with proportions. Baum und Pferdgarten proved that they are a true go to brand for a simple feminine and classic style with quirky details.

Anne Sofie Madsen (see collection below) trained under John Galliano for Dior in Paris before moving to London to work for Alexander McQueen as a junior designer. For the past couple of seasons, she has risen to be one of the most promising stars of avant-garde fashion in Europe. Her designs are a mix of great detailing, punk and extravagance. Her A/W 2014 collection called A Journey That Wasn't was inspired by the namesake video installation by French artist Pierre Huyge, taking the viewer to Antarctica and combining it with the millennium fears of the 1990s.

There was a big focus on technique as well as materials like silk, micro fibre, embellished cotton and neoprene contrasted with metallic rings and chains. The thick leathers developed by Anne Sofie Madsen and ECCO are a very successful collaboration and the pieces are some of the best of the collection.

Functionalism is important to the designer, with big leather jackets lined with warm neoprene. Washed and bleached denim with frayed edges add to the late ‘90s feel. Her signature sheer and embellished couture dresses were combined with handmade silver accessories by jewellery designer Trine Tuxen. The fur helmets were created by milliner Søren Bach to complete the collection. Overall, a very powerful collection that attracted a lot of attention at this season’s Copenhagen fashion week.

Henrik Vibskor (see pictures of his collection below) one of the most curious, fun and quirky designers, rocked his provocatively titled collection The Spaghetti Handjob. The idea behind the name: he wanted to show the difference between cooked and raw spaghetti and did so with an exciting mishmash of colorful prints, shapes and patterns which were both oversized and tailored at the same time.

On the catwalk, models walked on a twenty-metre-long bed of stretched elastic bands, wearing headwear with chinstraps, reminiscent of those worn by soviet military tank operators. Footwear took the form of boots with a sea foam band fit for the coldest conditions. The layering of fabrics within individual pieces was a significant part of the collection, each layer serves a different purpose; baggy trousers that give a relaxed feel to the classic look, hand crafted knits that were created using old-fashioned rug hooking techniques.

The outerwear also shone: short coats with a zippers and big sculptural neoprene layered sweatshirts added to the edgy look. If you examine the collection closely, putting the styling aside, Vibskor is a master of turning wearable, casual, pieces into something utterly special without being over the top.

Malene Birger (see the collection below) is a popular, high-end international designer brand that has a Net-a-Porter line and is a long time classic worn by style-setters like Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge. Called All that Jazz, the new collection was all about layering and mixing materials. The A/W 2014 collection is a new chapter for the fashion house as design manager Christina Exsteen took the bow after designer Malene Birger recently left in order to pursue new creative challenges.

The collection was sophisticated and elegant, yet more playful and a bit younger then the last collection, mixing luxurious materials with soft knits and chunky hardwear. There were a wide variety of silhouettes for both everyday wear and evening wear. Pieces included over the knee skirts and floating, flattering silk dresses, loose pants with inspiration from menswear and oversized knitwear. The prints were a very big part of this collection – retro-inspired pin stripes, flowery and animal motifs.

The color palette was dominated by strong blue, black, white, brown, silvery and golden tones. Another very strong element was the combination and layering of sequins, soft knits and leather. This collection had some items high on my wish list. We are looking forward to seeing more from Malene Birger with Christina Exsteen.

Pictures by Copenhagen Fashion Week

10 Question Column: Artist America Martin in Los Angeles

Painter America Martin photographed in front of her recent works at her studio in Silverlake, Los Angeles. 

America Martin's three different series of paintings Native Americans, Bathers and Still Life are inspired by her travels in Taos and Aix-en-Provence. The artist answers Jeanne-Marie Cilento's 10 Questions about her life and work. Additional reporting by Ambrogio De Lauro

WHEN I first saw America Martin’s paintings of the human form, I was entranced by the bold lines, rich color and the beatific energy they radiate. Her figurative works are emblematic and yet resonate with feeling and expression. The paintings’ graphic quality is contemporary and yet has a profound connection to the masters of 20th Century Modernism such as Cézanne, Modigliani and Picasso.

Looking back today, Martin says her passion for painting began when she bought a book about Van Gogh at the age of nine years old. As a precocious child of Los Angeles, by ten she had already begun studying with Vernon Wilson, a professor at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena. Growing up in the Hollywood Hills, Martin continued this apprenticeship for the next eight years while attending the Crossroads School for the Arts and Sciences in Santa Monica, California.

After high school, she went on to study at the Boston Museum School and then moved back to Los Angeles. Martin soon began exhibiting and selling her work with other young artists, and being Los Angeles, they asked celebrities or people interested in their work to host the shows. Working from her mother’s garage, she was able to build up enough work to get the attention of art galleries. By starting to sell her work early, Martin was able to create a career in full-time painting in her twenties. 

One of Martin’s key focuses has always been exploring the female figure along with Native Americans, jazz musicians, street scenes, landscapes and still lifes. Today, Martin paints in a large and light studio in Los Angeles's Silverlake which she has also made a hub for local cultural events. The artist has had many solo shows and participated in group exhibitions across North America and she has  published two books about her work, the most recent called Yes came out in December 2013.

1. What part of painting and sculpting gives you the most happiness? And do you find your creative process is more rational or instinctive?

I have always believed that the life of an artist is not one that you choose ~ it is a life that chooses you. It is something you have to do. But to do what you love, to do what you dream, is happiness. I have found that art, when true, when it is good, when it breathes and lets you breathe, comes only from instinct.

I believe that art dies when it is created from rationality. For artists are inherently ridiculously irrational people. They feel too much, they dream too much and they are led around by their enormous hearts. Nevertheless, can you think of an era throughout history that was not influenced by artists?

2. Where did you grow up and does this influence your artwork?

I grew up in the wonderful city of Los Angeles, California. Being a native of L.A has greatly influenced my work. The temperate weather, the abundant resources and the cultural diversity is endlessly inspiring.

3. Why did you choose painting and sculpture as your artistic métier?

I am in love with life and with being alive. When I participate in and observe the world, painting and sculpture are the natural ways in which I am inclined to respond. Painting uses the eye and the heart; sculpture uses the hand and the mind. To do both is like breathing with both lungs.

4. How did your apprenticeship with Vernon Wilson at the Art Center College of Design and studying at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston influence your work?

Both experiences have given me a life-long desire to be be intensely curious. They taught me that the duty of an artist is to be ready to learn .

5. You have a singular and bold line in your drawings, paintings and sculpture. How did you develop this style of work?

To me, line is love. It is how I admire a subject. Line is how my eye naturally simplifies what I see. When I look at a woman, a man, I instantly see the lines that stand out - and I watch the lines that are less important fade. I know within a few minutes how I would paint them and how I would sculpt them. This line, this intensely joyful curiosity, is something that comes without thinking. It is something with which I believe I was born.

6. Is there a particular color or palette of colors you like to work with?

I take great delight in color. But I also find that there is always more to discover about the many hues of gray, blue and brown.

7. Do you have a set schedule of working creatively everyday in your studio in Los Angeles or is the process more fluid?

I work six days a week. I do not work on Sundays. I have found that art shows up only when you do.

8. What is it like working as an artist in Los Angeles?

Los Angeles is a wonderful place for artists. The sun shines and the sea and the mountains are close by. People come here ready to work and make their dreams come true. That kind of intention has made the air in Los Angeles rich with hope.

9. What inspired you to create the Native American, Bathers and Still Life series?

The mountains and planes of New Mexico are vast. The sky is constantly changing while the land lies still and welcomes the wind to come rolling in, full of memory. In July last year, I attended the enormous Pueblo Pow-wow in Taos, New Mexico. I took photos and listened to a visual story of people who create ceremony to celebrate community, to commemorate and to remember.

Native Faces is a series of paintings and works on paper inspired by the people I met. They are not meant to be strictly representational, but come from a reverence for the dignity of the men, women and children whom I had a chance to meet and observe, who gathered together to honor not only their own ancestors and their own history, but time itself.

The Bathers is a series of paintings created in homage to Paul Cézanne, one of the great masters of Impressionism. He created countless paintings centered on the bather theme that have long enthralled me. I recently visited Cézanne’s studio in Aix-en-Provence. There I was able to see the landscape that fed his palette: the green of the hills, the lean of the trees, the jagged mountains and the sky.

I came away inspired and hungry to create a bathers series in my own voice, color and form. The human form is a landscape that never tires me. There are always new discoveries to be made and great joy in capturing the figure with a few simple lines.

The Still Life paintings arise from quiet, daily adventures. On Saturdays I have a routine. I go to my neighborhood farmer’s market where I buy a few robust pieces of fruit, a languid leek or a bunch of cheerful flowers. I arrange a still life and do a drawing, a painting, or a sculpture. I discover new shapes from fruit, from flowers and from simple pieces of pottery. After I complete a piece, I eat the fruit or cook the leek. 

10. In our digital age what do painting and sculpture give us as art forms?

This is a fantastic time because technology makes the sharing of communication and information so much easier than at any other time in history. The world and all its bounty are but a click away. Nevertheless, the prime function of all artists is still to create something from nothing, to solve problems, to dare to dream ~ and to find ways to realize those dreams. 

However slick we get as a society, there is still beauty in work, dignity in sweat, and triumph in confronting things that are difficult. The style and the voices of artists will continue to be as unique as each individual regardless of the advancements of time and technology.

Click on photographs for full-screen slideshow of America Martin's new paintings

Artist America Martin working in her large and light studio in Silverlake, Los Angeles

Bathers, Birds and Flowers Ink on paper 20 x 30 inches and framed 25.5 x 30 inches.

Women Gathering Lantern Flowers Oil and acrylic on canvas 57 x 67 inches. Price: $16,800 USD

America Martin photographed at her studio in Los Angeles.

Bathers in Orange and Blue Oil and acrylic on canvas 81.5 x 72 inches. Price: $24,000 USD

Bathers Picking Flowers Ink on Paper 30 x 20 inches and framed 36 x 26 inches. Price: $3200 USD

Siren in Sea of Flowers Oil and acrylic on canvas 35 x 78 inches. Price: $13,800 USD

Yellow Pitcher and Watermelon Oil and acrylic on canvas  46.5 x 56 inches.

Bear Claw Necklace Oil and acrylic on canvas 58.5 x 52.5 inches. Price: $15,800 USD

Blue Felt Hat  Oil and Acrylic on Canvas. 57 x 50 inches. Price: $15,200 USD

Chrysanthemum and Trumpet Flowers  Oil and acrylic with resin on canvas 26 x 20 inches. Price: $5500 USD

Sunshine Man Oil and acrylic on canvas. 48 x 48 inches

New Architecture: House I by Japanese Architect Hiroyuki Shinozaki

Eight ribs radiate from the centre of the ceiling to the floor and divide the room into areas that create spaces for dining, studying and sleeping around the perimeter of the house.

Ambrosio De Lauro reports on a new house in Tokyo's Tochigi Prefecture by architect Hiroyuki Shinozaki. Photographs by Fumihiko Ikemoto

DESIGNED by the young Japanese architect last year, this small house is given a soaring sense of space by its ribbed roof construction which forms a great dome over the living space. The groined arches are deep enough to create a division between the open plan spaces of the house.

While the exterior is rather unprepossessing and looks like an American 1950s bungalow, the interior is unusually dramatic for a compact space. The architect used a local volcanic stone for the building's outer walls which came from a quarry near the house and supports the great roof above. The house is located in a region of mixed use with both fields and houses. The site is at the end of a blind alley but has glimpse of gardens and green meadows and neighbors can greet each other over the low stone fences that divide the houses.

Home to a family of three in Japan’s Tochigi Prefecture in Tokyo, the house is 92 square metres in floor area. "Enveloped by its surroundings, the design enhances the sense of space and makes it feel bigger while the slope of the big roof accentuates the sense of perspective,'' says Shinozaki.

The interior has the central living room at its heart with the ribbed timber vaulting curving above this open plan space. Eight ribs radiate from the centre of the ceiling to the floor and divide the room into areas that create spaces for dining, studying and sleeping around the perimeter of the house. There is also an entrance lobby and a small terrace at the rear of the building. Wooden ladders lead up to small lofts while various skylights and large, glass doors bring light through the house.

Shinozaki was born in 1978 also in Tochigi Prefecture and graduated from Kyoto Institute of Technology. Later he completed a Masters degree at Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music. He worked for Toyo Ito Associates before establishing his own practice in 2009.

Called House I, this is the latest in a series of residences by Shinozaki named after alphabet letters. He has also designed House H and the award-winning House T.

Click on photographs for full-screen slideshow

The entrance to House I  leads into a dramatic, vaulted central living space with a minimal kitchen located between two of the soaring ribs.

The design enhances the sense of space and makes it feel bigger while the slope of the big roof accentuates the sense of perspective,'' says the architect

Large, glass doors, plenty of windows plus skylights allow the interior to be flooded with natural light. 

Eight ribs radiate from the centre of the ceiling to the floor and divide the room into areas that create spaces for dining, studying and sleeping around the perimeter of the house.

While the exterior of the house is rather unprepossessing and looks like an American 1950s bungalow, the interior is unusually operatic for a compact space. 

Photo Essay: My Silk Road By Andreas Romagnoli

The sunset silhouette's Khiva's ancient, mud-brick fortress walls.

Travelling through the landlocked country of Uzbekistan in Central Asia, Andreas Romagnoli captures the remarkable architecture and the faces of the proud Uzbek people

WHEN I first heard the word Uzbekistan I remembered childhood fairy tales of Tamerlane and the intriguing and legendary stories about him. Folk stories are the cultural heritage of every nation but here in Central Asia the myths are particularly colourful and rich. In Uzbekistan people glorified their heroes and composed legends about them. Each historical monument is cloaked in the myths of the past. This unique and mysterious world of folk tales and stories were carefully collected and passed on from generation to generation by the Uzbek people.

Once part of the Persian Samanid and later Timurid empires, the region which today includes the Republic of Uzbekistan was conquered in the early 16th Century by nomads who spoke an Eastern Turkic language. This region became part of the Russian Empire in the 19th century and in 1924 became a republic of the Soviet Union. It became independent in 1991 and today most of Uzbekistan’s population today belong to the Uzbek ethnic group and speak the Uzbek language.

I started my journey from the modern and vibrant Tashkent and then crossed the country to the charming town of Khiva on the other side of Uzbekistan. One of my dreams was also to visit what remains of the Aral Sea with its white salt lake and its boat cemetery ~ an experience that made me realise how human beings can destroy the natural world and its resources.

My first impression of Uzbekistan is of a place where the mix between Eastern and Western culture appears balanced. The influence of the Russians in the 20th Century has altered the oriental aspect of towns such as Samarkand and Bukhara. But the Uzbeks are a proud people and have tried to keep their valuable cultural heritage preserved. Today, Uzbekistan is home to numerous monuments and artifacts of architectural and historical importance.

Tashkent is one of the biggest cities in Central Asia and is the capital of Uzbekistan. Chinese inscriptions talk about Tashkent as Yuni as far back as 262 B.C. As an oasis, Tashkent was a crossroads on one of the spice export routes located on the path of travellers transporting precious stones, gold and horses. The city still has many historic monuments including the Mausoleum of Kaffal-Shashi, Madrasah of Kukeldash, the Square of Amir Temur and the Mosque of Tila Sheyh.

Travelling to Bukhara I felt the air was saturated with the spirit of antiquity and the narrow streets of the old city suggest living in a world of folk tales and legends. The city was a commercial hub on the Silk Road route and is now known as the city of museums and dates back 2,300 years. It has more than 140 grand monuments and designs such as Kosh Madras, Poi-Kalan, the mausoleum of Ismail Samoni and the Kalyan minaret.

Khiva is one of the few cities in Uzbekistan that has managed to retain its true Eastern culture within the ancient inner city. The city was divided into two parts in the 19th Century: Ichan Kala (inner city) surrounded by high walls and the Dishan Kala (outer city). At the same time, the entire city was surrounded by several settlements and villages.

The ancient walls of the inner city are eight meters high and more than two kilometres long, covering 26 hectares in area. Like other fortresses in Central Asia, the city walls were built out of sun-baked bricks. They were destroyed several times but they were always reconstructed. The original city was rectangular in shape with four different gates.

In Samarkand, the city’s Registan is one of the most impressive squares I have ever seen, comparable to the Grand Canyon or Sistine Chapel in terms of visual power. The Registan was the heart of the ancient city and the name means Sandy place in Persian. Samarkand’s ensemble of three madrasahs or Islamic schools is a unique example of town-planning and a remarkable architectural design in the main town square. There are three madrasahs that surround the Registan: the Ulugbek Madrasah built between 1417-1420, the Sher-Dor Madrasah created from1619 -1636 and the Tilya-Kori Madrasah constructed between 1646-1660.

The Ulugbek Madrasah has an imposing portal with a lancet arch facing the square. The corners are flanked by high, well-proportioned minarets and a mosaic panel over the entrance arch is decorated by geometrical stylised ornaments. The square-shaped courtyard includes a mosque, lecture rooms and is fringed by the dormitory cells in which students lived. Originally the Ulugbek Madrasah was a two-storied building with four domed lecture rooms at the corners. The madrasah was one of the best universities in the Muslim world of the 15th Century where Ulugbek himself gave lectures and it became a great centre of secular science. 

In the 17th Century the ruler of Samarkand, Yalangtush Bakhodur ordered the construction of the Sher-Dor and Tillya-Kori madrasahs. The decoration of the madrasah is not as refined as that of the 15th Century but the harmony of large and small rooms, exquisite mosaic decor, monumentality and symmetry put the madrasahs among the best architectural monuments of Samarkand.

Click on photographs for full-screen slideshow

 Roof lantern throwing light down into the souk selling carpets in Bukhara.

The ancient mud walls protecting old Khiva.

 The soaring brick minaret in Khiva.

Samarkand Registan, Madrasah Ulugbek

Tamerlane's mosque of Gur-emir in Samarkand.

Samarkand's Registan and the view of Shir Dar Madras.

The registan at Samarkand with a view of Shir Dar and Tilla-Kari Madras.

Old man in typical Uzbek dress and hat at the food market of Samarkand

The Blue Mosque in ancient Khiva.

Woman resting against the ancient walls in the old town of Khiva. 

Mother and son ready for a religious procession in Bukhara.

Detail of the Shah-i Zinda complex.

Detail of a mosque inside the complex of Shah-i Zinda.

Woman dressed in typical Uzbek clothes in the ancient food market of Samarkand.

Locals resting in front of a church in Khiva.

Young shepherd and his goats in central Uzbekistan.

Remains of a fortress near Bukhara.

A ship stranded in the cemetery of boats created by the Aral lake disaster.

The steps of  central Uzbekistan.