Christian Lacroix's New Furniture Collection by Sacha Walckhoff

Christian Lacroix creative director Sacha Walckhoff with one of the armchairs he designed for the collection with Roche Bobois 

A witty and graceful furniture collection with a surprising dash of robust vigour has been designed by Christian Lacroix's Creative Director Sacha Walckhoff and produced by Roche Bobois. Jeanne-Marie Cilento speaks to the effervescent designer about the inspirations and challenges that faced him creating a completely new oeuvre for the French fashion house

Hourglass chairs inspired by couture mannequins 

BRIMMING with creative energy and vision, Sacha Walckhoff still found it a great challenge to design an entire furniture collection of 20 different pieces, from curvaceous chairs to slim, elegant cabinets featuring architectural scenes, in two very short months. Although it is the first time Maison Christian Lacroix has created a furniture range, building on the house's lifestyle and homewares collection, Roche Bobois has already had collaborations with other high-end fashion labels, including Missoni, Sonia Rykiel and Jean Paul Gaultier.

"It could have been enjoyable but, in fact, it was quite frightening as I had to decide what kind of line to create, relevant for the global market for both brands."

Sacha Walckhoff says the pressure on him was enormous to create such a substantial new collection in a short time, representing two famous French brands. "I had total freedom, a 'carte blanche' given by Jean Dominique Lèze, the Nouveaux Classiques collection's director at Roche Bobois,'' says Walckhoff. "So it could have been enjoyable but, in fact, it was quite frightening as I had to decide what kind of line to create that would be relevant for Lacroix, for Roche Bobois and for the global market for both brands together. It was far too serious to enjoy anything, but I did at the end ...I must be a bit of a masochist!"

Gleaming brass, round side tables

The series of pieces, cleverly translates the exuberant Christian Lacroix aesthetic into a collection that ranges from accessories to upholstered and wooden furniture. Christian Lacroix as a fashion house was known for its extravagance, but today the brand focuses on more accessible luxury, producing a licensed menswear line and decorative upholstery fabrics, wallpaper, cushions, stationery and tableware. "This is not the first furniture line by a Couture house," Sacha Walckhoff says. "Ralph Lauren and Gianni Versace did it first, very wisely, more than 30 years ago and are still masters of the fashion becoming home décor nowadays,'' explains Walckhoff. "I had this in a corner of my mind as I wanted the home decor collections by Lacroix to be as relevant as the ones of those two masters of fashion and lifestyle.

"The Christian Lacroix House has a history of love for bold patterns and joyful colours. With the Lacroix CEO Nicolas Topiol, we were convinced that we should be able to create a home department at Lacroix based on this patrimony and when we did our first collection with Designers Guild in 2011, five years ago, it worked very well."



Lacquered, striped cubes for storage 

The new collection of furniture combines and remixes design eras to make something entirely new. Lacquered wood cubes are screen printed with striped patterns, their minimalism making them at home now or in the 1930s, shimmering brass details enliven wooden chairs and tables. Cabinets are embellished with artistic prints, including a landscape inspired by Arles in southern France (the birthplace of couturier Christian Lacroix) while a large screen is decorated with a variety of colourful plants and flowers but with modern skyscrapers.

"The most challenging part of designing this first furniture collection was finding the right balance between shapes, material and colours."

"The most challenging part of designing this first furniture collection, after those first five years only designing fabrics, rugs and wallpaper, was to find the right balance between shapes, material and colours," Walckhoff says."I went from designing two to three dimensional ideas and this is a huge and tremendous change! Beside this, you do not change your furniture as much as your wallpaper so I also had to have this in mind when designing the new furniture collection."

Following the couturier Christian Lacroix's exit from the company in 2009, Sacha Walckhoff took over the house designing the menswear and lifestyle collections which were introduced in 2011. Maison Christian Lacroix was originally founded as an haute couture house in 1987 by Christian Lacroix and Jean-Jacques Picart. After Lacroix left the fashion house, the women’s wear and couture collections were put on hold, but the maison was revived under the creative direction of Walckhoff who has lead the design and rebuilding of the brand. Today, the creative director says it seemed like the natural next step to create a furniture collection with Roche Bobois.

 Sacha Walckhoff's new designs

"We knew each other quite well as they have used our Lacroix fabrics on their own creations since the launch of our Lacroix Fabric collection with Designers Guild," Sacha Walckhoff says. "So to design furniture for them was the next step and it is an amazing company with almost 300 boutiques all around the world. The quality is exceptional, they are great, recognised professionals and we are both famous French brands, it is a perfect fit for all of us." Christian Lacroix's collection of fabrics, wallpapers and cushions are now all designed by Walckhoff. The current 2016 lifestyle collection, known as the Art de Vivre Collection, drew inspiration from the Incroyables et Merveilleuses of the French Revolution. Boldly coloured fabrics and wallpapers combine floral and modern digital prints for Lacroix's signature eclectic design.

"I was ready to go into furniture as I have designed pieces for the Gallery Gosserez in Paris and the brands Pouenat and Verreum. I was prepared, mentally and also technically."

Sacha Walckhoff says the collaboration with Roche Bobois also happened at the right time as Lacroix has become established as a homewares brand in the last five years and he has also personally developed his own design work. "It was the right timing for Lacroix, as now the brand is part of the world of decoration end design. I was also ready to go into furniture as I have designed, in the past two years, different pieces under my own name for the gallery Gosserez in Paris and the brands Pouenat and Verreum. So I was prepared, mentally and also technically."

The furniture collection  features lacquered wood cubes, a double-sided standing screen with brass details featuring a 19th century scene on one side and a garden setting on the other; and dining room chairs with shapely backs. Other home accessories in the range include lighting, mirrors, consoles and rugs, plus a long dining room table.



Sacha Walckhoff inspired by travel & exhibitions 

Today, Walckhoff says he does not look back to the Lacroix archives as he did in the beginning when creating the homewares and says fashion does not inspire his creative work directly. "In reality, it is much more about words, travels, exhibitions, ideas, style and a lovely personal life than fashion in reality," he says. "Fashion does not mean much anymore. There are still interesting collections of course but the fashion world has become too greedy, too much money is now involved in those big commercial houses and it does kill what fashion should be really about: vision, dream and fantasy.

"Fashion is not influential anymore for creative people like me. People on Reality TV are fashion gods now ~ that says everything about what fashion has become."

"So many collections are asked of the designers each year that it has no meaning anymore, everybody is copying everybody in a neurotic rhythm .Who needs 15 collections by the same brand in the same year?! Fashion is not influential anymore for creative people like me. Reality TV people are fashion gods now ~ that says everything about what fashion has become! But as I said already, designers like Simon Jacquemus, Raf Simons or Demna Gvasalia are trying to save what fashion really is about and I send them my love!"

Walckhoff worked with the couturier Christian Lacroix for 17 years before taking over as Creative Director, responsible for taking the brand in a new direction. Now more than six years later, he has successfully expanded Lacroix beyond a fashion house into interior design. He has also formed Christian Lacroix licensed collaborations with international brands such as the brilliant fabric and wallpaper collection with Designers Guild, carpets with Dutch brand Moooi and now the range of furniture with Roche Bobois.

 Rosewood tables and chairs are finished with brass details

Part of the new furniture collection's vivacity and liveliness is created by Walckhoff's romantic vision. "The 'love stories' between fashion and decor in the 20th Century inspired the collection: the couturier Jacques Doucet and Eileen Grey, Jeanne Lanvin and Armand Albert Rateau, the Groult couple (she was a fashion Couturier, he was a furniture designer ), Yves Saint Laurent and François Xavier Lalanne and ,of course, Christian Lacroix himself and Garouste et Bonetti,'' he says. "Between those two different worlds there always have been admiration and beauty exchanged. This is very inspirational to me. I needed also to add a little bit of humor on top of all this love! So I decided to select specific details of each decade of the 20th Century French Art Decoratif style and mix them together in the same furniture collection.

"Individual pieces look like you know them but you don't because the shape is from the Sixties but the materials are from the Thirties...It is a huge collage of a over a century of creations!"

"The result is exactly what I wanted, individual pieces that look like you know them but you don't because the shape is from the Sixties but the materials (rosewood and gold-plated brass) are from the Thirties. Then you have stripes from the Seventies or an organic shape that could be from the Fifties or even the Eighties...I had a lot of fun doing this, it is a huge collage over a century of creations!"

In the collection, dining room chairs feature backs shaped like hourglasses, an homage to the mannequins in the original Lacroix haute couture atelier in Paris: "A little bit of glamour to sit on!" Walckhoff says. Whereas these chairs are slim, the new armchairs and footstools are more free-form, robust and rotund. The designer says the idea was to mix the styles of Jean Royère, Vladimir Kagan and Garouste and Bonetti together. "I wanted an organic, assymetrical shape with a great comfort and those armchairs are now a best seller at Roche Bobois!"



Screen with flowers, palm tress, follies and skyscrapers 

A double-sided standing screen features a nineteenth century scene from Christian Lacroix’s hometown of Arles, France on one side and a garden print on the other. Amid the foliage are images of palm trees taken from throughout time, ranging from illustrations to a modern photograph. Within the collection, there are also lamps, tables, mirrors, consoles and rugs. Designed for Roche Bobois’ Nouveaux Classiques collection, the pieces are designed to integrate with existing furniture, allowing for mixing and matching.

The signature exuberance and eclecticism and sheer joie de vivre of Christian Lacroix did influence the design of the collection, says Walckhoff: "Yes, of course, it was the final touch! For example, the screen is double faced because sometimes you see life in colours and sometimes in black and white! So the enchanted garden design Bagatelle is on one side, a collage of plants from different styles mixing 19th Century engravings with contemporary photography of palm trees.

"We did it in the studio and it is an image that makes you happy. On the other side of the screen, we printed this 19th Century black and white engraving representing the monuments in Arles (not only the home town of Monsieur Lacroix but where Vincent Van Gogh became famous). It is elegant, historical, a bit more serious.Two moods for the price of one!"

New Directions in Fashion: From Instant Shopping to Pastel Punk

Diaphanous blue and white flowers at Jasper Conran's summery show in London. Cover picture of the Teatum Jones collection for Spring/Summer 2017. 

This season, London Fashion Week began with a large question mark: would the 'see now, buy now' initiative be a success? From Top Shop to Burberry, brands are bringing tech to the catwalks and instant shopping was the biggest trend along with strong new design directions, our fashion editor Limor Helfgott reports from the British capital

Gothic dreaminess at Vin + Omi SS17. Photo: Liron Weissman 

THE ground-breaking change in buying fashion from the runway started with Burberry and has been followed by more brands by bringing their new collection to our wardrobes instantly. Instead of showing six months ahead, fashion houses are presenting what is in stores now and available to buy immediately. Burberry’s Christopher Bailey described the show as season less, with clothes designed to wear throughout the year. Menswear designer Oliver Spencer, the closing show for this season, presented the next step in shopping technology with a new interactive option that allowed ticket holders to buy items from the collection straight from the runway using the Vero app. Topshop Unique was another label that joined this trend, and the unveiling of the collection generated a lot of buzz in London. The show was streamed live on Topshop’s website and enthusiastic shoppers were able to buy pieces from the website straight away.

Embellished denim at Fyodor Golan. Photo: Limor Helfgott

Other designers like Fyodor Golan blurred the lines between technology and reality, with a digital Spring/Summer 2017 presentation. The collection had dramatic reflective, holographic silver pieces of popping luminous tones against metallic and embellished denim and a sci-fi and futuristic theme with a wink to punk. As guests were guided into the presentation space, they were handed a pair of headphones playing Rihanna-mixed beats, meanwhile multiple screens revealed a digital remake of the SS17 Fyodor Golan collection. This is another label looking to the future of fashion, showing us what is possible to do with the design process. Could this be how ready to wear fashion will be presented?

Apart from these revolutionary changes of how and when we buy clothes from new collections, London's Fashion Week was, as always, a melting pot of ideas, colours and game-changing looks. From romantic ruffles to punk pastels, here are the top directions from the SS17 catwalks for next season:

Pretty in Punk Pink

Punk pink at Fyodor Golan. Photo: Limor Helfgott

Pastels are back after we first saw them dominating the catwalks in Autumn/Winter 2016. This season's Spring/Summer 2017 looks proved that pink is stronger than ever with Topshop, Preen by Thornton Bregazzi and Teatum Jones all using every shade. At Teatum Jones we saw a romantic flamingo pink clashing with fleshy nudes, framed by snooker-table green and emerald. Pink also surprised in a Goth form. Once being a Goth meant wearing black and looking depressed, these days you can be a Pastel Goth and be inspired by ice cream colours!

Preen by Thornton Bregazzi’s collection was a combination of Eighties Goth and summer meadows and sequins which rocked the pastel goth look. “Everything is delicate-looking, but with a sharp, dangerous edge," said Justin Thornton, one half of the Preen creative partnership. "Light on the outside, dark on the inside." Sid Neigum added only a few splashes of bright crimson to his otherwise monochrome palette, including a buttonless silk pyjama-style set, the front of which tied in an ascot knot, and a long tunic and trouser with exaggerated sleeves.

 Eighties vibes at Top Shop Unique. Photo: Limor Helfgott

The Eighties Are Here
This season the 1980s continues to remain at the forefront, as shown at Mother of Pearl, Topshop Unique and Preen. At Topshop we found classic nods to the decade in the form of PVC high-waisted trousers, giant earrings, frizzy hair, fuchsia pointed stiletto boots and zebra print (which seems to be replacing leopard as the animal print of choice this season) all accompanied by an electro soundtrack ~ taking inspiration from provocative artist Linder Sterling and the city’s eclectic fashion markets. “We were thinking about all those amazing markets like Hyper, the Great Gear market, Kensington and Camden, where you bought everything from army surplus to Swanky Modes party dresses,” explains creative director Kate Phelan. Edgy lingerie references dance between ladylike underpinnings and Camden Ballroom anarchy in the Eighties. To break up the black and the strong 1980s statements there were some softer colour options such as pale grey, blush and denim. NewGen designer Marta Jakubowski’s collection included the pink trend with raspberry-hued suiting and deconstructed velvet dresses on models who rotated around the presentation on a bright red carousel.

Love and Ruffles

Voluminous ruffles at Vin + Omi. Photo: Liron Weissman

Whether you’re going for a timeless classic look or fiercely modern, it could all be seen at London Fashion Week. Ruffles dominated a host of collections from Erdem to Teatum Jones and in-your-face sleeves, frills and pleats are having a major moment. At Teatum Jones, innovative and bold fabrics were teamed with modern, relevant shapes, tailored silhouettes presented soft and voluminous looks and ruffles were layered over sheer, pleated netting. Separates ruled the runway, with skirts and lingerie inspired silk satins printed with romantic florals paneled with delicate French lace. At Shrimps we saw textured high-top sneakers paired with floaty dresses that were heavy on ruffles, sea-shell prints and gingham. Burberry's ruffled and frilled shirts were coupled with cute printed shorts, and high-collared shirts were worn underneath trench coats.

High octane glamour Julien Macdonald SS17

Love is definitely in the air, with a number of designers showing decidedly floaty, flirty and feminine pieces. Frills and froths of lace, as well as delicate embroidery were present at Jasper Conran, and on many other catwalks, proving that it pays to be pretty. Glam it up A-list favourite Julien Macdonald made an extravagant return to London Fashion Week with a high octane glamourous collection drawing inspiration from the Masai tribes and solitary landscapes of the African plains. The colour palette is soft and feminine, inspired by albino animals discovered on faraway travels. Snakeskin is re imagined on dusty pinks through the use of three dimensional Swarovski embroidery to create an Afro-Chic aesthetic, with daring cut-outs, intricate lace and plenty of sparkle.

Checks and Stripes are Never Out

Checks & stripes at Belstaff. Photo: Limor Helfgott

While Geometric patterns can overpower and flowers have been known to pall, checks and stripes never go out of style. Stripey cotton shirts, particularly in blue and white, and pinstripes are the favourite choice for low-key chic. Bold stripes were seen at Gareth Pugh and Marques’Almeida while more traditional brands such as Mulberry went down a more collegiate route. At Belstaff, we saw Buffalo check appearing on jackets, giving a feeling of American heritage. There were a few softer pieces too, including summer dresses and a cream blouse with frills which balanced out the overall tough leather and military direction. The collection was inspired by women such as Augusta and Adeline Van Buren, their motorcycle journey across America, and their campaigning for women’s right to enter the US army as messengers and dispatch riders (this year celebrating a centenary anniversary).

Filmy dresses at Jasper Conran SS17

Maxi Dresses, Slits and Slashes
Long dresses are still in ~ at Daks and Jasper Conran at least ~ both of which opened and closed their SS17 show with filmy maxis. Jasper Conran’s dresses were full of elegance and the suggestion of summer holidays. There were delicate floaty dresses decorated with flowers, leaves, birds and bees, painted and stitched on cotton organdy, silk and organza. These alternated with dresses with floral embroidery and applique in summery, sorbet hues. The beach ready dresses came in bold stripes in yellow and green, and full skirts were layered beneath cropped shirts In dusty shades of pink, peach and pale blue. Super high slits were seen at Mulberry and Topshop Unique. At Christopher Kane’s collection, religious images appeared on tops held together by metal rings and punched through with giant grommets. Paired with a super high slit skirt, it wasn’t a very Sunday school look.


Slashed skirts at Eudon Choi SS17

For his SS17 collection, Eudon Choi continues his recent exploration of the feminine aesthetic through the work of female artists. Inspired by the life and work of the American photographer Francesca Woodman. Her fascination with destruction can also be seen in the way Eudon Choi’s garments had slashes, cuts, openings and undone buttons. Voluminous skirts came slashed and sneak peeks of leather suspenders could be seen holding up mid-calf socks.

The Last Word in Make-Up
Dust down your hot brushes, this season's make-up looks are way more down to earth than you might think. Models were sent down the runway with every eye shadow you could think of with fresh skin and rich looking bronze tones. The key direction this season is healthy, flawless skin as seen at Teatum Jones and the Julien Macdonald show featuring dewy complexions. At Eudon Choi, a transparent glaze was swept across the cheekbones and at Topshop the glossy eyed look was worn by girl of the moment, Taylor Hill, with dusty burgundy eyeshadow with a shiny top coat. And finally, smudged lipstick is now having a moment: as seen at Gareth Pugh and Vin & Omi while Fyodor Golan brought back a Nineties vibe with blue lipstick.

Tap photographs for full screen slideshow

Bold summer stripes at Jasper Conran  

 Strong geometric shapes on a fluid dress at Jasper Conran

Filmy stripes on a long, summer gown at Jasper Conran

Fine stripes and painterly spots at Eudon Choi

Flowing and loose separates with white and stripes at Eudon Choi

Form-fitting glamour at Julien Macdonald  

Tight, black and shiny at Julien Macdonald 

Romantic sleeves at David Koma. Photo by Limor Helfgott 

 Ruffled black at David Koma . Photo by Limor Helfgott

Fuchsia all over at Top Shop Unique. Photo by Limor Helfgott

Diaphanous red and black at Sid Neigum. Photo by Limor Helfgott 

Strong reds and graphic shapes at Sid Neigum. Photo by Limor Helfgott

 Gothic drama at Vin + Omi. Photo by Liron Weissman

Big hair and lots of black at Vin + Omi. Photo by Liron Weissman

Leather and flowing florals at Teatum Jones



Contrasting patterns and bright colour at Teatum Jones

The Art of Dreams: Interview with Spanish Painter Pedro Paricio

Portrait of the artist: Pedro Paricio photographed with his painting Promised Land at Halcyon Gallery just before his show Dreams opened in London.

Spanish painter Pedro Paricio's new exhibition has opened at London's Halcyon Gallery. The show presents a fresh body of work, exploring the painter's ruminations on self-reflection, the subconscious and the transcendental possibilities of art. Our correspondent in London Lissandra Hemilton asks the painter our Ten Questions about his life & work

Sea Dogs, 2016. Courtesy Halcyon Gallery 

PEDRO Paricio has shifted his focus to the subconscious and the dream world for his new show and takes the viewer on a vividly hued yet unsettling journey. His latest work examines how our subconscious effects our lives and whether art can be transformational. “Dreams are not only what we inhabit when we sleep," he says. "They are also fantasies, desires and fears, both what we are hopeful for and what we are oblivious to. Though dreams are subconscious, they are also a reflection of consciousness." He believes an art work is "not only of today, but simultaneously of yesterday and tomorrow," allowing the viewer to travel back and forth into history .

"When I am not painting with my body, I am painting with my mind."



New work: Realpolitik 2016. Courtesy Halcyon Gallery

Paricio's new paintings depict surreal scenes, strange apparitions, dream-like states in the form of kaleidoscopic shapes, bright acrylics contrast with dark backgrounds as the artist explores the human subconscious through his painting. He weaves narratives through his figurative work, using experimental colours and a playful approach to the traditional method of painting. The painter still features himself in compositions, yet now without his signature costume including his black hat, blazer, tie and white button down. Rather like the German artist Joseph Beuys, Paricio’s hat and tie were a disguise, a part of his artistic persona. Leaving his costume behind represents his own self-reflection and the changes and expansion of his life and work: "When I change, my art changes," he says.

"I feel most heartened...in a lonely mountain, in a quiet museum and in a silent old sanctuary."


Paricio's Promised Land, 2015. Courtesy Halcyon Gallery

The artist originally comes from Tenerife in the Canary Islands and he says as a child, he already liked to draw. But by the time he reached high school he was studying science. He only began to think about becoming an artist a few months before going to college. "To be honest, the thing that attracted me was the freedom that society gives to the artist," he says today. "I chose art because I wanted a different life." Looking back now, he thinks that the series of events that led him to work as an artist was a way of discovering his destiny. Paricio first enrolled at the Faculty of Fine Arts of the University of La Laguna in Tenerife before moving on to a course in Salamanca and completing his training with a degree in Fine Arts at the University of Barcelona in 2006.

"Art offers us metaphysics and consciousness and all that the fast-paced culture in our hyper-technological world cannot offer."





Bonnie &Clyde, 2015. Courtesy Halcyon Gallery 

Five years later, when he was 28 years old, Paricio became the youngest artist to sign with Halcyon Gallery in London. Juan Manual Bonet, director of the Cervantes institute in Paris, and former director of the Reina Sofia in Madrid, described him as the “freshest thing in the emerging contemporary art world in thirty years." Paricio held his first major show, Master Painters, at Halcyon Gallery in 2011 and the following year exhibited The Theatre of Painting, his solo museum exhibition, at the Institute of Culture and Arts of Seville, Spain. He has since gone on to have a further two acclaimed exhibitions at the gallery and has been included in Francesca Gavin’s book 100 New Artists, representing the next generation of emerging artists. Today, Paricio divides his time between Tenerife and London. Exhibitions in Europe and the United States have given him an international reputation and his paintings are held in public and private collections around the world.

 1. Where did you grow up and does this place still influence your artwork?
I have lived in twenty different homes in eleven different cities, from Vilaflor (the highest village of Tenerife) to the world capital of London. I am not able to choose one place because all of them have played an important role in my development.

2. Why did you choose painting as your artistic métier?
When I was a student, painting was eclipsed by the so-called alternative media practices. My family say I always want to row against the tide but I think I am just trying to look in the direction nobody has looked at yet.

3. How has your work changed and developed since you first began painting?
I am my work and my work is me. I am a painter, so will not be able to give an answer to this in words, I think my paintings speak for me, the answer is in my work.

4. What aspect of painting gives you the most happiness? Painting is my whole life so everything that has to do with that gives me happiness. While I do other things such as reading, cooking or walking, I always think about it through painting, and as though I am painting. When I am not painting with my body I am painting with my mind.

5. What do you find the most difficult part of creating your paintings?  
I always find it difficult to start a painting after I have had a break. I hardly ever stop for more than two days, but when I am forced to do so, I feel like an athlete who has been injured, and need a few contests to go back to the track and give his best performance.

6. Can you describe the experience, person or training that has had the greatest impact on your artistic career?
My parents, my wife and my son. My parents taught me to trust myself, to work as hard as I can regardless of the outcome, to do the right thing with no expectations to get a reward for it. My wife ~ because her love enlightens my shadows and my son because he reminds me every day we must take care of this planet for the sake of future generations.



The Artist, 2016

7. Describe what your studio is like and whether you have a set schedule of working every day? Or is the process more fluid?
My studio in an old Canarian house, a cave of dreams, a metaphor of myself... My normal schedule is to wake up every day at 7am, cook breakfast for my family and drive my son to school. I am already at the studio by 9am and will normally stay there until around 8pm in the evening. My time there is fluid because most of the time I will be painting, but I also read, write, draw, experiment and play the guitar. No particular order, usually just following my impulses.

During the year, I always enjoy spending weekends with my family, but when a new exhibition is approaching, my hours at the studio can be longer, up to 14 hours a day, seven days a week. This is usually a tough time for all of us. But I can’t complain because my family fully supports me. I am truly a fortunate man pursuing his dream.

8. Do you find your creative process is more rational or instinctive?
Both. I make many rational choices before and along the creative process but often when I am in front of the canvas, with the brushes and colours, I let my intuition take over. Our subconscious and body cells have learnt things that could not be rationalised.




9. Is there a particular place in the world you find inspiring?

I find inspiration constantly and everywhere. I can come across the best idea in the most unexpected corner. If you were asking me where I feel most heartened, I would say in a lonely mountain, in a quiet museum and in a silent old sanctuary.

10. How would you describe working as a contemporary artist

Pedros Paricio's show Dreams at Halcyon Gallery

in Europe today? In our digital age, what do painting and drawing give us as art forms?
I consider myself a painter and not a contemporary artist. Art offers us metaphysics and consciousness and all that the fast-paced culture in our hyper-technological world cannot offer us.

Pedro Paricio's new exhibition Dreams is open until the 25th of September 2016 at the Halcyon Gallery, 144-146 New Bond Street, London: Monday-Saturday 10am-6pm and Sunday 11am-4pm: http://www.halcyongallery.com/exhibitions/pedro-paricio-dreams

Copenhagen State of Mind: New Nordic Fashion Spring/Summer 2017

Luminous red leather and cut-off shorts and long socks at Asger Juel Larsen at Copenhagen Fashion Week. Cover picture at the Haervaerk show and photograph above by Jesper Bang-P.Thortzen

Copenhagen Fashion Week is known for its cultural cool and celebration of Nordic ingenuity and style. Today, it is the largest and most influential fashion event in Scandinavia. Held between the menswear shows in June and the prêt-à-porter womenswear collections in September, Limor Helfgott reports on the highlights from the Danish capital. Photography by Jesper Bang-P. Thortzen

 

Plays on gender. Photo: Jesper Bang-P.Thortzen

FOR three days, Copenhagen Fashion Week takes over the city as the best of Scandinavian design sashays down the runways at different venues around town. Denmark has become a powerful global fashion stage and has an undeniable cultural cool. It's designers are known for their sophisticated, unusual and artful collections for both men and women. There is no doubt that Danish fashion has a lot to offer, from edgy dark street couture to lighter, tailored and more flowing styles. But most of all it is their effortless, modern and fresh take on current trends. Most labels showing at Copenhagen Fashion Week had collections that were both wearable and generally more affordable than those at the major fashion cities such as Paris, Milan, London and New York. Although there were trends in Copenhagen already seen during the other fashion weeks, there were also more unique and eclectic pieces with unusual colour combinations, textures and silhouettes and interesting plays on gender, such as model Vincent Beier at Mark Kenly Domino Tan (pictured above). These are some of the brands and designers with the most interesting and innovative collections of Spring/Summer 2017:

 Asger Juel Larsen. Photo:Jesper Bang-P. Thortzen

Asger Juel Larsen: Cool Nordic Gent
This season Asger Juel Larsen, known as one of the most avant-garde, experimental Danish designers is back with a very strong collection and his catwalk show was one of the highlights of fashion week. A big questions this season in Copenhagen was can Asger Juel Larsen rise from ashes? A literal rather than metaphorical question as a few months ago, Larsen's studio in Copenhagen was tragically destroyed by fire. The designer and his team had to start afresh and work day and night to prepare the new SS17 collection. The result is a magnificent collection entitled: ‘Burned Not Fried’, a presentation with strong commercial looks and a new creative energy that was very much evident throughout his show. There was a wide variety of colour choices and silhouettes, large skeleton head designs along with loose suiting, oversized sweaters with military references, plaid shirts with statement pieces such as a red motorcycle jacket and a fierce zebra print set that stole the show.

Barbara I Gongini.: Jesper Bang-P.Thortzen 

Barbara I Gongini: The Bold Side of Summer
Once again, Barbara I Gongini presented an edgy, Nordic-inspired collection with striking pieces suitable for both men and women, especially for the bold and environmentally-conscious among us. If you are looking for a colourful summer wardrobe, you will not find it in Gongini’s collection. The colour palette was her signature black, accompanied by greys and whites and styled with large tribal inspired necklaces. Models' hair was combed up around their faces with dark ghoulish make-up to create a loose, elegant parade of extravagant pieces.



Freya Dalsjo. Photo: Jesper Bang-P. Thortzen

Freya Dalsjø: The Uncrowned Queen
Contemporary womenswear designer Freya Dalsjo is fashion week’s uncrowned queen and is known for her playful and experimental style. Her SS17 collection was very wearable: jumpsuits and shirt dresses in a range of neutral shades and lots of zippers and patchwork details. Once again, like on a lot of other catwalks this season, the designer pushed the boundaries between male and female and new, experimental forms. At first, Dalsjø's collection seems quite simple, but with an avant-garde approach: exaggerating and deconstructing forms and silhouettes and using colours that most designers would think impossible to combine. Voluminous coats, parachute dresses and the strong choice of the colour palette (a noisy lime green hue was a feature of the show) and the bold yellow, polished boots, made it quite clear that this collection was created for women with a bit of an attitude yet feminine and complex.

House of Dagmar. Photo: Jesper Bang-P.Thortzen

House of Dagmar: Imagined & Re imagined
Welcome to The House of Dagmar, a world of beautiful tailoring, flowing yet sturdy materials and fine details. The Swedish brand, established in 2005 by the three sisters Karin Söderlind, Kristina Tjäder and Sofia Wallenstam, showcased their new collection at Copenhagen fashion week for the first time. They presented a form of Swedish minimalism combining an elegant sensuality with natural materials. The inspiration is a modern woman going back to nature despite the digital world she lives in. The collection included a variety of knitwear and soft leather in natural colours: white, oatmeal, indigo, stone and sky blue hues combined with stronger colours such as orange that was used as an accent. Overall it was a sophisticated and sensual collection designed for a confident, outgoing woman.



Lala Berlin. Photo: Jesper Bang-P. Thortzen

Lala Berlin: Jungle Fever in the City Chic urban city girl, meets sophisticated jungle wardrobe seemed the inspiration for Lala Berlin's new collection. Are you confused? So were we until Iranian-born designer, Leyla Piedayesh unveiled her stunning SS17 collection ~ then the diversity all made sense. “City Jungle” was held in the old Carlsberg brewery in an industrial area in the middle of Copenhagen and had clear connections to the African jungle with a feminine flair. The colour palette went from white and soft light blue to dramatic greens, yellows, oranges and black. The strikingly innovative looks had details such as fringes, embroidered patchwork and knitted ruffles while the filmy white dresses and shirts all had rich textural details. The collection was unusually elegant yet very wearable.

Baum & Pferdgarten. Photo: Jesper Bang-P.Thortzen

Baum & Pferdgarten: The New Femininity
Designers Rikke Baumgarten and Helle Hestehave are well-known on the Danish fashion scene and are local favourites of editors and fashionistas in Copenhagen. Baum & Pferdgarten have been creating innovative feminine collections since 1999 and the brand is known for experimenting with different styles, especially clashing shapes and prints. And this season continued the exploration of these themes. The SS17 collection was inspired by the late Seventies and early Eighties with a distinctly preppy style. Stripes and checks were the most stand-out combination with prints layered upon prints. Other features were the pussy-bow blouses and suit jackets, sheer skirts teamed with striped knee-high socks and floating lemon-yellow dresses worn on top of knitted, striped trousers. All of the these elements added up to a quirky and fun new collection.



 Mark Kenly Domino Tan: Jesper Bang-P. Thortzen

Mark Kenly Domino Tan: Chiffon School Girl
At a beautiful venue in Copenhagen's Amager, Mark Kenly Domino Tan showed stylish, feminine silhouettes. The SS17 collection included an eclectic choice and mix of fabrics. Chiffons and silks were teamed with contrasting furs and suiting while fur-lined coats were paired with over-sized bows and silken trousers. Pinstripe shirts were transformed into dresses with sky-high slits. Collaborating with Yvonne Koné and Orit Elhanati, Mark Kenly Domino Tan's collection was complimented by beautiful shoes and jewellery. It was interesting to see yet another show that proves gender norms are shifting in fashion. The label's gender-fluid muse and one of fashion’s most promising new faces, Maison Margiela’s stunning seventeen year old Vincent Beier, walked the show again, having made his debut with the brand last August. Overall this season Mark Kenly Domino Tan presented a more utilitarian and less couture-influenced collection. It was still dramatic but at the same time very wearable.  



 Haerverk. Photo by Jesper Bang-P. Thortzen

Hærværk: Welcome to the Future
Every season exciting new brands are added to the Copenhagen fashion week schedule to keep us on our toes. Debuting this August in the capital was Hærværk, (‘vandalism’ in Danish) founded by Niels Gundtoft Hansen. The young designer recently graduated from the Royal College of Art, specialising in menswear, and has already been featured in Italian Vogue. The designer chose a unique, authentic and raw setting to show his new collection. The show was held at a skate ramp called Alice in Wonderland in Christiania where the designer presented his sci-fi inspired SS17 collection. The show had a strong futuristic vibe, a combination of work wear and industrial textures. Many of the garments had a pre-loved, used look mixed wtih rugged utility belts and robot-like boots with sci-fi style lettering dominating most of the pieces. Colours were strong such as blue, yellow and orange. The setting and the powerful collection made a big impact and Niels Gundtoft Hansen is certainly a new designer to keep an eye on for next season in Copenhagen!

Tap on photographs for full-screen slide-show from Copenhagen Fashion Week

Model Vincent Beier, muse for the Mark Kenly Domino Tan collection. Photo by Jesper Bang-P.Thortzen

Stylish and contemporary suiting at Mark Kenly Domino Tan. Photo by Jesper Bang-P.Thortzen

Mix of fabrics and fur at Mark Kenly Domino Tan. Photo by Jesper Bang-P. Thortzen

The dramatic and feminine new collection of Mark Kenly Domino Tan in Copenhagen. Photo by Jesper Bang-P. Thortzen 



Asger Juel Larsen's "Burned not Fried" collection at Copenhagen Fashion Week. Photo by Jasper Bang-P.Thortzen 

Dark opaque and glimmering textures at Asger Juel Larsen. Photo by Jesper Bang-P.Thortzen 

The burnt orange and yellows of the Seventies era gave inspiration to Asger Juel Larsen for the latest collection. Photo by Jesper Bang-P. Thortzen 

Space age silver & pastel pink at Asger Juel Larsen. Photo by Jesper Bang-P. Thortzen

 Backstage in Copenhagen, designer Barbara I Gongini contemplates her new collection. Photo by Jesper Bang-P.Thortzen

Ghoulish make-up created backstage at Barbara I Gongini. Photo by Jesper Bang-P. Thortzen

Appearing out of the dark, the white, windswept creations of Barbara I Gongini. Photo by Jesper Bang-P. Thortzen

Barbara I Gongini's conceptual show in fluid blacks, whites and greys. Photo by Jesper Bang-P. Thortzen 

 Asymmetry and crushed fabrics at Barbara I Gongini. Photo by Jesper Bang-P. Thortzen

Freya Dalsjo's dynamic new collection with its dash of vivid lime green in Copenhagen. Photo by Jesper Bang-P. Thortzen 



Unusual colour combinations at Freya Dalsjo in grey and lime green with s splash of denim. Photo by Jesper Bang-P. Thortzen



Tailored black jacket with a soft sheen was combined with graphic trousers at Freya Dalsjo. Photo by Jesper Bang-P. Thortzen

Sleek silhouettes and textured fabrics at House of Dagmar. Photo by Jesper Bang-P. Thortzen

Sporty colourful tops contrasted with asymmetric skirts at House of Dagmar. Photo by Jesper Bang-P.Thortzen

Smooth and bulky knitted sleeves made an interesting contrast at House of Dagmar. Photo by Jesper Bang-P. Thortzen

Flowing lines in light blue and white at Lala Berlin, held at the old Carlsberg Brewery. Photo by Jesper Bang-P.Thortzen

  

 A certain hippy chic ran through the new collection of Lala Berlin in Copenhagen. Photo by Jesper Bang-P. Thortzen

The finale with the designer between two giant elephants at the old Carlsberg brewery in Copenhagen, Photo by Jesper Bang-P. Thortzen 

Quirky knits at Baum & Pferdgarten. Photo by Jesper Bang-P. Thortzen

Prints inspired by the Seventies were a highlight at Baum & Pferdgarten. Photo by Jesper Bang-P. Thortzen 

A Gossamer-fine creation and retro jacket at Baum & Pferdgarten. Photo by Jesper Bang-P. Thortzen

 Sheer fabrics and a Seventies aesthetic at Baum & Pferdgarten. Photo by Jesper Bang-P. Thortzen