The Copenhagen lifestyle and Scandinavian design have earned their reputation for being clean, minimal, and comfortable. Denmark ranks high as one of the happiest countries in the world, its success is attributed to hygge — defined by the Oxford Languages as “a quality of coziness and comfortable conviviality that engenders a feeling of contentment or well-being.”
The Copenhagen-based brand Han Kjøbenhavn, founded by Jannik Wikkelsø Davidsen, has made itself distinct from the Danish culture of comfort since it began in 2008. The alternative fashion label initially started out with a sunglass line and has expanded to menswear and womenswear.
For their Spring Summer 2023 collection, Davidsen strips back and goes minimal, but it is far from comforting. Entitled Searching for Shadows, the pieces explore the nature of darkness. Complemented by stiff, slow walks and icy glares, they’re chilling, mysterious, and invite intrigue.
While trends are cyclical, Han Kjøbenhavn seems to take notes from the future rather than the past. It’s an antithesis against the resurgence of Y2K fashion. Sculptural pieces take the show, with carefully crafted lines and curves and crumpled textures. The palette is crisp with solid blacks and whites, and the occasional gray and olive neutrals. Chrome is the accessory of choice, fluid and skeletal, expressed through shoulder pads, bra tops, and skirts.
The Searching for Shadows SS23 collection is a sci-fi novel brought to life. A futurist apocalypse, if you may.