Oslo National Academy of the Arts – Pre Collection

Text Fredrik Austad Photos Luca Sorheim

Wednesday evening the students at Oslo National Academy of the Arts invited us to experience their pre-collections: staging a presentation that combined their diverse use of fabrics with contemporary dance and deep vibrating tunes.

This year’s showcase was a collaboration between the third grade BA Fashion Design students and the Academy of Dance. We can only imagine the intimate work process between the designers and the dancers, making a piece that both presents the depth of the design concept and also the feelings created by the beautiful movements of the contemporary dance choreography by Tonje Lorgen Kirkholt and Magnus Haals.

Designer Karine Næss showed garments in different hues of blue reminding us of the diverse nuances of the ocean. Trousers with flares made of plastic and blue nail polish accompanied each other on stage presenting a collection Næss called “Nothing feels like home”.

“No one sees like you” gave us an impression of a strong emotional connection between the male dancers: passionate and aggressive with a need for proximity. Rough fabrics and layering were key elements for the menswear collection by Thalia Steffensen, also showing shirts and t-shirts with the ability to change silhouettes (hidden wires in the fabric?), supporting the reuse of garments in times where the fast fashion mentality among the consumers is highly questioned.

Magdalena Mikaelsen’s dancers wore long sleeved tops in neutral colors putting the focus on the draped skirts in pink, black and purple in her collection named “Pocket2bagpocket”. Integrated in the pieces were small pockets that came to vision in the choreography. Shown side by side in the opening act the draped skirts came off as a colorful bouquet with delicate pedals draped on the dancer’s bodies.

A black dress that sparked like the diamonds on Damien Hirtst’s skull piece “For the Love of God” got our attention in “Pust” by Eldbjørg Skved Skottvoll. The designer also showed an interesting color palette painted on one of the dresses letting the different body movement showcase her design.

We wish to congratulate the student at Oslo National Academy of the Arts and we are looking forward to see more in the near future.

Headlines November 2015

Text Henrik Skansen with Fredrik Austad
Photos Yves Saint Laurent, Henrik Skansen and Eytys.

This is Headlines, a monthly column by our menswear blogger Henrik Skansen with selected highlights from the worldwide fashion scene.

1. The French perfume label Yves Saint Laurent announced their release of a new highly exclusive collection of perfumes named Le Vestiaire des Perfums, which directly translates to “the changing room of perfumes”. The collection consists of five carefully selected scents where each one of them represents Yves Saint Laurent’s iconic fashion pieces.

In this line we find Tuxedo, known to the fashion enthusiast as “Le Smoking, a classic and masculine look that was presented in a new and slightly more feminine version for women by Saint Laurent in 1966. The Tuxedo scent blends a matte texture of smoked patchouli with ambergris to express a dark sex appeal, appearing both masculine and feminine at the same time. Following we also find the Trench, the Saharienne, the Caban and the Caftan.

2. The Swedish classic menswear label Oscar Jacobson, recently opened up the doors to their first ever flagship store in Norway. Aside by presenting their new boutique, the brand also launched their new tuxedo collection in collaboration with King magazine. Editor in chief Per Nilsson and fashion editor Claes Juhlin told mon Dieu that they enjoyed working on their second collaboration with the brand; playing a big part in the design process.

The collection consist of a sharp tailored two buttoned tuxedo with slits, which is a whole new take on the classic jacket, a crisp silk bow-tie, double monk straps in patent leather and a pair of cufflinks in gold. Also to be found in the collaboration is a tuxedo shirt inspired by a piece bought in a small vintage shop in Florence during Pitti Uomo. “I wish to encourage Scandinavian men to play with the classic tuxedo jacket by not only using it as a whole suit, but to mix it up with jeans and a pair of fresh sneakers”, Claes Juhlin told mon Dieu.

3. The Swedish contemporary brand Eytys took a new turn for this years Black Friday and released a capsule collection with Ali Boulala. Known for his skateboarding skills and individual style of dressing, Boulala has become a fresh new face in fashion; dressing a bit more punk than the average skater in your local park.

The collection consists of two sets of tee shirts produced in Japan and an updated version the classic model “Mother”. The shoe is made in crocodile embossed leather with mesh detailing.

COS x Snarkitecture at Austere

Text Fredrik Austad Photos COS

Presenting their second collaboration with the New York based architect studio Snarkitecture, COS opened a pop-up store earlier this month designed by Daniel Arsham and Alex Munstonen.

Read about their last collaborating during the Salone del Mobile in Milan here.

The concept store that was located in Downtown Los Angeles within Austere, a space for Scandinavian design and innovation, invited the visitors to a minimalistic monochrome environment that reflected the Swedish brand’s core DNA. The installation was made of steel in different hues of pink, white and mirrors that stretched from the floor to the ceiling, creating an impression of an eternal space. Also placed around the store were tall steel sculptures showing cut out silhouettes from the curated collection.

“…For the design of our new collaboration in LA, we were attracted to the strong silhouettes and distinctive colour hues of the most recent collection. We’ve integrated these elements into a reductive environment that plays on the concept of reflection to create an unexpected experience for visitors” said Arsham and Mustonen.

The COS Autumn Winter 2015 collection is mainly inspired by the adventures and beautiful country of Japan, and focuses on the intersection between calm and drama. The dramatic minimalism of the Mono-ha art movement, where industrial and natural materials are harmonically combined and the glacial shades from the photographies by Olaf Otto Becker, create a well balanced collection with nature inspired surfaces and outdoor sport references.

While the concept store had its last day on the 15ht of November, the clothes are still to be found in COS stores. Given the inspiring installations we hope to see more collaborations between Snarkitecture and COS in the future.

HONEYMOON REHERSAL : Part One

It is quite possible to feel the urge of finding a bathroom shortly after entering the exhibition Honeymoon Rehersal that opens tonight in Oslo, Norway. At least if you are the empathic kind of person and if a specific photograph is in the same spot as it was on Wednesday evening, when mon Dieu left after an inspirational conversation with the artist, his fiancé and Gard Eiklid that invited us to the Rod Bianco Gallery for a visit. If the mentioned photograph is still right across the room from the entrance, visitors will be welcomed with an especially wet and intimate memory from a romantic vacation to Morocco.

The opening reception takes place tonight in Oslo over a garage inside a brand new exhibition space with an unpolished tastefulness and a laid-back atmosphere. A short while ago the Rod Bianco Gallery entered the international artworld and is a well-timed complement to the blossoming crowd of local art collectors. «Honeymoon Rehersal» is the gallery’s second exhibition, and the artist has captured moments triggering our imaginations to reflect around the relationship between the artist and his fiancé.

The name Rod Bianco might sound familiar as it originates from a narrating concept created by one of the gallery’s residents, Bjarne Melgaard. The Norwegian artist also plays an important part for «Honeymoon Rehersal» as he recently challenged Toronto based artist Brad Philips. The Canadian has been given the mission of making the most sexual pieces of art he can possibly imagine. Philips therefore decided to ask his fiancé and fellow artist, Cristine Brache to join him on a trip to Morocco for some good times in fascinating surroundings.

Honeymoon rehearsal is the result and a gritty collection of juxtaposed photographs, some paintings and also video. The artist generously shares private memories that he has made with his dear fiancé during their time in Morocco. Philips cleverly combines quite personal and intimate moments with other vacation memories like landscapes, flowers and traditional decorations. The soon to be husband and wife have played around with textures, situations and expressions that might challenge the spectator to consider love in other ways than the ordinary conceptions do.

If one doesn’t look closely enough and reflect around what is seen, a lot of things might come off as something else than what they actually are. References to beauty can be found in additional places to lovely oil lamps resembling fairy-tales and pretty roses. mon Dieu congratulates the artist couple with a daring reflection of a relationship that to us seems to be filled with personal freedom, love and respect. Happiness and mutual trust might hide behind S&M effects and jeans with dark traces of urin if curiosity allows the spectator for more than just a flustered peek. Perhaps a lot of us would enter the gallery and head straight to the bathroom without ever understanding that immortalizing one’s fiancé that has just wet herself could be the very oposite of taboo. It is at least a quite fascinating thought that pee represents one of the most universal, common and natural parts of our lives.

Headlines October 2015

Text Henrik Skansen with Fredrik Austad & Maren Serine
Photos H&M x Balmain, Dior and Lanvin.

This is Headlines, a monthly column by our menswear blogger Henrik Skansen with selected highlights from the worldwide fashion scene.

1. Finally, after a wait that has seemed like forever, H&M x Balmain reveal their design collaboration. The collection has received an enormous amount of attention in social media. Balmain’s creative director, Olivier Rousteing, is the mastermind behind the internet hype that is based on a quite simple Instagram tactic. See, this fall’s most succsessful marketing strategy in Fashion was really not too complicated. The hype started with the arrangement of a preview show in New York this September where the H&M x Balmain collaboration was shown to selected powerful internet personalities. They were thrilled and by discovering the popular it-girls, Kendall Jenner and Gigi Hadid, that were some the big Instagram names that strolled down the runway, presenting #HMBalmaination to bloggers, Instagram celebrities and international Fashion press that instantly shared their snapshots with their followers. The collection is supposedly the most expensive design collaborations that H&M has done so far, and is expected to hit the stores worldwide the 5th of November. This might be something worth waiting in line for as we approve some of the materials and cuts to be quite good, but if you want to see for yourself, have a look at the campaign video here.

2. Raf Simons is leaving the House of Dior, a House with a maximalist legacy, after only three years as Creative Director. The Belgian designer that previously has spent seven years at the quite contrasting Jill Sander fashion house, famous for their minimalistic profile, was considered to be a promising new and exciting chapter for the house of Dior when he succeeded Fashion’s bad boy John Galliano in 2011. The official press release stated that Simons is leaving for “personal reasons”.

For those who want to learn about the heritage of the French fashion house Dior, we recommend the documentary “Dior & I”: an already quite legendary film that among other treats gives an insight to the process where Simons and his team created the first Dior Haute Couture collection from his brief leadership that now is history.

3.  Speaking of leaving; after 14 years as creative director in another French Designer House, Alber Elbaz is now leaving the luxury brand Lanvin, seeking new adventures. The Fashion media speculated around the possibility of him succeeding Raf Simons at Dior. What we have found to be an interesting detail among all of this Fashion Scene dramatics is that Elbaz himself has expressed frustration over a growing tendency of a development in the fashion system that worries him alot; it seems that that couturiers are forced to limit their artistry into simply function as image-makers for the brands. «Maybe we are no longer the industry of newness, because that was taken by technology, but we’re still an industry of a man and a woman, of a thread and a needle, of fabric and a dream» the respected Israeli designer proclaims and highlights a topic that mon Dieu agrees with him to be a possible tragedy for the people of the Fashion world that are more fond of aesthetic high quality than by devious internet hype.

Le Nez Rouge – Jacquemus SS16

Text Fredrik Austad Photos Jacquemus

The Jacquemus SS16 collection invited the audience to visit a surrealistic dreamy world created by the Paris based designer Simon Porte Jacquemus. Without being affected by big commercial and conceptual trends, Jacquemus brings up some of todays hottest topics challenging the boundaries between male and female. For this season the designers in general have turned out to be more independent and eclectic in their designs, embracing the growing focus on the individual in the society of the Western World.

The name of the collection, Les Nes Rouge (The Red Nose) is a metaphor for the illness and personal struggles the designer felt while making the collection. A big red yarn pushed across the industrial location by his younger cousin opened the show symbolizing the trial Porte had gone through, emphasizing his summer of sadness.

Earlier the 25-year-old designer has shown collections with both lightness and humor, as for the last season the brand has kept its playfulness but now with a more serious undertone. The Jacquemus girl is a raw individual that neutralizes the old sex-roles when it comes to both wardrobe essentials and the way of being. The same goes for his clothing: deconstructed tailoring with inspiration from the menswear scene. Crisp shirts made into skirts and tailored jackets used as dresses. At one point we also saw a navy pinstriped piece with bare shoulders that had the outlines of a classic suit drawn on top of the fabric. As for the colors he proposed to his country with the signature blue, white and red of the national flag. A light grey was also spotted on some of the pieces. Crisp white has been a key element since his first collections and is also dominating this season.

The house of Jacquemus has had a good year with the designer receiving a special award form the LVMH Prize. «I don’t’ make collection, I tell stories» the designer has been saying in several interviews, having a fresh take on fashion design in a society driven by the needs of the consumer, and not other way around.

At one point during the show Jacquemus himself walked across the stage dressed in all white with a great majestic white horse, hopefully symbolizing a triumph over the dark memories. We surely hope so and can only say that we are looking forward to seeing what he does next.

Damien Hirst – For the love of God

Text Maren Serine Andersen

Living legend and art rebel, Damien Hirst, first saw the light of day in Bristol, Great Britain, mid 1960’s. Like many others do, mon Dieu adores the southwestern Brit’s great aesthetic skills: A unique artistry that with utter precision beautifully communicate deeply philosophical reflections using elements like surgical instruments, formaldehyde solution, animal corpses cut in half and other peculiar stuff that few of us have ever laid eyes on. In addition to our admiration and great respect for Hirst’s art pieces, we also see him as an important inspiration in other ways;

Damien Hirst has been building his career since the end of the 1980’s when it all seriously took off for him being part of a loose group of British artists. These young unknowns began to exhibit together in the label Young British Artists (YBAs). In 1988, while studying at Goldsmiths College of Art, Hirst organized the first and most celebrated of their exhibitions, «Freeze». British art culture has since then been shaped by the highly influential YBAs that reached fame because of their wild living, openness to materials and processes, shock tactics and entrepreneurial attitude. The YBAs revitalized the British Art Scene, gave lift to new artists and catalyzed a whole new generation of contemporary commercial galleries, like the notorious White Cube Bermondsey. The movement lead to an enormous spread of interest and improved the market for contemporary British art magazines through increased advertising and circulation. The pioneering artist has also collaborated in the borderline between Art and Fashion, a move that many artists would never dare to make. Have a look further down in the story at the video from 2013 where Hirst has joined forces with clothing designer/couturier Alexander McQueen and photographer/film director Sølve Sundsbø (last one recently exhibited in Uncontaminated Oslo Fashion Art Festival).

«Fuck off to death»
-Damien Hirst

The mother of artist Damien Hirst once asked her son, «For the love of God, what are you going to do next?» Little did she know that these words would end up as the title of nothing less than an art treasure and a «Memento mori» clarifying death. Together with craftsmen from Bentley & Skinner, suppliers of jewelry to the British Royal Family, the ambitious artist succeeded to materialize the mad idea of creating a stunning platinum replica of a real human skull. The masterpiece is of course covered with the best quality diamonds, and the cherry on top of the cream is a detail resembling a third eye; an extravagant, pear-shaped pink diamond in the center of the forehead – a quite fascinating contrast to the pale human teeth from the original skull that are curved in a strange, cold grin.

I once was
What you are
You will be
What I am
-Hirst’s sketches

Sketch notes like «Diamonds are for ever» and «In God we trust, yeah, yeah, yeah» reflect an indication of Damien Hirst’s philosophical thoughts concerning our human existence. As art has the power to transform something into something else, the artist decided to create a decoration against death.The grinning face that for a brief moment outshined our dark thoughts of human mortality has now reached halfway through its Oslo residency. It’s the first time ever that the diamond skull is exhibited in Scandinavia and kind of a big deal for Astrup Fearnley Museet. Just how important the exhibition is we found out the night of the opening when the artist himself had decided to show up for the vernissage. We were also quite starstruck to meet a superstar in the world of Art.

His seminal paintings made of flies and butterflies are some of the art pieces that a month ago were complemented by the impressive piece of jewelry. For a limited amount of time, For the Love of God 2007, is on show in a purpose-built room within the walls of Astrup Fearnley Museet. The light design inside the black box that illuminates the skull from four angles provides a quite striking effect that might make you realize the high optical dispersion of diamonds.

The skull’s background story is relatively obscure, but what has scientifically been proved is the identity of a young adult male from southern Europe with good health while alive, during the creation process. The story behind this young man’s doom will probably stay secret forever, an unsolvable mystery that our own imaginations may speculate upon. As the skull gradually is placed within with vague fragments of a historical context aiming towards the short life of a real person, the grin suddenly seems to become a smirk. Also the dark gap of a missing tooth gets far more fascinating than it was at first glance.

As one of the most influential artists of his generation, Hirst’s art was introduced to the Norwegian Art Scene in 1996 and has ever since had a central part in Astrup Fearnley Museet. Thirteen art pieces complete the permanent collection of Hirst’s work that resides beneath the sail shaped museum roof.

If you want to, there is still time to get face to face with the diamond scull. As the artist puts it himself; «We’re born, we look around, we die».

Happening: UNCONTAMINATED Oslo Fashion Art Festival 2015

Text Maren Serine Andersen

What could possibly attract cultural barometers such as heavy weight magazines like Wallpaper and Curated By to Oslo right before another busy weekend? The reason for this unusual international interest is UNCONTAMINATED Oslo Fashion Art Festival that opens today for the very first time.

The word UNCONTAMINATED represents no less than twelve meanings. As we look it up and discover promising descriptions like fresh, clean, good, new and immaculate among the dozen, our expectations of a Norwegian milestone for the borderline between Fashion and Art escalate high towards the clear autumn sky.

The name that is representing this celebration of talented artists stood out as an obvious choice to symbolize central artistic qualities. The three initiators decided that UNCONTAMINATED was the right name for this new festival because they aim to promote artists chosen for their uncompromising visions and use of unconventional methods in the distribution and production of art. As first Norwegian festival to unite the fields of Fashion and Art, it might not be a surprise that UNCONTAMINATED is an occasion that mon Dieu Editorial Team has been looking very much forward to. We were both happy and impressed when one of the founders, Rita Mostrøm Larsen, presented the project a while ago. The festival has a remarkable line-up including several international names of significant hype.

Norwegian fashion photographer and filmmaker Sølve Sundsbø finally pays Oslo a visit from his base in London. His renowned open-mindedness and innovative work of stylistic versatility has been embraced by internationally leading publications such as Chinese Vogue, Interview, Italian Vogue, i-D, Vogue Nippon and New York Times. The talented artist has also produced imagery and short films for several fashion brands that are some of our personal favourites. We are especially impressed of his collaborations with French favorites like Cartier, Givenchy, Yves Saint Laurent, Chanel and Hermès. Else than working with high-end Fashion brands it can also be mentioned that his photographies have been exhibited on The Metropolitan Museum of Art and that an Emmy Award is among Sundsbø’s achievements.

mon Dieu Editorial Team congratulates NOIONE, the creative hub for artists and activities in the confluence of fashion and art with the opening of UNCONTAMINATED Oslo Fashion Art Festival and is looking forward to take part in the celebration.

Program:
8 October, Thursday:
– Outdoor exhibition opening
Aker Brygge, Tjuvholmen
10:00

– Everything Magazine w/ Benjamin Sturgill
Mardou&Dean, Aker Brygge
16:00-18:00

– A Constant Journey Into the Future – Sølve Sundsbø exhibition
Høymagasinet, Festningen
19:00-20:00, 2 days exhibition

– Festival Opening Party
Onda, Aker Brygge
20:30-01:00

– Concert Louise Kahn
21:00

– Lifeless – Falck exhibition
Bryggegata 5, Aker Brygge
21:00-00:00, 3 days exhibition

9 October, Friday
– Fashion Art Night Out – A Celebration of Fashion and Art
Aker Brygge, Tjuvholmen
10:00-00:00

– Uncontaminated talk – artists and invited speakers
Onda, Aker Brygge
14:30-17:40

– Edda Gimnes Pop-Up Exhibition
Jenny Hemstadsgate, Aker Brygge
14:00-21:00

– Recens Paper Exhibition
Jenny Hemstadsgate, Aker Brygge
14:00-18:00, 1 week exhibition

– Bilder Nordic School of Photography Exhibition
Jenny Hemstadsgate, Aker Brygge
14:00-18:00

– Collective Exhibition
BESSNYC4 / CHARLOTTE WALES /
JOHNNY DUFORT / KATERINA PLOTNIKOVA /
COCO CAPITAN / MICHAL PUDELKA
Fineart Gallery, Tjuvholmen
19:00–21:00, 9 day exhibition

– CHOKE Exhibition
@betrayal_junkie / HENRIK ULDALEN
21:00-00:00, 1 day exhibition

Headlines September 2015

Text Henrik Skansen with Maren Serine Andersen & Fredrik Austad
Photos Henrik Skansen, Luca Sørheim, Acne Studios, GANT, Calle Huth / Studio Illegal and These Glory Days.

This is Headlines, a monthly column by our menswear blogger Henrik Skansen with selected highlights from the worldwide fashion scene.

1. For one night only Norwegian brand Mardou&Dean transformed an old and previously occupied house in the middle of a park into the hotspot of Oslo. The designers had already this August revealed their SS16 collection during Copenhagen Fashion Week in their first Mardou & Dean runway show outside of Norwegian borders. To show their friends at home some love , Mardou & Dean arranged this showcase in the beginning of September where Norwegian press and the social fashion scene got introduced to the new season in the setting of a house party. This memorable night actually turned out to be one of the most unforgettable Norwegian fashion parties of the year.

2. Acne Studios has presented their new collection of leather accessories made out of soft calf leather. All of the products (including wallets, cardholders, envelope pouches and smartphone cases) are produced by top Italian manufacturers. For the first time the Swedish fashion house offers a personalization of the products with typography made exclusively for the brand by the American artist Jack Pierson.

3. A new shirt collection was born this month when American brand GANT launched a new line together with their first global campaign. The SS16 collection called Gant Diamond G was exclusively presented during New York Fashion week for the world press. When it comes to the the FW15 collection, we find classic shirts in super soft cotton and crisp Oxford materials for both men and women. The collection is a tribute to the GANT heritage from all the way back to the year of 1949 when they produced their very first shirt. As the brand claim themselves: They changed the world. Not the shirt.

4. Six Norwegian designers have showed their SS16 collections during New York Fashion Week this season. This was a collaboration between F5 Agency and Fashion by Norway. NYFW was a quite natural next step as the brands are aiming to build their future to include the international fashion market. After their second show in New York, Benjamin Marthinsen who is co-founder and designer at the Norwegian clothing line GRAA, is already looking forward to next season after plenty of positive feedback.

The Norwegian designers represented at the Fashion Gallery were Apollonius, GRAA, Aùma, ARCT, Nina Agerup and Beate Godager.

5. These Glory Days recently revealed their second collaboration with Swedish designer Rasmus Wingårdh. For the FW15 collection, inspiration was found in «The picture of Dorian Gray», a philosophical novel by aesthetic writer and Irishman Oscar Wilde. Coincidentally this classic story about young and beautiful Dorian was also a notable reference in the seventh edition of le list that mon Dieu published earlier this year. With his contemporary controversy that today has become a literary work of iconic prominence, Wilde suggested that beauty and aesthetics are intertwined with nobility and moral values. Wingårdh explains how Victorian England feels similar to our own era and how he sees it as an ancestral reflection of the society that we now live in. The collection consists of a mix where luxury velvet jackets and cashmere fabrics harmonize with feelings of freedom and relaxation. According to Wingårdh, this mix is formulated by a paradox called «Égoïste Émpathique», that actually turned out to be the name of this collection. The designers did the launch together with Norwegian clothing store VOLT at their flagship boutique in Oslo where the invitations collected local retailers and a small selection of Norwegian press.

Le MANifeste d’Hermès

Text FREDRIK AUSTAD & MAREN SERINE ANDERSEN
Photography LE MANIFESTE D’HERMÈS

Le MANifeste d’Hermès is a digital universe created for the modern man focusing on clothing, shoes, leather goods and ties. Allow yourself to indulge in the world of Hermès and let time pass as you let the site inspire you to a creative lifestyle and a stylish wardrobe.

Artistic Director, Véronique Nichanian, gives you a chance to write your own surrealistic poems, loosen up the knot of your tie and learn how to build a sand castle dressed in the most exquisite tailored pieces in wool, linen and leather.

You can literally hear the waves travel along the beach and feel the cool breeze hitting your face as you admire the beautiful photos. The cashmere sweater in navy blue feels like a good choice on a day like this, and if you get too tempted you can always visit the web shop to find the lovely pieces.

Let yourself inspire and visit Le MANifeste d’Hermès here!