Emerging Designer Martin Asbjørn Bjerre Unleashed His FW20!
“During the global pandemic, which has paralyzed not only the world but also the fashion industry—in particular, emerging designers — Martin Asbjørn Bjerre continued his FW20 exploration of escapism. Like most, he completely disconnected during quarantine, indulging in movie-marathons where the designer would seek out old sci-fi movies to break away from the harsh reality of confinement.
Barbarella (1968), Star Wars (1977), Planet of the Apes (1970), Westworld (1973), Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978), and many more iconic “flicks” from the era were binged and mood-boarded. While most of the films—all with rather pessimistic versions of the future—brought relief from the current situation, they weren’t actually the direct inspiration behind Bjerre’s SS21 collection.
However, when diving deeper into the universe of the films, Bjerre took to stars of the films such as Jane Fonda, Harrison Ford, Roddy McDowall, Kevin McCarthy, and like-minded. The trendsetters would wear their 70s “standards” for nights on the town between filming and at premieres: ruffled shirts, elongated collars, flared pants, cargo pants, safari jackets, mesh polos and vests, short shorts, and shiny suits—all included in the new collection.
Although convenient to mentally escape the current sociopolitical climate and the ensuing corona-crisis, it’s not in sync with the revolutionary spirit of neither today nor of the 70s. Bjerre’s fight is depicted in his extensive research for the materials used in the collection.
Recycled and organics cotton and surplus furniture fabrics are used to reduce overproduction and pollution connected to all textiles industries currently responsible for 10% of annual global carbon emissions, which, as we know, are causing the planet to warm at an unprecedented pace. Fabrics are kept light to accommodate the increasing heat—even in the designer’s native Denmark—of the summer and colors are kept, mostly, to earth tones to further emphasize the importance of saving precious resources and avoiding waste: the world is not only our sanctuary but that of millions of creatures that are all vital parts of the global ecosystem that makes this planet livable.
ART DIRECTION & DESIGN: KEVIN PFAFF (STUDIO GOTWH) @A-MANAGEMENT
PHOTOGRAPHY: NICOLAJ DIDRIKSEN
STYLING: MARTIN ASBJØRN BJERRE
SET DESIGN: KEVIN PFAFF (STUDIO GOTWH) @A-MANAGEMENT
HAIR MAKEUP: WILLIAM SKOU BOKSA @A-MANAGEMENT
MODEL: MARTIN ANDERSEN @SCOOP MODELS”.
