Berner Kühl takes us back to the Monochrome Set
This review is brought to you in collaboration with Bolou Fine Jewellery
Berner Kühl, Tuesday, August 6, 2024 at 12 PM, Eighteen Gallery
A widely held misconception of Scandinavian fashion is that it consists almost entirely of monochrome minimalism, but anyone who spends just five minutes outside a Copenhagen Fashion Week event would see that quite the opposite is true. Danes love colour and print, preferably all mashed up together. So it’s almost counterintuitive that menswear designer Berner Kühl actually stands out from the crowd for his love of pared down clothes almost entirely conceived in black, white and neutral shades. And unlike many of his contemporaries who are also currently mining the late 20th century for inspiration, he eschews that era’s pop culture and sportswear by heading directly to memories of the fashion crowd in New York when the ‘any colour as long as it’s black’ cliché was born.
Building on that sensibility, Kühl showed in an intimate (and very hot) all-white space that had a Helmut-Lang-in-the-Gargosian vibe. Considering the total lack of colour, print or superfluous ornamentation, this was a wise move as it gave the audience the chance to see the clothes at literally arms length. The designer is a self-confessed fabric nerd and places the textures of papery cotton, sheer viscose and silk-mix faille at the very centre of his work: something that really doesn’t translate to a large presentation. Instead we experienced simple but elegant outfits that wafted by on a series of well-chosen, quirky models walking to a soundtrack of a solo cellist playing live (you don’t get more minimal than that). Technical and sartorial rubbed shoulders (and our knees) in Kühl’s trademark cotton polyester mix fabric, this time worked into slightly looser silhouettes than before – articulated knees gave pants a swagger and huge hoods had a bee-keeper attitude on a utility jacket. Tailoring was neat and fitted – sometimes appearing on female models, more as a nod to gender-free styling than a full dip into womenswear. Other new fabrics added to the collection included a heavy over-dyed leather in a biker jacket or (showing a bit of leg here) in shorts. Denim too made an appearance, both in a straight leg indigo jean with a heavy wash or, more desirably, in white. A beautiful knitted gauzy shirt in what appeared to be mohair or alpaca was at the same time cosy and sexy.
With such pared down styles, details are paramount on a collection like this. From finishing touches like shiny collar and vent on a rain mac (actually the same fabric used in reverse), to exposed zips and intricate fastening clips on bags and belts, everything goes through the laser-like focus of a designer who really understands construction and fabrication. But, whilst not all collections need to shout, when something is as quiet and understated at this, it might be more beneficial to present in a static display rather than a show: clothes that whisper need a little more time to really appreciate.
See a selection of the show looks below and see the entire collection here.
