There’s more pigs in Denmark than people. MAD.
The cities that spring to mind when you think of Fashion: London, NY, Paris, and Tokyo. Copenhagen? No, what’d you mean Copenhagen? Unless you’re from there (or have visited) you wouldn’t understand me when I say that it’s a mad ting out there. Milo and I visited the city recently, neither of us having been before. Imagine the London streetwear scene, but the focus on branding is replaced by an admiration for a simple colour palette, clean silhouettes and effortless comfort. I was well aware of the minimalist approach attached to a lot of Scandinavian brands, those such as Norse projects, WoodWood and Acne. However, to see it across a whole city is really quite something!
One part of our mission out there was to check out the streetwear scene and to look at similarities and differences between Copenhagen and London. We took to the streets to do some ‘street style’ shots – for those not familiar with the term, it literally is people, in their own clothing, scouted and shot on the street. What was interesting was to see the influence of The Basement amongst the youth out there. Almost every person we approached, who was wearing Supreme, Palace, TN’s, 95’s, and Dickies, was in the group. Those who weren’t in ‘The Basement’ outfit? Well, most had no idea who we were.
Whilst most people, more so amongst the older demographic, wouldn’t associate this as a positive influence, I’d ask them to look again. The youth are taking aspects of our culture here in London, and making it their own. I fuck with that, I really do! The same way that we adopted certain aspects of culture from the states, predominantly the Hip Hop sub-culture (in streetwear). But there’s a stark difference between taking influence and adopting aspects of a culture, and copying. You know how Skeppy says Mix the Chanel with the Palace? Well, over here they’re mixing the Han Kjobenhavn with the Palace and the Norse Projects with the ‘Preme – I, honestly, really really like it! I love the cross-pollination of sub-cultures through fashion; it brings light to aspects of culture we didn’t know of before. I had no real education about the Punk era, Westwood and Maclaren, one of many pioneers of the movement in fashion. That was before I was introduced to Undercover – a Japanese streetwear brand with roots in the Japanese Punk scene. It caught my interest, and, before I knew it, I was scrolling Grailed for archive Undercover pieces. I didn’t necessarily end up wearing head to toe Japanese Punk-streetwear, but I’d incorporate it into my current look. You gain a new admiration and education about sub-cultures and their roots: something you learn to appreciate through interaction with it.
I was really impressed by Copenhagen. People over there have adopted elements of western culture into their aesthetic. The result was ‘clean cut with a western edge’, as David put it. We managed to meet up with some of Basement fam’ out there (on our trip) who showed us love and hospitality throughout our short stay. Special shout out to Yousef, Maria, Max, David, Kamma, Lea and Mette. Without them, the trip wouldn’t have been anywhere as eye opening!
So wagwan, Copenhagen?
Photography by Milo Black
Words by Tayler Prince-Fraser
Edited by Daniel Hawksworth and Darren Stoddart
