Han Kjøbenhavn AW26 Corrosion
Written by: Lauren Bulla
Tucked away in a warehouse past Færgehavn Nord, energies were high despite the biting cold. The floor was covered in dirt, rocks, and occasional puddles. Coagulating together, these natural components combine in direct reflection of industrial materials as they juxtapose with the natural world. From the ceiling, enormous rust-coloured curtains hung in a circular shape, opening up to create four distinct quadrants.
Viewers could peek around their undulating forms to witness otherworldly entities curving as they walked their width. In a chilling act, each model stopped and stared intermittently. It seemed as if we weren’t supposed to witness them, but once the wires had crossed, it was clear there was no turning back.
The show featured a slow, ongoing unveiling of various characters which wore dramatic, geometric forms. Silhouetting the space, each model slowly slunk past audience members into the smoke-and-dirt blended air. Arriving as distinct roles throughout the presentation-style runway, movements were intentionally slowed – allowing audience members to engage with each piece as it interacted with the surrounding environment. Elongated dress trains dragged behind each of the models as they became caked with mud. A result of being pulled through puddles and gravel littered floors.
The palette was composed of neutral tones: blacks, grays, and pale furs blended with exaggerated headpieces, pointed forms, and oversized shoulder pads. Ruching detail could be seen down the front of dresses, which seemed to travel up to the top point of headpieces – a direct and balanced directional view line. As the show came to a crescendo, the models which previously walked into the environment one by one, began crossing each other's path as they reentered the runway. These decisive movements of overlap signalled a warming up to one another. Thus creating unspoken pathways of understanding through invisible mediums.
These garments were a portal into a new dimension, where disruption is a through line as art becomes garment. Each model operated as if their own kind of extraterrestrial entity, aware of the other, but disconnected. The human form was distorted and converted into new shapes – all the while an extreme version of (in)human emotion pulled the viewers’ eye.
This season, Han Kjøbenhavn, presents a desolate, futurist blending of art, fashion, and installation that would not soon be forgotten.
Photography by Karolina Krawczyk