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CIFF PAGES About Copenhagen fashion, art, design, music and food.

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INTRODUCTION

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INSIGHT Meet the creative individuals who shape Copenhagen

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THE BOY AND GIRL OF COPENHAGEN The joys of adolescence in the city

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THE VISUALIZER Talk about fashion and performance

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OPPOSITE ORDINARY A collection of stylish Copenhageners

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LUST FOR YOUTH Comments on music making

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The unique style of Copenhagen is next to impossible to define. Despite that it is easy to spot, although you would not recognize it by just focusing on one aspect of the city. To describe what makes that special Copenhagener style - the one Copenhagen International Fashion Fair is built upon - you need to look at how several cultural factors contribute to making Copenhagen one of the most interesting “style towns” of the moment.

CIFF PAGES singles out those cultural factors. Since CIFF was founded, it’s most important task has been to curate the most relevant collections of brands to illustrate why Copenhagen is vital in a contemporary international perspective. In CIFF PAGES we have curated a collection of intriguing individuals from the city. The magazine presents portraits of Copenhageners from the worlds of fashion, art, design, cuisine and music. Each one of them plays a part in creating the style of Copenhagen.

Everybody depicted in the magazine has played a hand in creating the unique, and collectively they define the undefinable. In presenting these individuals to you, CIFF PAGES peels back another layer of Copenhagen to expose some of the human components who make the city even more relevant on an international as well as a national scale.

Welcome to Copenhagen!

Kristian W. Andersen Fashion & Design Director Publisher Kristian W. Andersen, CIFF Produced by Force of Nature Editor Janne Villadsen Contributing Editor Rasmus Folehave Art Direction CIFF PAGES Victor Lieberath & Alan Ankerstjerne Design CIFF BRAND INDEX Horisont Gruppen Photographers Thomas Skou, Sacha Maric, Nikolaj Møller & Olivia Frølich Make-up & Hair Gitte Guldhammer & Mette Thorsgaard Frontpage: Photography by Thomas Skou Maria Palm is wearing a jacket by Ganni

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One could argue that 25-year-old Brian “Lord” Siva is part of a new wave of Danish rappers, but he’d probably prefer to be riding his own surf. With his raw, honest lyrics and raspy voice he has gotten listeners convinced he might be the next male singer to break into the Danish mainstream.

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beautiful combination: Siva’s poetically-cloaked lyrics over Carl Barsk’s drowsy soundscapes. It’s the soundtrack for a night in Copenhagen: an after-party somewhere, drunken people passed out on sofas, while others stay awake with a little help from their chemical pals. A bit of heartbreak, a dash of youthful irresponsibility, a lot of enthusiasm, and there you have it.

“It’s honest and melancholic, rough at the same time, but not depressing,” Siva says about the lyrical universe that unfolds on his two EPs. ”You can play it at an after-party and anyone can relate to it. It’s the type of music you can listen to with a couple of cute girls and a bottle of liquor, until you pass out.”

You grew up in Aalborg but moved to Copenhagen. How come?

“It’s the best place to be. I’ve already spent the better part of the past year here, working on my music. It was just something I had to do. I’m like a grasshopper; I have to keep moving.”

With two EP releases in one year – a debut called 100, the follow-up 180 – Siva has been busy writing, recording and learning - while shaping his own artistic universe. He is preparing for his first solo tour of Denmark, and has just returned from a video shoot in Sri Lanka with director Rasmus Rørbæk.

“It goes like this: Rasmus has an idea, and then I just tag along.

We think up a storyline and by some magical feat he manages to bring it to life. He understands me and what’s in my head.

He’s a genius, that’s all I can say.”

Judging by your lyrics and videos, it seems like you’re more into the inner world than stroking your ego.

“It’s about being who I am. I’m not about champagne and money – there’s so much more we can talk about. The blue colour of the drugs in my videos represent my melancholy. And when I take off my shirt, it’s not to show off my skinny torso, but because I want to stand naked with my words.”

What did you experience that comes out in your music?

“I had a girlfriend, but it didn’t work out between us. Nothing unique about that. So if I can channel some of that pain into my music, people can relate to it, even if my lyrics mean different things to different people.”

What else?

“Bad friends and acquaintances - jealous people who don’t want the best for you. Drugs, stuff you want to get away from.”

Brian Siva is the son of Sri Lankan immigrants. A Christian mother, a Hindu father, Danish Christmas parties, Indian music, and hip hop culture all helped shape the inner world and creative outlets of the young man. And then there was Michael Jackson.

“I was his greatest fan. At the age of six I knew his dance moves.

I practiced when my mom wasn’t home, and I watched all his videos. Rap came later. When I was around 15 I heard my first Tupac album. I started out by singing, but people in Aalborg didn’t really understand that. So I was rapping with my friend Bulut Loc and learning along the way. I’d rather freestyle over some beats than play video games all night.”

What have you learned from the music business so far?

“It’s tough, that’s for sure. I didn’t expect anything, because I never imagined doing it in the first place. What I learned from recording my first songs was not to be afraid of expressing my ideas. Everyone is capable of having great ideas. The hard part is to channel them without any filter.”

Who are your favorite Copenhagen musicians at the moment?

“Ukendt Kunstner are the vanguard in Danish music right now. Their lyrics and musical universe give us some of the strongest material to emerge from this country in a long time.

Also I’d like to recommend my friend Tais. Check out his EP, Ecstasy, released January 26th.”

COMPOSITION OF INSIGHTS Photographer Thomas Skou Words Rasmus Folehave

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Maria Palm became a model quite by accident after she was scouted by Elite Models at the age of 16. Now 21, Maria is putting her skills to a new test: she has found herself in unfamiliar territory playing a familiar role as the star of Mads Matthisen’s feature film, The Model, due for release in May. Copenhagen is where Maria goes to recharge her mental batteries after spending much of her time working abroad.

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n The Model 17-year old Emma goes to Paris in search of a modeling career. After falling in love with a photographer and getting good jobs, she quickly learns the fashion world has a darker side. Maria emphasizes that the film doesn’t reflect her own story, but her experience in the business made it easy to relate to Emma’s situation.

“Acting wasn’t too difficult. It’s still about being in another world where you live out a certain role and take on another personality, so to speak. On my regular model assignments I work a maximum of two or three days and then we’re done. But a film project just keeps on going for weeks. Every single thing you do is recorded and scrutinized, so it’s about giving your very best every second you are in front of the camera.”

The close scrutiny won’t deter Maria from trying her hand at acting again in the future should the possibility arise.

“If the right opportunity came along I’d go for it. I had some great times acting, but it was very hard work and not something I would do over and over again.”

Maria never planned to model, but after being spotted in the audience at an Elite Models event she has spent the past five years in front of the camera. Publications such as Vogue UK, Danish Elle, and Harper’s Bazaar have all fallen for her dark beauty. The role as Emma in The Model allowed her to draw upon her own experiences, although she did steer clear of the worst clichés about life in the fashion world.

“It made it easier for me as a debuting actor. Now I’ve tried it, but I’d love to play a role that’s totally unfamiliar.”

How did you develop your interest in fashion and style?

“I used to experiment with all kinds of styles during my school days. And being a model, it comes with the territory. When everything is about looks and style you begin to form your own

opinions. I do get exposed to all the new trends, but they don’t influence me much. If there’s something I like, I just like it.

Sometimes I feel like wearing track pants and sometimes I’ll dress up in fur and high heels.”

Life as an international fashion model is more demanding than most people assume. Making a point of separating work from her private life, she values the comfort of old friends and familiar surroundings whenever she returns to Copenhagen.

“I don’t want to end up spending all my time with other models or people I don’t know very well. It’s a tough job that’s very demanding, mentally and physically. That’s why it’s important for me to come back to Copenhagen once in a while. It gives me a feeling of security.”

While growing up in Søllerød, a suburb north of Copenhagen, Maria and her friends spent a lot of time in the city. Her desire for being close to water and patches of green hasn’t diminished since she moved to the apartment she bought in Christianshavn two years ago. The canal-gridded district of Copenhagen is where she retreats for recharging after crisscrossing the world on model assignments.

“Copenhagen is a beautiful city with a sublime sense of coziness.

It’s always nice to take a walk along the canals of Christianshavn or a stroll through Christiania to see the colourful houses and old fortifications by the lake. I’d also suggest a visit to the Royal Theatre. I grew up with ballet and I still love to watch it; you enter a world of beauty and elegance. The theatre also happens to be the most beautiful building in Copenhagen.

How about our local fashion scene?

“For its size, Copenhagen has a lot of fashion talent with new names popping up all the time. People tend to welcome each other, give support and open opportunities for others. I find it to be a more constructive form of competition, as opposed to a city like New York, where it’s way more cutthroat.”

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Eske Rex is a craftsman. Or an artist, depending how you look at it. Educated as a carpenter, he also studied design and now combines these skills to create sculptures and installations that captivate the imagination and make your eyes and mind beg for more. There’s a good reason why some astute observers in the field of design consider him a sure bet for the future.

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ske Rex is surrounded by wood, tools and sketches at his Copenhagen workshop. He is in the process of figuring out how to present his work in April at the Mindcraft15 design fair in Milan. Prototypes of his streamlined wooden shapes are suspended from the ceiling, each split in half and held apart by opposing magnets. Entitled Divided Self, the concept is a simple, yet clever take on fundamental laws of nature. The shapes are perfectly crafted, with much attention given to the material itself. Think of the Danish masters of furniture and imagine they had chosen to pursue art instead.

“I don’t cut into a large block of wood with a chisel as a sculptor would; I manufacture the elements separately. They are shaped with a lathe, cut, sanded, and reassembled. Some would argue that art is something you look at, design is something you use, and architecture is something you enter. I’m attracted to all three.”

He pulls out two wooden frames being skewed in space by the diagonal pull of a string. The force twists the flat shape into a three-dimensional object. It’s simple and effective, like everything in Eske’s artistic sphere.

“It usually begins with a principle of some kind. Here, it’s the pull of the string; in the drawing machine it’s the pendulum; in Divided Self it’s magnetism: fundamental concepts that I wish to express in different ways. And there’s always an element of suspense. If I tighten the string too much, the frames will break.

If I push the halves of Divided Self apart, the magnetism will be too weak, and too much weight on the arm spoils the drawing machine. The breaking point gives a kind of dynamic to an otherwise static object. It creates a sense of ’what if’.”

Eske’s drawing machine consists of two large wooden structures, each holding a pendulum. Their rhythmic movements are

transferred to the tip of a regular ball point pen, which must move across the paper with exactly the right amount of pressure, like the stylus on a record player. With the machine set to draw several layers on top of each other, the ink grows denser, interference patterns emerge, and splashes of colour and paper lint beget unpredictable events of beauty.

“The drawing machine stems from my fascination with movement. It illustrates the connection between movement and time. I suppose it resonates with people, because we are drawn to natural movement like star trails, galactic movements, and ocean waves. And just like watching these phenomena in nature, the machine is somewhat trance-inducing. The machine is beautiful, and what it does is beautiful.”

That sure sounds like art. How do you balance it with your daily work? ”When I do my regular carpentry work, it’s very straightforward. The customer pays me to build whatever is needed.

In my studio it’s about feeling and experimenting, and I have come to realize I need both in my life. So it’s not even a question of money.

“I might be able to make a living from my art, but I also need the normality. It’s the rational versus the irrational.”

Living in Copenhagen, how do you make use of the city?

“I moved to Copenhagen in 1998, and have been living in Vesterbro ever since. I don’t go to cafés and bars too much. To me, the most interesting areas are waterfronts like Nordhavn, Sydhavn and Refshaleøen, where you can still see the horizon and discover small communities of free spirits who manage to thrive under the radar. These are bastions of the old Copen­ hagen with many traces of history.”

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Danish photographer Fryd Frydendahl has been pursuing intimate moments, among friends and strangers alike, for years. She lives in New York, but likes coming back to Copenhagen for Tivoli, cups of coffee by the seaside, and a more relaxed atmosphere.

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ryd Frydendahl is quickly becoming a lot of people’s favourite photographer. Splitting her time between New York and Denmark, she’s a self-confessed workaholic who keeps perpetually busy with exhibitions, books and personal projects.

Much of her work is shot on film, but not out of a sense of nostalgia. To her, it is all about the final results.

“If I can’t see it benefitting my photography, I don’t use it. Most importantly, I simply prefer the results I get from my Fuji 645 rangefinder camera or my Contax.”

When did you begin to feel like a photographer, rather than someone who just happens to use a camera?

“After finishing my education at the Fatamorgana photography school, and when I published my first book, Familie Album in 2007.”

Despite having to develop and print her negatives, Fryd often works under time constraints. Her recent “Salad Days” exhibition at Gallery V1 was prepared and printed in a week’s time. Other projects tend to drag on. For the past eight years she has documented the lives of her two nephews; the project has no end in sight.

“I’m very particular about the way my images fit together in a project. I wouldn’t want to publish a book with too much text about the people I portray. To me, their personalities exist only in the moment I press the shutter. Whoever people may be outside of the photo setting doesn’t concern me much.”

Fryd is meticulous in her planning. Even if her film images may seem somewhat random or pointed-and-shot, nothing she does with her camera is by accident.

“I usually draw stick figures showing how I want people to pose in my images. It’s quite detailed, all the way down to how they position their hands. It’s nice to contrast the process by using small point-and-shoot cameras, which are less intimidating. I

suppose I have become more of a portrait photographer over the past ten years.”

Does it help to narrow your field of view?

“Sure. And it also develops my aesthetic. I’m my own tool when I go to meet and photograph a person. The camera is just a gadget that can be used by anyone. So no matter if I’m shooting a series of portraits for a newspaper or working on a personal project, my creative vantage point remains the same.”

Her series called Familie Album portrays the occupants of Youth House, which from the 1980s would become a bastion of Copenhagen punk culture. In 2007, after a protracted battle to stay, the punks were evicted and the building was torn down.

What followed were the worst street riots in Denmark since World War II. In the period leading up to the eviction, the punks barricaded themselves and prepared for the worst.

“I lived in Youth House the final year before it was torn down and it consumed my entire life. Then I began doing Familie Album, which turned into quite an emotional project. It was a tiresome period. Afterwards moved to New York.

So how do you feel about coming back here?

“Copenhagen has a good size for a capital city, but people do sheepishly tend to follow the same trends. In this sense, Denmark is a small country. The upshot is that once someone gives your work a stamp of approval, the word spreads quickly.

And creative people tend to be very helpful toward one another.

That is good.”

Where do you spend your time when you’re in town?

“I really like Tivoli. I have a one-year pass and I often head there outside the main tourist season. I’m also fond of Nordhavn in the former free port area. I grew up on the west coast of Jutland, so I love being close to the sea. The island of Amager has always been a favourite of mine and the marina at Sundby Boat Club is a nice place to have a cup of coffee.”

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Over the span of a decade, Søren Westh has built an impressive chef’s resume: After eight years at the feverishly celebrated Noma in Copenhagen, where he played an important role in launching the Danish food revolution, he is currently a co-owner of three successful restaurants: Øst, Almanak and the Michelin-starred Studio. Now he has taken on the task of improving food standards in public institutions.

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n the minds of most people, hospital food means overcooked, mass produced, and bland. But in Denmark, two highly acclaimed chefs have turned their attention to this long-ignored culinary niche. In 2012, Søren Westh and his former Noma colleague Torsten Vildgaard founded En Spire, a culinary consulting firm that has transformed the dull fare at one of Copenhagen’s largest hospitals into proper food. Other players in the public sector are catching on: Soon, some lucky pensioners will see a sharp increase in the quality of their meals-on-wheels.

“It was all about bringing the Noma approach into the hospital setting. We were a bit worried about the budget, but it actually turned out to be the cheapest solution in the entire region.

We employ bakers and butchers to maintain a high standard of production, and the seasonal menu changes every three months. The cradle-to-cradle process we’re engaged in is about leaving a positive impression and minimizing your environmental footprint.”

Cradle-to-cradle? Please explain.

“A fruit tree is an example of a cradle-to-cradle process. It grows, bears fruit, and deposits its seeds back into the soil.

The concept is moving into the fashion industry, which has historically been one of the big polluters, but some major retailers are now part of the movement.”

Søren Westh’s love of fine dining was kindled during his time working room service at the luxurious D’Anglaterre hotel in central Copenhagen. Star chef Henrik Boserup had just taken over as head of the kitchen and had a strong team working for him – chefs who each went on to great accomplishments afterwards.

“Seeing them work inspired me to begin training as a chef.”

In 2004 he applied for a position at René Redzepi’s now world-

famous Noma, which had just opened with only six employees in the kitchen. The team set out to launch the modern Danish food revolution.

“At Noma I felt part of something with great potential. We had the feeling we were breaking new paths, developing ideas with no specific goals in mind. René’s vision was to create something unique. So he gave us room to explore and suggest new ideas.

At that time, the supply chain for local products was not what it is today. It was easier to get olive oil from Italy than to get fresh berries from the Danish countryside.”

How did working there affect your development as a chef?

“I spent eight years as the creative director at Noma -- coming up with new dishes, novel ways to eat, and good experiences.

That’s when I really began expanding my creative skills. During my research I found an old Swedish Army survival book about the edible and poisonous plants in nature, and how much grass you have to eat a day to survive. That was fascinating.”

Always a busy man, Søren’s next project is to export the Nordic kitchen philosophy to the Balearic Islands, where entrepreneurs and the government are building a new hotel.

The goal is to launch a culinary wave that will catch on among local fishermen, vintners, and businessmen.

Where to eat in Copenhagen?

“The culinary scene here is developing rapidly and the standard of restaurants has been considerably heightened in the past decade. Christian Puglisi’s restaurant Relæ now has a Michelin star. Another good one is Bæst next to the movie theatre Empire Bio in a formerly downtrodden area of the city. They serve homemade mozzarella, charcuterie, and have their own little bakery. Bror in Skt. Peders Stræde is also worth a visit.”

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THE BOY AND GIRL OF COPENHAGEN Photographer Olivia Frølich Hair & makeup Mette Thorsgaard

Rising to become the next in line of internationally acclaimed Danish models, Copenhagen born and raised Aia Busk and Valdemar Buch let us in on the joys of adolescence in the city.

Aia Busk, 16 “One of the best aspects of being young in Copenhagen is that everything is within reach. My favourite watering hole is Floss in Larsbjørnsstræde. In the summer, my friends and I usually spend time outdoors - because it’s cheaper to buy beer from the kiosk - but in the winter we go to Floss. It’s just a super cozy place to be. I’m not the type who goes to fancy places. I don’t belong among expensive clothes and café lattes; it makes me feel like I might break something. I just love the city and I always felt at home in the streets of Copenhagen.”

Aia is wearing top by Gestuz.

Valdemar Buch, 17 “Being in high school is really cool. You meet a lot of new people, and that’s great. There’s usually some random party going on every weekend. I’m not a grown-up yet, so there isn’t much responsibility, but it’s okay to come home late. The best thing about Copenhagen is that it’s very accessible. You can always go to McDonald’s or eat a kebab at two o’clock in the morning. We have loads of nice fashion, and I love having all my friends close by. And of course … the city is full of beautiful girls.”

Valdemar is wearing turtleneck by Sand.

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THE VISUALIZER Photographer Sacha Maric Words Rasmus Folehave Hair & makeup Gitte Guldhammer

Artistic Director Kirsten Dehlholm has spent three decades as the glue holding together the chaotic theatre ensemble known as Hotel Pro Forma. Inter­nationally acclaimed for her multi-sensory performances, she is one of few visionaries strong enough to be considered a genre in her own right. We listened in as fashion journalist Chris Pedersen met her for a conversation about style, theatre and fashion.

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performance by Hotel Pro Forma is like sushi: you either like it, or you don’t. To some the ensemble’s multilayered plays provide a pleasurable tickle to the senses; to others they are arduous exercises in patience and high-brow avant-gardism.

To each his own. One thing is certain: Kirsten Dehlholm is an incomparable visual composer. She works with optical effects, illusions, and spatial manipulations to leave her instantly recognizable visual fingerprint on everything she touches - one reason she is universally respected in Danish fashion circles.

Her work is a constant subversion of anything anticipated and traditional; a blurring of the lines between reality and fiction, actors and audience, as well as fashion and theatre. Since the 2011 Manga-inspired performance War Sum Up, she has cooperated with designer Henrik Vibskov on several plays,

including Kosmos+, which opens in Copenhagen in February this year. Next year, Wali Mohammed Barrech – the most talked-about newcomer on the Danish fashion scene – will add his futuristic silhouette to Neoarctic, an electronic opera in 12 parts performed by the Latvian Radio Choir.

That’s why we’re here tonight at the Hotel Pro Forma headquarters on Amager, the island adjacent to Copenhagen.

Kirsten greets us with sparkling blue eyes and a firm handshake, dressed in a simple black dress, an open multicoloured jacket, and high heels. As a teenager, she dyed her hair a bold shade of raspberry. The fiery locks have been her signature look ever since and leave you with no doubt she’s used to making the decisions around here. As we sit down by a large kitchen table, ≥ red wine is poured, and words begin to flow.

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Chris: What does a designer like Henrik Vibskov add to your work?

against convention. These demonstrations of rebellion then turned into fashion and were commercially exploited at an increasingly rapid pace.

Kirsten: He adds an artistic layer. Every single element of our performances is independently developed, and when put together they must be comprehensive and synergistic works of art. Along the way surprises may occur, because I can’t always see the big picture before I begin adding elements together. But I like being surprised, and I like surprising others.

Isn’t that really difficult?

Yes and no. Often I’m very clear about what works for me. I follow my nose and my gut feeling, and it’s my privilege to choose the creative parts.

Does that require a close relationship with the people you work with?

That’s right. In fashion it’s not about translating emotions directly.

Indeed, confidence is very important. And I need their permission to say no and turn down ideas. If a manuscript is too rich in emotions, I may cut them out if they are communicated elsewhere in the play, via music, lights or gestures. One component shouldn’t contain it all. Theatre costumes tend to be too illustrative of time or character.

That is why I never use traditional costume designers for my plays. I only work with people from the fashion world who can bring their own expressions and add something I would never have thought of to my plays.

How do you do it?

I tell him my ideas; he takes notes. He’s so busy that I haven’t yet asked him to do a collection just for me. He usually adapts something he already has. My next collaboration will be with Wali Mohammed Barrech.

At the same time, fashion has been getting better. Look at the Danish catwalks: better design, more art on the catwalk than there ever was.

It’s for a play called Neoarctic. I like how he mixes new fabrics such as neoprene with fur and oversized shapes – very futuristic. Wali and Henrik share two very important traits: humor and exaggeration. What’s interesting about fashion is that it can draw on things from the theatre, such as masks, which can work really well on the catwalk or in editorials.

Whereas it wouldn’t work on the stage – it would be cliché. What’s interesting about fashion is that it can draw on some, but not all, things from the theatre. Masks can work really well on the catwalk or in editorials, but wouldn’t work on the stage – it would be a cliché.

You’re right. It’s important to have an artistic team, who sometimes work individually, sometimes together, but not like a collective.

Each artist has to bring individual skills to the process. And then I have to moderate it so the elements will not overpower each other.

While doing the play called War Sum Up in 2011. The visual side consists of simplified and enlarged Manga drawings, and I felt that Henrik would fit in well. His costumes weren’t over the top, just very clean cut and two-dimensional. We have worked together a few times since then.

When I went to New York in the 1990s to go clubbing, everyone dressed up in creative costumes. Now people go to parties looking like they just had coffee at some posh café.

Something has happened in the past five to ten years. Much of the wildness and hedonism has been replaced by neatness.

Why him?

From the outside, it seems like Hotel Pro Forma is a collective with a top-down approach.

How did you come to work with Henrik Vibskov?

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When I see a catwalk show, I often wish the models would stand still for a moment so I could actually view those works of art.

I never want to look at it for too long. I see a snapshot and hide it away inside. I can’t recall what I actually go see during the fashion weeks, but a few weeks later some outfits pop into my mind. Just like when you’ve been really drunk and begin to recall random scenes from the night before. That’s what I go by when I write.

“When I see a catwalk show, I often wish the models would stand still for a moment so I could actually view those works of art”

You don’t use photos?

No, I have clear memories of the things I like.

At Vibskov’s latest show it was a neoprene sweater with a tribal face that made me think a lot afterwards.

I’d like to direct a catwalk show and have the models recite some lines to add some content to the show.

Fashion designers don’t want content. They’re scared of it. But you’re from a generation where clothes were very political and laden with messages.

Yes. There was way more conformity in society in the 1960s, but clothes were a rebellion

Henrik and Stine Goya were the first to do that, also Bettina Bakdal, and Baum & Pferdgarten in their early years. It was a small scene of very experimental designers.

And there are even more of those now.

Chris Pedersen Born 1977. Former editorin-chief of Cover Man magazine. Reports on style and fashion for the Danish Broadcasting Corporation.

Kirsten Dehlholm Born 1945. Co-founded the theatre troupe Billedstofteateret in 1977; Artistic director at Hotel Pro Forma since 1985.

Yes, Wali is a good example. But how are all of these young designers supposed to survive?

They can’t all boil down their style to a printed sweater and a pair of jeans. The younger generations seem to be more daring in their style, but I don’t know if they can afford Wali’s stuff.

Maybe not.

Good taste is kind of suffocating here in Scandinavia. Danish design is defined by timelessness in line with our proud furniture tradition. Fine, because furniture shouldn’t be shuffled around too often, whereas clothing has much more flexibility. But when the ideal for fashion is measured by the Arne Jacobsen paradigm, it gets really boring, like €100 black t-shirts.

It must be maddening to do at least two collections per year, plus everything else.

How long do you spend producing a play?

Three to four years. I’m so slow. This summer I’m producing a three-part Rachmaninov opera at La Monnaie in Brussels, one of the finest opera houses in Europe. I’m collaborating with Manon Kündig, a Swiss female designer who does prints for Prada.

She doesn’t like fashion, which is why she’s so great at what she does. I usually have two or three large projects simultaneously in the works, and then comes the rest of my work.

I’m very proud of what Hotel Pro Forma has achieved and I want to emphasize that the final result is always the product of a group effort. It’s not just about me.

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OPPOSITE ORDINARY The style of Copenhageners Photographer Sacha Maric

Samuel Aiwerioghene, 22 Blogger at choppedcph.dk Jacket Acne Shirt COS Waistcoat Vintage Pants Whyred Shoes Dr. Martens Hat Pork Pie Hatters Brooklyn

Noel Aiwerioghene, 22 Blogger at choppedcph.dk Jacket Topman Shirt Acne Pants Filippa K Shoes Dr. Martens Hat Pork Pie Hatters Brooklyn

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Sarah Stenfeldt, 22 Photographer Asger Schønheyder, 37 Commissioning editor

Coat Vintage from Thailand Fur Armani Dress Vintage Shoes Miu Miu

Coat Uniqlo Jacket Fragment Pants Dries Van Noten Shoes Wtaps Sunnies Moscot

Rose Hermansen 22 Model & student Jacket Hilfiger Pants Acne Shoes Puma

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Photographer Nikolaj Møller

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Sonic landscapes formed by buoyant synths and solid electro-pop sounds have swept the Swedish-Danish music project Lust for Youth to the forefront as one of the most exciting acts on the Danish music scene. Operating outside the confines of expectation and limitation, the three Copenhagenbased musicians - Hannes Norrvide, Loke Rahbek & Malthe Fischer - are not at all interested in fame and fortune. They simply want to create memorable music.

Lust for Youth tells us ‌

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Commentary

… about the best live concert Hannes The best concert experience we’ve had was definitely in Malmø in 2011. It went wrong in a really good way. Everything that shouldn’t have happened, happened.

Loke I don’t recall much about that concert. Maybe that’s why everything went wrong.

I don’t think we have played our best concert yet.

… about not really feeling like a Danish band Malthe When you talk about Danish bands, you usually mean bands who tour Denmark.

But we’ve only played a few gigs here. A lot of Danish bands draw 500 people to a show at home and maybe 50 abroad. But actually more people have turned up to see us in other countries. It’s great to be in a place we’ve never been before and find out that we have just as much support abroad as we do back home.

… about recording together Loke We never intended to make an album. Then all of a sudden we had recorded something so good that it would be crazy not to let the world hear it. So we founded a band.

Malthe Or we joined Hannes’ band.

Loke It really was Hannes’ band. He was the one who came up with the name Lust for Youth. After he moved to Copenhagen from Malmø, we became friends and I played a lot of gigs with him, just to help. That’s just how it has always been with in our crowd - we help each other. I was spending so much time helping him with his music that I had basically become a part of it all, so we figured we might as well do it together as a team. … about playing abroad Loke Touring abroad is cool. It’s great to see places we’ve never seen before, meet new people and experience different cultures. But if we thought that some other country was better than Denmark, we would just move there.

Still, it’s nice to be on the road once in a while.

Hannes It’s fun to be out there for a couple of weeks, but that’s it.

Loke I’d compare it to an afterparty in the wee hours of the morning. You get the best of it all, head home, and you don’t have to hang around to clean up.

That’s what touring is like.

“We do have a lot of followers on Instagram and a lot of likes on Facebook.

So any fame we have is Internet fame.”

… about fame Loke I don’t think anybody in the streets knows who I am.

Malthe Back when I played with Oh No Ono, I had a taste of fame. It wasn’t fun at all. In fact, it was quite stressful.

Loke We do have a lot of followers on Instagram and a lot of likes on Facebook. So any fame we have is Internet fame.

Hannes and I come from a music scene that doesn’t produce rock stars - that’s just how it is with noise and experimental music. We’ve never really thought about the concept of fans, but things are a bit different now. None of us is interested in buying into that pathetic rock-star dream of having tonnes of fans. We never aimed for that. … about being a “band” and earning money from music Malthe In a sense we’re not really a band because nobody plays just one thing. It’s not like Loke always plays keyboards and Hannes does vocals. I’m the only one who plays guitar, but it all depends upon the music we’re playing. In the studio it’s just us and we all have the same roles.

Hannes You might say we’re just a hit machine. No wait, a money machine.

Loke We are probably more of a hit machine just now, on the way to becoming a money machine. But if we really wanted to earn money from our music, the smartest thing to do would be to compose ring tones.

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