Copenhagen label Han Kjøbenhavn presents one of its most personal collections to date for SS17, channelling a childhood love of kung fu B-movies filtered through a lens of teenagedom spent in Danish suburbia.
The collection rests on pieces that blur back-and-forth between "street" and menswear, with a deliberately unglamorous, straight-up, no messing Scandinavian edge. The Euro-trashy purple tracksuit is a vibe, particularly when rocked with the council estate classic car coat, which Han Kjøbenhavn upgrades with biker jacket-esque lapels and chunky zips.
Punchy Chinese characters are splayed across garms in a deliberately incorrect, off-kilter homage to the label heads' love of martial art B-movies – all filtered through grimy '90s Danish suburbia. Rather than being a tribute to "real" Chinese culture, it’s thoroughly grounded in the designers' memories and "how we – 13 year old suburban kids – interpreted this," according to their accompanying press release. "We didn’t know shit about the real craft and history behind martial arts or anything like it. For us martial arts was Van Damme grabbing fish blindfolded and beating up Chong Lee."
Raw hems, long and flowing cuts and a splash of pin stripes across a muted, dusky color palette add to a gorgeously raw and dingy Far East menswear look. Think Singapore back alley suits, Danish crime drama and karate. Take a look at the on-point lookbook shots above, taken in what looks like your local neighborhood Chinese takeaway joint, or get a feel for the collection on the runway with our Han Kjøbenhavn’s Copenhagen Fashion Week show snaps.
The SS17 collection drops soon via their online store.
