Birds From Up North: Whyred

 

 

In the United States, calling your collection “Aspiration” would have to do with money, or lifestyle. Not so in Stockholm, or in the case of internationally-available Swedish-based Whyred. “For this collection I wanted to portray a generous sweeping sense of liberty and this exact feeling I found in the movement of birds,” explains Roland Hjort, who founded his line 11 years ago and named his Spring/Summer collection not for natural, not social, mobility.

“Aspiration” took off on the second day of Stockholm Fashion Week, in the huge and minimal sculpture hall at the century-old Swedish art museum, Liljevalchs. The courtyard of the classically-styled space also acted as a venue for a small live concert by the mournful and ominous sisters Miriam and Johanna E. Berhan of Taxi Taxi! The message–of the sisters, the DJ set by Boys Noize, and the clothing–was simplicity over straight minimalism. After the show, Hjort explained just how the birds flew in: “You can’t find bird prints in this collection, as you must have noticed, but you can see hints of it in the texture of the materials and the actual touch.” Using the abstract forms of birds as silhouettes, Hjort made different forms by pulling layer over layer, using generous volumes on silk trousers and cupro shirts. Most coats sported waxy materials: “I wanted to create a wetness in the colors and with the oil-coated fabrics, something that indeed stems from actual birds.” This one wasn’t a comment on the oil spill, but a more serene look.

The strongest way for a woman to put together a look, according to Whyred, is to put on a dress over trousers, with matching wedges and a loose, static-y hairdo. The men’s silhouette was strong and angular but with a soft feel in materials and layering. The black base of the collection gave room for the warm mustard and cobalt blue colors to shine through in its different shades.