A refreshing ocean breeze. Fabric trailing like the tentacles of sea creatures. Coral formations enveloping the ocean floor. Japanese freedivers descending in search of pearls. A submarine’s sonar pinging with an otherworldly echo. Whales in the Norwegian Sea ascending towards its surface. Clothing washing up in waves, like the time-worn treasure of a shipwreck. Holzweiler encounters a submerged serenity, diving deeper than it has ever gone before.
For Holzweiler’s autumn/winter 2023 collection DEEP SEA, the Oslo-based label has journeyed like an ocean explorer, inspired by the mysterious underwater landscapes that bring forth such on-the-surface wonder. This has translated into fluid, elongated and layered silhouettes, that mediate between the enveloping and the insubstantial, which emphasise the Norwegian brand’s excellence in tailoring, knitwear and outerwear.
Shapes riff on deep sea diving suits and the fragility of life under water. Oversized puffer jackets cocoon the body, transparent trousers and hand-knitted dresses pool at the floor, dresses drape like liquid across the body. Tracksuit trousers and cargo pants ripple at the feet, sweaters are sinuous, and long skirts and suiting denote a fluid silhouette. Fabrics appear as if washed and worn by the waves, brushed mohair and boucle are gauzy like laddered fish nets, denim is distressed, and quilted nylon undulates like ripples. Across clutch bags, jumpers and puffer jackets, a 3D knit protrudes like formations of coral.
A naturalistic colour palette evokes the sky and the sea: navy blue and soil brown, sea urchin purple and slate, cockle shell and algae green. A pastel yellow evokes the dappled tones of sunlight glimpsed by a scuba diver emerging upwards. The darkest hues denote the most unchartered tones of the deep. An abstract men’s intarsia is inspired by a moving fish, and a women’s knit evokes multitudinous grains of sand. Balaclavas, quilted hoods and sunglasses nod to masked scuba suits. Jangling silver hardware affixed to knitwear, buckles and buttons, or worn as earrings and pendants, resembles sunken treasure. Fabrics include fluid chiffon and silk, acid-wash denim and leather.
At The Plant in Copenhagen, Holzweiler submerges its audiences far into the depths of the ocean. Suspended in weightless wonder, they may feel reluctant to return to the surface.
Set Design: Ibby Njoya
Styling: Fran Burns
Casting: Julia Lange
Movement Director: Yagamoto
Hair: Provided by Oribe
Make-up & Nails: Provided by M.A.C Cosmetics Nordics
Sound Director: Yves Tomas
Words: Laura Hawkins
Communications: RAVEN & Patriksson
With Special Thanks To: Our Friends and Family, The Holzweiler Team, Amanda, Mr Spitzer, Line