For Spring Summer 2016, CMMN SWDN asks: when is something real and when is it fake?
The image portrayed by the brand, for Spring/Summer 2016 and in general, is their personal interpretation of life, which is then selected and worn by consumers who wear the clothes to create their own unique version of CMMN SWDN’s original vision.
Skilled con artists and the art of deceiving have influenced Saif Bakir and Emma Hedlund when creating this ‘Genuine Fake’ collection.
Furthermore, Bakir and Hedlund ask themselves if fashion is art or commerce? Are they creating art or just common clothes? And if fashion is indeed art, then is all fashion art or just some of it? Where do you draw the line?
These conceptual questions have helped shape and form the ‘Genuine Fake’ collection. As a result there are neck labels stating: “This is not Art but CMMN clothes’. Bakir sums up the collection as “genuine but fake, long but cropped, CMMN but still not”.
The theme is also visible in CMMN SWDN’s SS16 prints where, again working with Avery Dennison on high-definition heat transfer prints, they have recreated famous paintings from artists such as Nicolas de Staël, Albert Gleizes and Tayeb Mehta on vinyl, reworking and distorting them, using mixed media, screen printing and collage to create their own ‘Genuine Fake’ art.
The silhouette is dominated by oversized and wide-legged trousers and shorts, cropped tops and jackets with wide sleeves and small lapels, and cropped boxy shirts with technical details such as bungee cords and knitted collars.
“This season we are placing emphasis on the silhouette, proportion and the fabrication. Like with the work of a con artist, there is something a bit different and new to our shapes compared to the originals – there is that slight oddness to it,” Hedlund explains.
Focusing on a navy, brown and grey palette, subtle shades of yellow and nude are added as accent colours to give the collection its distinct character.
For the materials and fabrics, Bakir and Hedlund enlisted leather, technical nylons and latex, while simultaneously mixing them with organic denim, lightweight wool and French Terry to find the right sartorial balance. The footwear is supplied by Tretorn, the Swedish rainwear experts.
DAVID HELLQVIST
