Can the perfect classic be improved? Danish fashion designer searches for the answer
He has never been particularly interested in using textiles in unprecedented ways or challenging established ideas of what a dress might look like.
Instead, he wants to fine-tune the garments we faithfully return to time and again.
It may sound like a discipline with limited scope for innovation. Classics such as the trench coat have been reimagined for decades. But for Mads Kodbøl, there is innovative potential in preservation itself – particularly in a world dominated by fast fashion and rapidly produced fabrics.
- I think innovation can take many forms. To me, it is not only about new materials and crazy sci-fi elements, but also about preserving truly excellent craftsmanship and improving it as much as you possibly can, says Mads Kodbøl.
- We live in a time when everything moves so quickly and constantly has to become more extreme. But there is also value in preserving tradition.
What works
When he designs, he therefore approaches the rich history of clothing design that has stood the test of time with great respect.
- To give a garment new life and understand the shirt you want to create, you also have to understand its past.
He often begins with the most timeless constructions, cuts and compositions, which have already been refined over many years, while still asking: How can this be made better?
- It is a constant analysis of things such as the ideal weight of the material, the right fit or the right neckline. It is about understanding what has been done before and what works, Mads Kodbøl explains.
Clothes should be recognisable
A classic such as the trench coat, for example, has certain elements that Mads Kodbøl is reluctant to alter too radically.
- When I say “trench coat”, you know it is beige and usually has certain defining features, such as pockets, a belt and a collar. Those are the elements people identify when they look at clothing – it has to be recognisable and it has to be wearable, he says.
- At the same time, I think you can always continue exploring how far a trench coat can be pushed, so that it becomes new and better while remaining recognisable.
Mads Kodbøl works to redefine the classics.
Value through restraint
When renewing the familiar, improvements often lie in the smallest details, such as choosing a material that gives a garment precisely the right weight or adding a hand-sewn seam.
Although his designs belong to the luxury segment, he must also strike a balance between quality and cost.
- Ultimately, there is a consumer who has to buy the garment, and if I use too many time-consuming techniques or expensive materials, it is no longer commercially viable.
A considerable part of the value therefore comes from knowing what to leave out.
- For every decision to add something, there is also a decision about what not to add, says Mads Kodbøl. This might mean using time-consuming craft details selectively.
- You can create something with exceptional craftsmanship without everything being hand-sewn as it is in couture. Sometimes, beautiful hand-sewn buttonholes rather than machine-sewn ones are enough to elevate a very simple jacket.
An invisible process
He largely describes his process as intuitive. But what may appear to be instinct is, in reality, the result of internalised experience and an analytical eye.
- I think it is so deeply embedded in us as designers that whenever we make a choice, it is based on an extensive understanding of the garment. Every decision has a purpose.
It is knowledge accumulated over time and held within the body, although it is not necessarily something Mads Kodbøl consciously considers in the moment. According to him, this invisible process can sometimes make design easy to underestimate.
- Many people misunderstand just how thoroughly considered clothing design actually is. Even when you buy a jumper for DKK 500, it is based on a vast amount of knowledge that people have spent years developing – about things such as the perfect construction of a sleeve.
The perfect shirt
But is it even possible to speak of the perfect garment?
- It is difficult, because it also depends greatly on personal preferences and the season. Should it be oversized or close-fitting, for example – and is it intended for summer or winter?
Nevertheless, Mads Kodbøl believes that certain universal qualities must be present.
Taking the shirt as an example, it should have exactly the right weight, so that it feels neither too heavy nor too light. The sleeves should be precisely the right length, allowing them to follow the body’s movements. The hem should be shaped so that it can easily be tucked into trousers, worn loose or left open, depending on the type of shirt. And the material should feel comfortable against the skin.
- In summer, for example, the shirt should not make you sweat, but nor should it leave you feeling cold when the wind picks up, he says.
There is always room for improvement
Ultimately, however, the value only becomes clear to Mads Kodbøl when the clothes are worn.
- I know it has been successful when I see people wearing the clothes and feeling happy in them. Especially when someone who may not know very much about fashion design realises that this garment actually fits and feels better on them than other clothes.
When a garment is not worn only once, but returned to again and again, the goal has been achieved.
- For me personally, the perfect shirt is one I keep coming back to: a simple white shirt with a slightly oversized fit. But I think there will always be ways to make it better, he concludes.
Mads Kodbøl’s 2019 graduation project offered a glimpse of what was to come. Today, he works for some of Europe’s leading fashion houses.