Tobias Birk Neilsen captivates with his cleverly conscious craftsmanship and usual emotional depth for Iso.Poetism’s latest
Tobias Birk Neilsen sends out his first model in something of a spacesuit. As they, and subsequent models, venture into the expansive space of Copenhagen’s Bella Centre, temporarily landscaped with eerie, iceberg-like structures, the mood is otherworldly. But for Neilsen – a designer of the more philosophical sort -– it goes deeper than that.
The spring/summer 2023 collection, titled ‘Impostrial Monoliths’ delves into the bridge between the emotional and physical world. The narrative, Nielsen tells us, follows a young artist who uses his craft as a means of communication, but also as something to hide behind. How much of this narrative is drawn from personal experience, Nielsen doesn’t say.
In a natural segue from Iso.Poetism’s last collection, the 32 looks feel apocalypse-ready in their utilitarian technicality, with clean silhouettes and exacting proportions. Journeying from all-white ensembles to charcoal grey, Nielsen then transitions into earthy tones, ending on a stand-out closing look draped with what looks like a mossy, organic sample of earth itself. Deliberate experimentation with silhouettes and hemlines champions a sense of gender fluidity for the season, while the pieces with patchworking are the outcome of Neilsen’s work with deadstock and textile leftovers – this is the kind of innovative resourcefulness that landed Iso.Poetism the Zalando Sustainability Award last year.
While it is not new territory for Iso.Poetism this season, spring/summer 2023 still captivates. By the end of the presentation, the dystopian seriousness came to an uplifting and emotive close, in a way that only Neilsen can deliver.
Iso.Poetism SS23
