These emerging Nordic brands are challenging gender norms

This summer one of Ervin Latimer's dreams came true when he launched his own brand Latimmier. The recipient of the Finnish Young Designer of the Year 2020, the ingenue has written and lectured about the intersection of queer culture, anti-racism, masculinity, and fashion. Now, the designer is creating garments that are for anyone who wants to signify and perform masculinity with their clothing. “We don't focus on gender, but rather what clothing can express,” Latimer says.

Latimmier’s design language stems from the history of masculine silhouettes with a contemporary approach “We find the notion of masculinity too narrow, and we want to be a part in changing that,“ Lattimer explains. "The topic is of course very complex, but to aggressively simplify, sociology defines masculinity as something that supports the idea of someone being a man in a given society. I’m fascinated by how we use objects like clothing to enforce gender and in masculinity’s case, what ‘being a man’ is like and looks like.” and continues “As a designer, I use masculinity as a tool to play with expectations and rules. When playing with it, I also try to expand it, and by expanding masculinity we can help break certain norms and power structures in societies. So ultimately, for me, masculinity is a fascinating tool for change.”

2022 is looking to be a bright year for the emerging designer, his debut collection scheduled to be shown this January at Pitti Uomo. With his designs, Latimer wants to continue challenging the fashion industry. “Globally I want to redefine and reframe the way we approach to gender in clothing - I want us to lose the limitations of labels like 'menswear' and simply focus on what types of bodies we dress and what we want to say, or not say with our clothing," he says. "Secondly, I want to help enact a positive change where social sustainability is seen as an equal part with ecological sustainability. We need both to thrive as peoples and to successfully produce and consume fashion in ways that are good for the planet.”

Latimer is currently showing at the Designmuseum in Helsinki.

Related: A new generation of gender inclusive designers on the future of Finnish fashion

One of the coolest new Swedish brands to keep on our radar is knitwear label Imaskopi by Nelly Skog. Imaskopi creates one-of-a-kind handknitted sweaters and hats using the finest yarns, from merino to alpaca, silk or upcycled materials (like old t-shirts). Making one Imaskopi piece takes between 6-30 hours for the designer to make, and she believes in slow hand-craft and in making garments with a long life that are loved and taken care of. 

Imaskopi’s designs are for everyone and Skog wishes that we could get rid of the gender categories in fashion. “As a designer, I want to make pieces that are non-gendered and for anyone to wear. I want my clothes to offer expressions beyond the gender binary.” Her favourite piece from her own collection is the balaclava hat that is a signature for Imaskopi, and sold in different shapes and colours on the brand's website “I like that there are so many different associations connected to the balaclava and most importantly I like the non-gendered profile. I also played with associations to animals with ears and fluffy yarns and made them in bold colours that make you stand out.” 

In addition to bold colours, Imaskopi’s Instagram stands out with its unique grunge aesthetics. “I like trying out different kinds of expressions and my inspiration for that comes from many different places. I find inspiration in early punk, Alok Vaid-Menon, vampires, medieval knight armor, my pets, my partner and photographer, dandys, my grandmother, the court of Elizabeth the first, Ann Demeulemeester, fairytales, Jacqueline Landvik, my non-binary older sibling, Raf simons and my studies in gender and fashion history.” 

This year, Imaskopi collaborated with Swedish eyewear brand Chimi on crocheted balaclavas in three different colour, exploring the idea of anonymity.

Nicklas Skovgaard does hand-woven garments using a rigid heddle loom in the heart of Denmark, Copenhagen. For the Danish designer, the journey to fashion was always clear. I found some old articles from 2010 telling about "the 15-year-old Danish blogger" who designed clothes already at that time. “I've had a sincere interest in fashion and a big wish to create clothes, ever since I was a child. The 15-year-old Nicklas seems like a long time ago looking back at it now, and also a lot of things has happened since back then, but my interest in fashion and dream for creating clothes is unchanged,” he tells me. 

His unique signature style comes from a very personal place. When I ask him why these traditional ways of creating garments and making them locally is close to his heart, he answers; “Simply because I like the process behind each woven textile and finished garment. All of it has been touched by human hand and I like that you can see, feel and sense this when looking at my clothes. And it's very personal.”

 Skovgaard doesn’t think much of specific gender when he is designing new garments “I aim to create clothes that I like myself, and I hope that the wearer, no matter gender, would just wear it if they could see themselves wearing it. I think this makes the most beautiful gender fluid clothes. Since all textile is woven in my studio and then sewn into a piece of clothing, everything can be altered to the wearer's body to fit them no matter gender and size.”

His designs have elements of masculinity and femininity and it comes yet again from a personal approach “I think most of my garments are something I create with the idea that all of it could be something I could either dream, or see myself, to be wearing. Whenever I work on weaving a new textile and making it into a piece of clothing, I try to imagine how I myself would like it to feel and look, and also how I would style it if I was going to wear it. So somehow it ends up being very personal to me with each piece of clothing I create.”

By Hinders is a Finnish design studio by Central Saint Martins BA Menswear alumni Jonathan Ingberg. After working in Paris and Stockholm, Ingberg returned to his roots in Finland and launched By Hinders with a unisex focus and in collaboration with local artisans. “I wanted By Hinders to be a values-driven design company, as our design studio is based at my mother's sheep farm Hinders Gård, from which the name of the company is derived from. Running a farm means cultivating longevity, in a way that the land is fertile for crops for years to come.

In practice, it means celebrating local craftsmanship and know-how, responsible sourcing and transparency in production.” Ingberg tells me and continues “I think it’s so important to collaborate with local suppliers and manufacturers who share our values.” 

His first collection consists of woolen coats, linen shirts, patchwork denim, leather and shearling and all the garments have one thing in common - all designs fit all genders. For Ingberg it has been a natural progression “As my educational background is in menswear design and after graduating I primarily worked as a womenswear designer. When it came to developing something that was based on my own vision, I didn’t want to choose between the two.” and he goes on “Though I reference more heavily from historically menswear traditions, I think my designs are well balanced and easily approached by all genders. Also, there is the lower environmental impact of producing less garments when you design for a wider spectrum of people.”

He also tells me that the concept of gender fluidity is so integrated into who he is as a person that he hasn’t really given it too much thought. Yet he answers to me beautifully “I’ve never really been interested in accepting the common/general, outdated definitions of gender roles and how one should look and behave. It’s very liberating to not have to think of a specific gendered customer when designing a collection. It's more like imagining a variation of people - a community, that shares the same values and a desire for beautifully crafted timeless designs.”


One of this year's finalists of Designer’s Nest Award is Danish designer Frederik Taus with their graduate collection titled ”MANIFESTO Greatest Hits”. The collection pays tribute to the struggles of queer and non-binary minorities and is rooted in queer culture celebrating femininity as an empowering value beyond gender norms. Staying true to their signature style - unapologetically flamboyant the collection is colourful, extravagant and bold.



With their work, Taus would like to change the way we think about gender and gendered fashion. “I want to peak people's interest in what is beyond the very rigid way we connect garments to gender. So that we can live in a world where people who are outside the gender norms of western society can live and thrive without the very real fear of being discriminated against. I think breaking the gender norms can help everyone live an easier life, not only minorities.”, they tell me.

When I ask them what gender fluidity means to them as a designer they tell it means different things. “Firstly it means to play. Play with references and the values masculinity and femininity in whatever way one wants to. Secondly and maybe most importantly it means to dress according to one's identity, as a designer who identifies with having a non-binary gender identity dressing for myself is very important. And dressing to change my gender dysphoria into gender euphoria is key to how I design.”

Winning the Designer’s Nest Award would mean a lot to Taus “The fact that I am a finalist with a very activistic collection that challenges gender norms and not in a silent way, is a huge win in itself.  But winning would mean that I could begin the process of creating my own brand. A Scandinavian brand which actively breaks norms and reaches beyond gender.”