Martin Asbjørn announced the closure of his brand yesterday, but the Danish designer vows to make a triumphant return
Danish design darling Martin Asbjørn has been pioneering relaxed gender-fluid tailoring since the launch of his eponymous brand in 2014. Yesterday, Asbjørn posted a statement on his Instagram sharing the news of its closure.
The post reads: “Goodbye for now. I'm sad to let everyone know that I have to close down Martin Asbjørn. Due to the lockdown in China – war in Ukraine, we have lost turnover and have not been able to find new investment to move forward with my brand.”
I have been following Martin Asbjørn for years and was saddened to read the news, but as he says in his statement – “Nothing is ever lost! This is just a beginning of something new & exciting for me” – this is not the end of his story.
Asbjørn tells me that when he was young, he was quite shy and reserved but dressing up made him feel confident, strong, and sexy. “It was like inventing a character – a cooler or happier version of myself – and then becoming that character in real life because I dressed the part.” And this feeling is something he wants those wearing his clothes to inherit. Martin Asbjørn was always a dreamer: he dreamt about doing something special and after launching his brand following his graduation from Copenhagen’s Design and Technical Tailoring Academy, Asbjørn’s “something special” began to take shape. “Clothes can become a sort of armour but also a visual representation of who you want to be, as much as who you are,” he says.
Martin Asbjørn CPHFW backstage AW22. Photo: Copenhagen Fashion Week
Photo: Copenhagen Fashion Week
Martin Asbjørn is often called a menswear brand, but this simply isn’t the case. He detests the the label as, while his work does include a lot of traditional elements, there’s always a contemporary twist – he doesn’t design with men or women specifically in mind. “I like to think I make great clothes but it’s not up to me who likes them and wears them,” says Asbjørn. “I want individuals to look at pieces and feel that they work for them, regardless of whether they are a boy, a girl or something in between. I’m a clothes designer,” he says.
I dived into Martin Asbjørn’s archives and picked some of my personal favourites: 'Teenage Dirtbag' (FW18), explores more baggy and playful silhouettes inspired by youth; 'Fake It 'til You Make It' (SS19) inspired by 80’ tailoring and sportswear combined with fringes and pastel colours; and the 'All Inclusive' (SS21) collection, including a launch of gender-fluid swimwear channelling casual-chic inspired by movie stars of the 1970s, is a work of sheer brilliance.
Photo: Copenhagen Fashion Week
Photo: Copenhagen Fashion Week
Asbjørn's pick is his most recent collection. “AW22 was my favourite and was probably my proudest moment,” he says. “Everything came together in terms of design, and I feel it really represented what my brand is all about.” It was during this time that Asbjørn introduced a broader range of clothes from menswear staples that he is known for, to including more feminine elements. When interviewed by Vogue Scandinavia earlier this year, he said: “People are blurring the lines between menswear and womenswear and what’s appropriate and what’s not appropriate within self-expression.”
During his years as a designer, Martin Asbjørn has learned to trust his own instincts: “I learned to say 'yes' to the things that felt right, and no to those, that for some reason troubled me.” His favourite moments were days when he and the team played dress-up all day long. “Looking at all the prototypes and samples and refining, adapting, rejecting or developing things to create a collection that really made sense and had a point of view.” Details and finishes are central to what Asbjørn does and the most special things happened during the last-minute tweaks.
Photo: Copenhagen Fashion Week
Photo: Copenhagen Fashion Week
As our chat draws to a close, I ask Asbjørn what he would like to share with Vogue Scandinavia readers. “The present situation is a bump in the road that has been caused by circumstances outside my control. It has been and can continue to be a very successful business if we get the right backing and partnership. You haven’t seen the last of me, watch this space.”