Menswear is what everyone is buzzing about in Copenhagen this season, and Sunflower (which according to its Web bio operates as a collective) is one of the reasons why. The brand has been putting on memorable shows irregularly over the past years. One was in a rough-looking parking lot, another was presented in a public park over lunch hour with no seating, just models walking down the garden path. This season’s show was a makeshift, standing-room-only affair set up in the courtyard outside the company’s offices. “This is our daily playground,” said founder Ulrik Pedersen shortly after Anton Falck performed a song with lyrics that included “all the pretty boys”—quite apt considering what came down the runway.
Pedersen, whose previous gig, NN.07, was a source for amazing sweaters, launched Sunflower in 2018. Asked what his mission was, he said “to design real menswear for real men and girls,” which he clarified, meant classics that were not so very classic, the difference being fit and materials. The marbleized pattern he used this season is a Japanese jacquard meant for interiors for example. Leather and cowboy boots are signatures of the brand, and they add a bit of unexpected kick to the offering. It’s difficult to find the right words to explain the appeal of Sunflower, which makes use of trad silhouettes that are not quite traditionally tailored. It’s indie, without being achingly hipster. Like the flower it takes its name from, Sunflower’s designs are like seeds that the wearer makes bloom.
