Preview: Björn Borg Spring/Summer 2015 fashion show
Last week, the Björn Borg team whisked us away to Sweden and into some magical caves for their inaugural show at Stockholm Fashion Week. We wended our way through many a tunnel to watch their incredible show, seated alongside Eurovision Song Contest winner Conchita Wurst – well, what better to way to add even more glam to a magical Swedish cave?
The show focused on our ongoing obsession with the digital era. The models walked down the catwalk in robotic fashion, wearing masks to make them look like the avatars for the brand’s forthcoming computer game. What the model-machines wore was a sports-fashion-hybrid with plenty of great prints. There was also lots of flesh on show, giving the whole event a sexually-charged atmosphere.
After the show, we went backstage to hang out with Conchita, the (mainly naked) models and Björn Borg’s Head of Design, James Lee, who kindly answered a few questions.
There was a lot of flesh on show, mixed with the clothing of course – talk us through that.
“I think it’s showing the breadth of the products that we do – from underwear through to eyewear and footwear. With the foundation of the brand being underwear, there’s naturally a certain amount of flesh on show.”
Explain the inspiration behind the models wearing the masks.
“For Spring/Summer 2015 we’re launching a computer game through which we will also launch the collection, so we thought it would be an interesting thing to have this show as a demo game. The whole show was about the game in a sense: having these characters, and everybody being the same, uniform, generic and robotic.”
Did the prints reflect this?
“Yeah. The idea behind the prints for the whole collection was to take the workings of a computer game and explore the different levels and environments. So we focused on a few different environments – one was an underwater theme, which you see on the transparent jackets in terms of how they recall water and reference coral structures. We worked with materials such as neoprene and wetsuit material too. Another main print was marble – we took the idea of getting to the end of the level on a computer game and finding an evil character waiting for you.”
What are the key pieces for the season?
“The transparent running jackets – they’re great for the summer as they’re obviously lightweight, and they’re eye-catching without being too bold. Also the neoprene rucksacks, mesh-panelled swimwear and new products like the long trunk that’s a totally new style for summer.”
We have some quickfire questions for you about Björn Borg man: first up, who is the Björn Borg man?
“We always aim for people who are colourful, brave and fashion conscious; they’re interested in music, style and culture.”
Where would the Björn Borg man take you on a date?
“Interesting question! Well it wouldn’t be overly serious and it wouldn’t be overly pretentious either!”
Maybe the video arcade?
“Most probably actually haha!”
Would you say he is a boxers or a briefs man?
“Probably both! It depends what day you catch him on. I mean, it’s a different need for different occasions!”
Who would his ideal man be?
“David Bowie. He has such an interesting style.”
What would the Björn Borg man’s favourite piece from the collection be?
“I think it’s got to be the mesh underwear with the elastic at the top and the bottom, with the flock print. They’re really sexy and if you’re going to compete with David [Bowie], you’ve got to work it!”
Find out more at bjornborg.com