A tendency among younger talented designers is to see the development of making one of a kind creations, where pleat, fold, textural, tactile and the merge of materials from high-tech combined with the natural, reshapes the language of fashion that we know of today.
 

The Scandinavian approach to this merge of couture & craft is seen in the handmade couture pieces made by the Danish designer Mette Julie Bundgaard-Nielsen. The look and feel of the hard and robust butt leather material stands in bright contrast to the very light and sensitive pyramid-shaped bobbin lace, which when combined creates the three-dimensional jacket Reduce. The light colours represent the natural and sustainable materials as an interpretation of the simple and natural style of Scandinavian design, and the traditional craftsmanship in lacemaking.
 

It is the matter of how simple, and yet how complex a design can be that drives Mette Julie Bundgaard-Nielsen in her work. The inspiration draws on neo-modernism and simplicity, as she believes people are yearning for simplicity as the world becomes more complex. In the making of Reduce she challenges both the composition of fibre and weight in materials, as well as the traditional lacemaking methods by using the triangle as a focus point. The unusual geometric shape adds a good proportion of simplicity to the design, though when sewn together with the 200 individual triangles of lace modules, they compose a very complex honeycomb system, which creates the volume of the three-dimensional effect. In order to preserve the voluminous effect, the lace can be detached from the leather shoulders and folded as a sextant.

The vision behind Reduce is grounded in Mette Julie Bundgaard-Nielsen’s passion for the traditional crafts and craftsmanship. In a time when technology has a lot to offer to the plate, a hunger for the traditional values creates an opportunity for a combination of technology and tradition. By working with the threads of old discarded jeans and anti-bacterial fibres for the production of the lace, a connection is made between the old and the new, and in this sense technology and tradition are merged into an innovative and tactile feel and style.
 

With an on-going interest for the coming together of the high-tech and the natural, Reduce brings with its made-by-hand aesthetics and different levels of techniques a very subtle entrance in Scandinavian couture and craftsmanship. We welcome the development of simple and yet voluminous couture pieces by a true talented artistic designer.

Sara Ingemann

www.bundgaard-nielsen.com

Sara Ingemann gives us on a regular basis, chosen fresh news from Scandinavia. Sara is a very sensitive person , in love with trends and style, she is also a talented writer and the brain behind  “Quote A Gentleman”