For its autumn/winter '25 collection, Swedish brand Deadwood plunged into the deep blue depths to uncover the mystery, dangers and allure of the ocean
Sirens, mermaids and pirates. Endless deep blue depths, of which only five per cent we’ve explored. The ocean is shrouded in mystery and steeped in maritime lore – mesmerising, yet menacing. It’s a nautical treasure trove that Swedish brand Deadwood dug into for its autumn/winter ‘25 collection, entitled ‘Uncharted’, unveiled on the rain-slicked rooftop pool terrace of Villa Copenhagen at the cusp of dusk. As eerie music reverberated through the speakers, models strutted along the catwalk poised atop the pool, their hair windswept, soaked and makeup smeared as if just emerged from the abyss.
“I’ve been drawn to the sea since I was a kid – something about the way it can be both a cradle and a grave. It’s endless, merciless, full of secrets,” explains Felix von Bahder, co-founder and creative director of Deadwood. “That’s what ‘Uncharted’ is about: the pull of the unknown, the beauty of getting lost.”
Deadwood’s dive into the AW25 collection began with British music collective This Mortal Coil’s interpretation of Tim Buckley’s ethereal track ‘Song To The Siren’. “With Elizabeth Fraser singing it you feel that haunting, aching kind of longing,” von Bahder says, adding, “Then came the stories: the female pirates of the South China Sea, the deep-sea creatures that never see daylight, the fishermen who haul in nets full of ghosts. We took those ideas and turned them into clothes.”
Storm-beaten, waxed upcycled leather jackets and trousers meet breezy, sail-like shirting, while sliced tees, distressed knits and ripped denim look like they’ve been to the bottom of the ocean and back. Rough denim and heavy wool are juxtaposed with supple coral-hued velvet and technical silk, the latter fashioned into a teal-and-black, knot-detailed draped dress that cascades around the body like a current. Elsewhere, romantic ruffles and sultry, corsetry-inspired latticework adorn pieces that would look right at home on a modern-day Elizabeth Swann. A tidal wave of tactile textures that, as von Bahder puts it, “feel like they’ve been places.” “The ocean will lull you to sleep or drag you under – that contrast runs through the whole collection,” he says.
This season, the brand expanded on its trademark of existing in a “space between sharp and undone,” manifesting in the distinctly Deadwood slim-cut silhouettes, sleek tailoring and the nonchalant coolness that permeates the line-up. Dangling on the models’ arms, sculptural ‘leather’ bags crafted from crushed seashells while von Bahder notes that even abandoned fishnets have been woven into the line-up. And lest we forget, the collaboration with Tretorn, whose trademark rubber boots have been given the Deadwood treatment, rendered unabashedly edgy with moto-influences.
“Everything has a story, a before and after. I want you to feel it in the clothes,” von Bahder says. “I guess ‘Uncharted’ is about embracing the unknown, and for me it celebrates a certain kind of madness that you need to face the sea, the future, this f****d up world of ours.”
See all the looks from Deadwood's autumn/winter '25 collection below:
