This season, true to his whimsical and unexpected ways, Danish designer Nicklas Skovgaard channels Warhol’s Hans Christian Andersen prints into a vibrant and voluminous collection
Many a designer has been inspired by Andy Warhol, but leave it to Nicklas Skovgaard to find a Warhol deep cut that’s thoroughly unexplored. Namely, the pop artist’s works referencing Denmark’s own Hans Christian Andersen. The last pieces Warhol made before his death in 1987, the screen prints feature Andersen’s simplistic, paper-cut renderings of his indelible tales.
“It was so interesting to see this duality – in the meeting of these two artists that are 100 years apart,” says Skovgaard. “Hans Christian Anderson is such a well-known fairytale writer. Growing up in Denmark, you’re fed with him all through school – it’s so Danish. When I saw these prints I was struck by the combination of the fairytales – the paper cuts – put into the world of Andy Warhol.” It was this mashup of classic and pop that made these works such an alluring starting point for Skovgaard, a designer whose thoroughly modern expression oft reference silhouettes of a bygone era.
Speaking of unexpected combinations – how does a designer specifically known for volume (bubble skirts, especially) pull from paper, a medium that’s utterly 2D? To Skovgaard, the works are filled with volume in the way the straight-edged paper-cuttings fill the page. “For some time I’ve been doing a volume that feels very soft and round,” he says. “I thought it would be interesting to change that volume into something that felt a bit more flat.”
Working with fabrics lined with stiff backings, frocks hold a wide, flat shape, rendering models as paper dolls. Elsewhere, transparent wire is sewn into the hem of dresses and skirts to create rigid curls. Set in a black box room against a white runway to the tune of vibrant '80s electronic tunes (that cover of New Order’s 'Ceremony' was especially vibe-y), those silhouettes are emphasised ever more. “Humour is such a big part of fashion – at least for me – but this time I wanted the show to be a bit more dramatic somehow,” says Skovgaard. Elsewhere, the paper works are referenced via shredded fabric, fashioned into voluminous trousers and by the dangling fringe on belted faux fur coats. And yes, there is a bubble skirt or two, exploding from a straight cocktail dress.
Then there were the distinctly Warholian colours – vibrant, contrasting hues plucked straight from the pop artist’s prints. They’re applied to more practical items as well, like the broad-shouldered bomber jackets, featuring leather panels. “There’s a big focus on jackets and coats,” says Skovgaard. “Living in the Nordics, you’re used to covering up.” Finishing the looks were chunky black boots with cutout details, created in collaboration with Ecco.
As the designer took his bow, surrounded by his living dolls, we close this chapter in the fantastical Skovgaard fairytale.
See the full Nicklas Skovgaard autumn/winter '25 collection below.
