Soulland’s spring/summer 2023 introduces us to an imagined creature many will find all too familiar: The Spring Devil. “Spring Devil is calm, beautiful and dangerously charming,” explains the brand’s creative director Silas Adler. “For the perfect balance, limit your time with Spring Devil. Have fun, but don’t expect too much and be careful that you are not giving too much.” It’s an apt starting point; at CPHFW there’s undoubtedly a Spring Devil lurking behind every corner.
If this sounds high concept, we’re just getting started. The collection is the first in a trilogy dubbed the Brain House, an imaginary dwelling inhabited with relatable characters. “The Spring Devil is a creature I think a lot of us can relate to. It’s not out to harm us, necessarily, but it feeds on getting us to do things that are on the edge,” says Adler. “We all know that feeling, most of us have a Spring Devil around us, but also inside us.”
As this creature is seemingly genderless, it’s only fitting that this would be Soulland’s debut gender-free collection. “It is up to each person to decide if a certain style is suitable for them or not,” says Adler, noting that a range of fits – tight, straight, loose, oversize – caters to different body types and references. Lace suits with gentle flares cut a sensual figure. Second skin off the shoulder shirts extend over the hands. A shapeless leather sleeveless dress zips all the way up the front.
And if you’re wondering what the Spring Devil looks like, you’ll find him right there on a jacquard knit, dangling from purses and printed right on the models bodies. It’s a print-heavy collection – deconstructed paisley, moody collage and one other recognisable character: Hello Kitty. One print in particular was pulled from a scarf Adler received from a family member in California when he was only two years old. “I have had it in my inspiration box for 10 years, knowing I would use it someday,” he says.
As for this devil’s soundtrack, it’s a bop. For each and every Soulland presentation, guests are advised to have Shazam at the ready – the brand never disappoints when it comes to their show music. “I really put a lot of value into making the score. For me it’s the second most important to making the collection,” Adler says, who sent models walking through the public square in which the show took place to Lucio Battisti and an edit of Wendy Rene’s After Laughter (Comes Tears). Find us later this evening, making devilish decisions as we dance the night away.
Soulland
