Cecilie Bahnsen unveils her Fall Winter 2024 Collection, presenting a distinctive approach that evolves her brand’s aesthetic, during the ongoing Paris Fashion Week. With a focus on nuanced contrasts and an exploration of new emotional depths, the collection captivates with its unique vision. Collaborating with artist Casper Sejersen, the collection, titled “The Bite,” explores themes of desire, strength, beauty, and the ordinary, encapsulated by the symbol of an apple. This choice reflects a blend of luxury with everydayness, highlighting the dualities that define the collection.
FALL WINTER 2024.25 WOMENSWEAR
Bahnsen’s vision for the season marries unconventional material pairings, such as high gloss leather against delicate organza and shiny nylon with matte knits, creating silhouettes that are simultaneously bold and tender. The designs feature shorter, more voluminous shapes, adorned with oversized cable knits and transparent layers that nod to the sensuality of Victorian nightgowns. The use of high gloss leather in jackets, skirts, and dresses introduces a darker, more romantic element, while staying aligned with the brand’s commitment to feminine forms.
I wanted to explore new directions this season, evolving the codes of the brand through meaning and care, with a relentless dedication to creativity and beauty. Embracing a darker side of romance and interpreting a wider range of emotions, while remaining true to an unapologetic connection to femininity and craft. Our collaborator, artist Casper Sejersen, suggested a concept for my show centered around an Apple, which immediately resonated. For me, an Apple represents desire. Love. Strength. Beauty. But there is also an ordinariness to it. I am drawn to this juxtaposition of high and low, the clash between luxury and everyday. I felt a connection with Casper’s work, to the edge in the beauty of his images, an undercurrent of darkness, something unexplainable. This idea of The Bite is like leaving innocence behind a little, which somehow also felt very relevant this season. – Cecilie Bahnsen, Founder and Creative Director
The collection’s textiles are reimagined through techniques like embroidery and laser cutting, transforming flat surfaces into dynamic, three-dimensional expressions rich in movement and emotion. Floral motifs, inspired by Kiki Smith’s etchings, are a recurring element, alongside fabrics that blossom with laser-cut flowers, reflecting an ongoing interest in organic themes.
Cecilie Bahnsen continues to build on her partnership with Nona Source, utilizing high-quality leftover fabrics to craft lavish ruffles and textures that breathe life into her designs. The collaboration with Mackintosh yields oversized, sculptural outerwear that contrasts with the fluidity of silk dresses, underscoring the collection’s thematic interplay between strength and delicacy.
In footwear, Bahnsen extends her collaboration with ASICS, presenting trainers adorned with exaggerated glossy flowers, alongside her brand’s floral boots. A new partnership with Diemme results in a robust, hand-embroidered boot, complementing the collection’s aesthetic with ECCO Leather’s high-quality materials.
When Cecilie invited me into her universe I had to think about what I could do, how to make it meaningful. I have so much admiration for what she does, her craft. Everything she does is so completely her, no compromise. I wanted to do something to respect her vision, that pureness. We talked about the “apple.” For me, what I like about the apple is how simple it is, how ordinary, yet beautiful and powerful. In Europe the apple is the commonest fruit. It’s nothing fancy, it’s everywhere. Four-year-old kids draw apples in kindergarten, Paul Cézanne’s wonderful still lifes, Yoko Ono’s Apple installation… I like the everydayness of it. In my work, I like to shoot simple things because then the viewer can put their own stories onto the objects instead of having something described too clearly. There is a beauty in simplicity. – Casper Sejersen, Special Artist Collaboration
Presented at Palais de Tokyo, the runway show for “The Bite” features a large-scale apple installation by 10 Tons, embodying the collection’s core themes. The show’s casting, directed by Emma Matell, brings diverse model personalities to the forefront, while Danish composer August Rosenbaum crafts an experimental soundtrack that reinterprets Robyn’s “Don’t F**king Tell Me What to Do,” mirroring the collection’s innovative spirit.
