INTRODUCING ASTRID ANDERSEN
If we’re being honest, there is little reason to write about the convergence of luxury and streetwear as if it were a novel phenomenon. Even the most resolute, die hard traditionalists have come to terms with the fact that signature shoes sold by designers and musicians are very much in, while the signature shoes of star athletes are essentially, relegated to specialty athletic gear.
That being said, the concepts of luxury and streetwear still carry an undercurrent of separation, as if the current landscape is an aberration, and that one day, luxury and streetwear are bound to go back to inhabiting two entirely different planes of existence, so the cycle of reconciling the two begins again.
The unspoken implication is that, fundamentally, sportswear simply isn’t what prestige labels do. High fashion is happy to scoop up what they can of the contemporary, athleisure landscape, but at the end of the day, it doesn’t really count; it just isn’t the same as suits, dresses, and the other trappings of ‘serious’ high society.
Since launching her debut collection in 2010, Copenhagen born designer Astrid Andersen has blurred the lines between high fashion and streetwear more than ever with her blend of elaborately detailed luxury and bold sportswear style branding.
What makes Astrid Andersen stand out in such a crowded field is how naturally her unique vision is executed. As a young designer, Andersen is unbound by old-fashioned notions of fashion propriety and directly connected to the contemporary sensibility which sees tracksuits, hoodies, and t-shirts as everyday, basic, multipurpose clothing, something that can be embellished and dressed up, luxurious, and fun, instead of something that fits tightly in a single, defined category.
Talent | Lia Bass