In the midst of the ladies’s month, with a massive amount of collections of offer, headstrong as we are, we persistently gaze at proper masculine wardrobes. With this magazine, we attempt to cover all facets of the fashion-kaleidoscope. As long as they keep us poised and provide a certain je-ne-sais quoi tingle in our mid-riff.
Therefore, after exploring the prose found in accessories, we chose to look to the North, for some polite lessons in quality tailoring. Aase has spoken before in these pages and continues to steadily build her democratic, well crafted, honest universe. Her imagery is different, the way she speaks is different and how she chooses to present her work is, well you guessed it; different. Her clothes are just meant to be worn, simple and clear. The fun part of it all is that Aase is quite an eclectic person, who comes with a lovely sense of tongue-in-cheek and refreshing stubbornness.
Journey… Aase, let us begin by traveling around little, as we know you love to do so….
Africa. The land of your inception. What makes Africa, truly Africa?
Aase Helene Hansen: For me it is a combination of many things: the sounds, smells, the colours, the light, the red earth. Add onto this the wilderness, the people and the contrast between the dry and rainy seasons. There is just ‘more of it’ all, it simply can be overpowering for the senses. It is sensual in a way that I can never forget.
Copenhagen. City of now. What is your Copenhagen like?
AHH: I love Copenhagen. The more I have traveled, the more I appreciate it. It is my home now. No place is perfect, but for its quality of living it is pretty high up there, on my scale at least. It is a small big town and bicycle jams are getting quite common. People in general are relaxed and nice, yet I also wish that more Danes could appreciate what a nice place it is.
Japan. What is are your favorite memories here?
AHH: Besides, that I always enjoy the total mash-up of beautiful traditional stuff and the crazy loud plastic-like world, there are many things that simply just happen over there. I remember this one time, I saw the most impressing fireworks. They went on for hours. Since then (24 years later) all other fireworks seem a bit dull. (For the record, I was not really in to fireworks then or now….) Most of all, when I am in Japan, I enjoy watching people on the streets. Many of them are so well dressed. The can get away with things that would look a little overdone in Europe.
India. Part of the collection was made here, right?
AHH: You are right. We did some research for hand woven fabrics and found a small place were they weave everyday Lungis. The Lungi, is a traditional piece of cloth that men wear on a daily basis all over the country. It looks very nice in India, but would not work so well for the rather reserved Scandinavians. So, the right choice was to turn it in to a shirt.
Norway. Land of mountains and nature. Do you miss its sense of space?
AHH: Yes of course. Norway has some of the most stunning nature. I miss being able to just pop up to the mountain. Not so much the ones that need weeks of planning for survival, just the impulsive hikes you can do in the town of Bergen where I come from.
Europe. You and your partner in crime Per Chrois are quite the autobahn hoggers, isn’t that so?
AHH: True. We drive a lot. In the trade-seasons, we always make stops to visit our partners. We enjoy staying in contact with the people that stock our collections. It is important to us to get feedback and to maintain a dialogue with them. No matter if they have good or bad feedback. This way we can only get better in what we do. These road-trips actually come with some perks: firstly all the retailers we work with are really nice people and secondly, I never imagined that I would see so much of Europe in 6 years.
Aase, from travel to creation, let us turn our eye towards design and categorization…
Democratic design. It is what you state about your work. What does this mean?
AHH: As we claim; we just make clothes. Fashion is something completely different. Our core concept is built on three elements; Nordic traditions, aesthetics and values. As Scandinavians we are famous for being democratic. So that is what we do, we want to craft functional, everyday menswear. Nothing to overly loud or segmented. We see so many different guys wearing our clothes. This is what it is about, to connect with people of all ages and walks of life. Everybody who wears our design, styles it differently. To me, this proofs that we supply some form of democratic design.
Team-play. Hansen is also about togetherness, as you work closely with your partner-in-crime, Chrois. What does he bring to the table?
AHH: He is the engine of it all. Without him we would not have come as far as we have. I work like crazy but he works like hell. In a good way. He has a lot of valuable input, when it comes to our design process. We certainly do not agree on everything, but on the ground-level we are completely on the same page. Our different work backgrounds also add to our invigorating conversations. Chrois comes from film and TV productions and myself I initially arrived here after a design education. So we are one creative and one organizer. It has proven to be the perfect match and one of the main reasons we embarked upon this adventure together.
Heritage. A relevant and growing stream within fashion. What does it mean to you?
AHH: Indeed, this is true. I believe there is/has been a huge fashion wave of ‘heritage’. Actually, we speak of this a lot. Heritage does not mean something old looking. For me heritage has something to do with what we come from. Our traditions, history and cultural references. So yes, we are perhaps a part of this movement, in the sense that we would be nothing without it. Not ME/US as a brand, but all of us. There is no present or future without the past. Perhaps in fashion terminology, the word heritage is being mistaken for the word vintage, which is a different story.
Creation. Speaking of vintage, there are too many clothes in the world. How can we create in a more responsible manner?
AHH: I am very aware of this. It is one of my headaches. If I turn back to our concept about aesthetics and values, I find answers here. This is precisely why I design with longevity in mind. I always aim to makes clothes you would like to wear for a long time. Our collections are easy to combine from season to season. A lot of of it can be worn all year round and our style has no expiry date. This allows our customers to think differently and it assure that our garments are around for years to come. They are not there to be just replaces at the whim of the next trend. We aspire to make time-less and functional pieces.
Shopkeeper. Perhaps, also a way to take this respect for durable pieces further, was the decision to open a personally curated brick and mortar store?
AHH: We wanted to create a platform or a space that expands the expression of the collections. Indeed, also here, we focus on craftsmanship and durable design. The atmosphere is warm, welcoming and its starting point is to make you feel like home. Along our own brand we have several other brands represented. They are all strong brands with integrity and a sincere approach to design. This furthers the debate on quality of quantity in a direct hands-on manner!
Dress-maker. If we turn from design to style, we seem to live in a more monotone society. What is your personal take on this?
AHH: Yes, you could say that overall we look quite alike. Nobody wants to move away from the flock? When it comes to my personal style? I don’t really know. I just… do. I guess it is a mood thing. I wear what I feel like wearing and never really worry about my style or if I even have one. Others, would probably define my style better that I can. Sorry that I have no super interesting answer for you here. Is that bad? Yes it is.
Statement-piece. Let us close, is there such a thing as a perfect jacket?
AHH: Does it exist? Where? Can I get one? I really want one! Where did you see it? Please tell me, haha! To be honest, to me, it does not work this way. A perfect jacket must be, when the design fulfills/meets the requirements or circumstances you require. Either it is for an office job or for a stroll in the rain, it simply has to work for you. To me, it is that simple.
A last one. I sense we might know the answer already, so Aase isn’t Aase without?
AHH: Indeed you did, that was an easy one. I am simply not me without my partner in crime and life, Chrois;-)
Photos by Erik Refner
