Cecilie Bahnsen and Uniqlo’s capsule collection celebrates sisterhood and self-expression

There’s something poetic about Cecilie Bahnsen’s designs; the sweet bows, the delicate blooms, the light-as-air materials, exploding into cupcake-like silhouettes. It’s fitting, then, that the Danish designer’s collaborative collection with Uniqlo would be dubbed 'Shapes of Poetry' (a notion that also tracks with Bahnsen’s signature shapes). The capsule finds its muse at first bloom. “Each season we have a flower,” says Bahnsen when I meet in her Copenhagen atelier. “And for this collab we chose the anemone – the first flower of the season. For me, it symbolises spring.”

The collection, comprised of T-shirts, dresses and skirts characterised by thoughtful shirring, lovely frills and, yes, a pouf sleeve or two, arrives at Uniqlo May 28th, expanding Bahnsen’s beloved universe to a wider audience. Also in the mix, children’s clothes – a first for Bahnsen.

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At first glance, Uniqlo’s no-frills, utilitarian ethos may seem at odds with Bahnsen’s unapologetically romantic expressions, but the two share a distinct point of view. “As you may know, one of Cecilie’s design concepts is everyday couture,” says Yuki Katsuta, Uniqlo’s head of R&D. “At Uniqlo, we have a very similar philosophy of design. We believe clothes shouldn’t have an attitude, but people should create individuality.” Similarly, in Bahnsen’s atelier, her team finds individuality in her designs, layering ethereal frocks over t-shirts or trousers, finishing the look with ballet flats or sneakers (a key styling choice for those arriving to the studio by bike).

This is Katsuta’s second time in the Danish capital, the first being for the opening of Uniqlo’s debut Copenhagen store. At the dinner to fete the new location, he just so happened to sit next to Bahnsen. “I still remember that night,” he says. “I asked her, ‘What do you do?’” A chance meeting that ultimately lead to this collection.

Though Bahnsen often works with decadent couture-friendly fabrics – some of which are developed in-house – this collaboration found her exploring a more democratic material: jersey. The restraint of this single material ultimately gave the designer a certain self-awareness “What’s super interesting when you work on a collaboration is how aware you become aware of those small codes that are you – what it takes to make the design have a Cecilie Bahnsen feel to it,” says Bahnsen. “For example, the two small flowers on the T-shirt, it doesn’t take more than that and a good quality jersey to make it personal and stand out.”

The Bahnsen-isms extend to the collection campaign as well. Captured in Japan by Danish siblings Louise and Maria Thornfeldt (the same duo who captured Bahnsen and her designs for an early issue of Vogue Scandinavia), there is a softness and a sisterhood to the images. “Emotions, memories, connections is a big part of what I create,” says Bahnsen. “Also the sisterhood element of getting dressed with your friend or sharing a dress.”

To celebrate the collection, Bahnsen and Uniqlo welcomed a curated group of content creators and journalists to Copenhagen. It was a very Bahnsen itinerary; an intimate dinner in the private boathouse at Louisiana Museum of Modern Art – a source of inspiration or the designer – a morning boat ride through the city’s canals culminating in a lovely lunch at Copenhagen Contemporary. For the latter, an installation of massive blooms, fashioned from leftover fabric from Bahnsen’s atelier, served as an abstract landscape for models wearing the collection. At lunch, both the table and the food itself was flower-forward.

Throughout the two-day affair, guests wore pieces from the collection, each in their own way; dresses styled over long-sleeve t-shirts, skirts pinned up into minis. The Uniqlo and Cecilie Bahnsen philosophy on full display; everyday Copenhagen couture for all.

The Uniqlo and Cecilie Bahnsen collection launches May 28 via Uniqlo