Like a good playlist, Mfpen’s latest collection evokes emotions that exist almost outside of time. Though there are hesitant dabs of light blue and pale yellow, the clothes are mostly rendered in a palette of moody grays and blacks that hardly scream “spring.” Ditto for materials like pinstripe (these are tropical weight). Because Mfpen uses only deadstock fabric, textile and color choice are somewhat limited, but this is also a choice on the part of designer Sigurd Bank. Look more closely and you’ll see that a rib-hugging rocker-meets-grandad cardigan is made of a mesh knit; you’ll spy a sliver of midriff above a pair of flat-front slim legged women’s trousers, and notice a cheerful white floral fabric used for shirting. There’s also a necklace that, when closed in front, reveals two sides of a heart broken down the middle.
This collection is not a meditation on melancholy; rather Bank, with blue eyes sparkling, explained that he put aside hardcore music for a moment to listen to the late-’90s post-punk he first heard as a teenager in Jutland (in the North of Denmark) in the early aughts. The designer’s been drawn to the underlying gentleness in the music, which put him in a mood “reminiscent of teenage romance and just also how teenage romance always brings teenage heartbreak in a way.” Love is somewhat interchangeable with youth here, as Bank was focused on the in-betweenness that defines the threshold of maturity. “There’s this tension between youth and adulthood, and in the same way, of rebelliousness and formality,” is how he put it.
Bank was after that feeling of awkwardness and dressing up that comes with wearing something that’s not yours—like your dad’s suit for a date. Is it a costume or a trial run? Do the garments hide the self or reveal it? One member of the team told Bank that as a teen she would leave the house in a parent-friendly outfit that she’d peel off to reveal something more daring. “I know that’s probably very common, but wow.”
That story impacted the way the collection is styled; note the shirt worn as a skirt. That idea of concealment and perhaps coded communication feels very Mfpen. The label’s brand of cool is difficult to describe. Nothing shouts. It might look well worn, and in fact could be made of vintage fabric, but it isn’t old, though once you learn that Bank’s grandfather owned a haberdashery, you can see that in the clothes, which deconstruct the lexicon of men’s tailoring and corporate attire. The double-breasted jacket is a bit cropped and worn with jeans; pinstripes are accessorized with a silver chain and a tie is tucked under a sweater from which shirttails flap. The effect is DIY without actually being homemade; it’s the spirit of making use of what you have and being okay with not being able to control everything. As in love, so in fashion. Bank’s comfort with a certain amount of chaos is what makes Mfpen so exciting.