<!-- Code by F’in sweet Webflow Hacks -->
<script>// on DOM readydocument.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", function(){
//set your formatting options//Version 1 output = "16:09:19"const timeVersion1 = {
timeZone:"Europe/Berlin", //use any time zone in the TZ database name column https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_tz_database_time_zoneshour12 : false,
hour: "2-digit",
minute: "2-digit",
second: "2-digit" }
// Update the text content of our text elements with the formatted time document.querySelector('.hack23-time-version1').textContent = newDate().toLocaleTimeString('en-US', timeVersion1);
document.querySelector('.hack23-time-version2').textContent = newDate().toLocaleTimeString('en-US', timeVersion2);
});
/*
the Mozilla docs are the most full and complete source for
customization options for .toLocaleTimeString()
https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Reference/Global_Objects/Date/toLocaleTimeString
*/</script>
MSF Mag met with Danish designer Nikolaj Storm and global artist Margarita Howis to learn about their latest collaboration “Calm Before the Storm”, an avant-garde streetwear collection.
Discover how they use innovative approaches, upcycling techniques, eco-friendly materials and merge bold artistry with sustainable fashion in this interview.
“Fuck what everybody else thinks
let’s do what I think is fun!”
McKenzie
Do you want to give us a little background to start off with?
Nikolaj
I'm Nikolaj Storm. I'm from Denmark. I have my own brand which I founded five years ago. I'm educated at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts. I have a masters degree in fashion. But actually, since I started school, I've also been working in the industry with Danish brands, like Saks Potts, 7 DAYS Active, and
I've been working with a bag company. So I have a lot of knowledge about the fashion industry – from fur to sportswear, to bags and accessories… and now I'm here doing my own stuff.
McKenzie
Can you share with us the inspiration behind your new collection?
Nikolaj
The starting point was rooted in the feeling of so much happening in the world, and a lot of it being bad.
"In terms of fashion, there's a lot of changes coming, it's still rumbling in the underground but it's coming. At the same time, there’s a lot of wars going on and I feel like there are a lot of shifts coming… We're just waiting for it.
I called the collection Calm Before the Storm, because it's the anticipation of something that's going to happen real soon. It's the mix of something calm and something turbulent, so expect prints mixed together and all of that."
McKenzie
What sets this collection apart from your previous work?
Nikolaj
This is my thirteenth collection, and I think I have learned over time. In the beginning of being an upcoming designer, you still have to figure out who you are, your vision, your signature… I spent a long time listening to people telling me what I should and shouldn’t do, and this is the first collection where I said “Fuck what everybody else thinks, let’s do what I think is fun!” I just went nuts with that and it also connects back to the title Calm Before The Storm, because I feel calm in what I’m doing so be prepared for the storm!
McKenzie
Sustainability is a key aspect of your brand, how have you integrated sustainable practices into this collection?
Nikolaj
This is actually the most sustainable collection I've done yet. It consists of two parts, one part that I've been doing together with a tech startup company called Rodinia Generation. They have changed the whole supply chain of fashion. We talk a lot about slow fashion, but this is actually ultra-fast fashion done sustainably.
Everything in the collection is printed in Copenhagen on sustainable materials. We use a special printer that, instead of coloring with a lot of water and chemicals, uses print coloring that doesn’t need water. We use eco-colors, so it's super good on your skin. We only print the pattern parts so we don't over color other fabric, and after we cut the pattern pieces out, all the leftover fabric gets recycled. I get some of it to make upcycled pieces, so I have a big bag of leftover scraps that I'm going to have fun with.
It's all sewn together here in Denmark as well, made locally. We really bring down the transportation. Because it's all done here, we can use a preorder system and when customers place their order, it takes 2-3 weeks for them to actually get the styles home, and we only produce what is bought. I think that is something new and something we could get used to - a different way of buying clothes. Also to become aware of that stores are actually buying a lot of clothes and most of it is not getting sold, it’s just out there as deadstock for everybody. It’s extremely wasteful. With this way of doing things, we can actually overcome that overstock situation. Just make what you need in the sizes that you need.
For the second part, we have UPSTORMED, which is also just my fun way to say upcycled. It is upcycled pieces that I've made from deadstock materials from Europe, or made from materials I have from sample production or old productions.
NIKOLAJ AND MARGARITA AT THEIR COLLABORATION EXHIBITION
McKenzie
I just recently learned about the whole skin issue. I knew about the environmental issues of course, but just learned that chemicals from clothing, especially fast fashion clothing, can seep into your skin. Actually I read a story about fast fashion CEOs, and it said they actually refused to touch the clothes their own company makes, because they're so toxic.
Nikolaj
Also when you buy fast fashion, they have skipped a lot of processes. Normally the colorants used by most brands have chemicals in them, but a lot of them will wash it out before you can buy the clothes. So the biggest amount of extra color stuff is out of the fabric. But when it's fast fashion, they skip that part. That's why when you buy from fast fashion, you should wash it before you wear it because you don't know what's in the textile.
McKenzie
Yeah. That’s really important.
Nikolaj
Then we also use organic cotton. I'm not a super big fan of organic cotton because I think it's still bad for the environment, and it still uses a lot of water. I would prefer to have more recycled cotton or something completely different, but this is where we are at now.
Some of the materials used for upcycling will be sustainable materials from past collections. This time there's also materials that are not in themselves that sustainable, but because we get them from deadstock, we don't produce new fabrics.
McKenzie
One dump truck of textiles gets dumped in landfill every second. It's so much waste that you can see the landfill from space now. These giant landfills pollute the earth and harm communities. Also, we have enough clothes on the planet right now to dress the next six generations. So we clearly don't need more. We can just use deadstock fabric or rework vintage pieces. Designing with deadstock is amazing in my opinion. I love upcycling.
Nikolaj
I think it's insane and that's why I started out doing sustainable production, making sure that our suppliers run on renewable energy and that they collect their leftover fabrics to use it for something else. But over time and every time I produce, I ask myself “Why am I producing something new when there’s so much clothes out there?” That's why for this collection I want to shift into more upcycling.
I also feel that there's so much beautiful clothes we can make with upcycling. I also see the shift on TikTok and Instagram, a lot of people upcycling at home. Big shout out to them! I really love it that people are starting to get used to it and getting so creative doing all kinds of stuff.
McKenzie
What challenges do you face in maintaining sustainability while still striving for creativity and innovation?
Nikolaj
I've been in the industry for quite some time now, and many brands claim we can’t shift to sustainable practices, and especially in the past couple of years. Personally, I feel it's not that hard, it's just a decision you have to make.
I think it's more challenging to get sustainability out to the customers and make them realize that they are actually doing something great if they select different pieces.
McKenzie
Absolutely. How do you see the role of fashion designers in promoting sustainability in the industry?
Nikolaj
I think it's huge because it's the designers who do the collections, who select the materials, who tell the story. They have the power to shift the industry and can really come in and demand sustainable materials. I think the responsibility lays a lot on the designers.
McKenzie
I think that's shifting too, as customers become more aware, the designers shift more. It's growing so much. I love what you're doing with that.
What do you hope your audience takes away from experiencing this collection?
Nikolaj
The whole goal for me and the brand is to inspire and motivate people to be more sustainable in their life. Not only limited to fashion, but it's also about everything else that we do. It's about you being more sustainable and just being more enlightened about it, starting to think about it in your everyday life.
Matty
I just want to add to that. The only power something has is the attention that we give it. This whole idea of changing the consumer mindset, re-educating people to shift in a different direction, gives rise to more upcycling and recycling, or having fast fashion companies like H&M or Zara change their ways. They are not about to go away unfortunately, but they can change their ways.
Nikolaj
If H&M can close their own loop for 2030 I think “Fine, then continue doing what you're doing because if you are not polluting, it's fine.” But also like you say, making the shift in a positive way and not just pointing out everything bad. Instead we can give solutions, let's amplify hundreds of solutions!
McKenzie
We just need to all band together and get behind the solutions. Everyone's aware of the problems and to be honest everyone's sick of hearing the problems because maybe they don’t realize there are better ways to do things. That's what MSF is all about. Amplifying solutions.
Part 2: Margarita Howis
Margarita
I'm Margarita Howis. I was born and raised in Russia, but it has been a long journey after, in many countries, but now I’m here [in Copenhagen]. I'm an international artist; so I do art and I also have my brand around it. I do different collaborations like this one with Nikolaj. I do art pieces, galleries, exhibitions, art talks, art workshops, murals. My degree is in architecture and that's what brought me to Denmark to begin with. It's like the Mecca for sustainable architecture! Three years ago I started doing art full time.
McKenzie
Margarita, your collaboration with Nikolaj is eagerly anticipated. What drew you to work together?
Margarita
I feel like since we met, I was just really excited with, of course his personality, but also his creativity and his approach. What Nikolaj does with fashion and his core values are very much aligned with mine and my brand. It's very exciting for us to join forces in our creative journeys.
McKenzie
It’s such a great collaboration and I feel yours and Nikolaj’s style really complement each other. How do you see fashion and art intersecting in your collaborative process?
Margarita
Starting from the aesthetics and the values of it, Nikolaj is quite famous for being very daring and very bold with his approach and his pieces, creating a lot of statement pieces. Giving way for people to really express themselves through fashion. That's the idea and the message at the core of my art: Celebrating authenticity, diversity, and uniqueness. I feel like bridging art and fashion, as well as making statements through art and fashion, gives people a tool to express themselves.
Margarita Howis makes art that serves as a bridge between cultures, emphasizing individual uniqueness through themes of self-discovery, self-acceptance, and self-expression.
In her project Colors for Climate, she creates another bridge for people to connect with the landscapes and communities that are suffering in the front-lines of climate change. Highlighting abstracted perspectives on the natural wonders of the world that are being devastated by climate change or profit-driven human intervention, Margarita Howis ignites a spark to see the world from a new angle and seek preservation for these people and places.
McKenzie
Could you share about how you incorporate art into your designs?
Margarita
We've been playing and testing different ways. I’ve been collaborating with Nikolaj and one other designer. We started with integrating the artwork into the prints, creating these very unique pieces, statement pieces and one-of-a-kind pieces. Also, we did an exhibition during summer with the same narrative and we worked around the same topic. I created artwork and he created the garments for it.
Now we're working on painting on the garment directly, which makes the idea of styling and dressing up even more self-expressive and unique in a way.
Again, it has a sustainable angle in the sense that we're giving more value to these pieces. Even something from a previous collection suddenly gets its own life and increases the value. Whoever will get it will hopefully treasure it and wear it.
COLOURS FOR CLIMATE
McKenzie
It's got a story and it’s a beautiful role you guys play in taking old pieces and giving it new value, new charm.
What challenges have you encountered in merging fashion and art?
Margarita
Fun challenges! Testing and experimenting what works and what doesn't. We make sure that the art stays and it doesn't get ruined or weathered. Other than that, I think it's really fun. I would say fashion and style means a lot to me. I find it a very important way to express myself and be creative. I'm just really happy to be a part of it with my art.
McKenzie
What excites you the most about the upcoming collection and working together?
Margarita
I just really enjoy this medium at this point. We both create artworks and we also print them. I'm very excited to paint on the larger pieces and integrate it in different ways. We just have so many ideas that we're working on.
COLOURS FOR CLIMATE
McKenzie
Can you give us a sneak peek into any themes that we can expect to see in your pieces in your collaborative pieces?
Nikolaj
I think it started with the calm in the storm, like that was the starting point. But I think it also turned out to be very internal, like you can have a shift in yourself. For example, if you realize more about sustainability, you'll shift and you may become a different or better person than you were before. We worked a lot with that duality in the paintings and it features two persons. What kind of relationship are they in? Is it the same person? Is it two different personalities? Is it a relationship? I feel like art can make statements but in a different way, it's up for your own interpretation. That was the thing that we really wanted to showcase a lot of.
McKenzie
Calm before the storm totally resonates, because it's really clear there's so many storms going on politically, environmentally, and it's remaining calm in the storm. That was my interpretation. Like, amongst the chaos, continuing to find ways to move forward.
How do you envision your collaborative work impacting fashion and art communities?
Margarita
I find what we’re doing quite innovative. Even when looking for references, I couldn't find that many. So I'm just very excited that we really tap into something that hasn't been done that much. When I’m rocking the pieces that I've painted or that Nikolaj printed with my art, I just get a lot of interest and a lot of attention. Friends reach out, they bring us some jackets that they were about to throw away, suddenly they ask me if I can do a little magic and then they fall in love with the piece again. I feel like art can really revamp fashion and extend creativity and self expression.
McKenzie
What message do you hope to convey through your creations?
Margarita
I really want to live and inspire others to live in a place of full self acceptance. To live a life not led by ego, but just being led by self love and self acceptance.
From there, we can really get in touch with our higher self. I'm really into celebrating authenticity and differences and want to inspire others to celebrate their own unique story with all the good and bad in it.
Nikolaj
I also think that's why we two do stuff together, because we're both about showing personality and having self acceptance to be ourselves 100%. I also love making statement pieces and wild pieces, because there are people out there who want to express that. We give the personal touch to clothes and that’s going to be really treasured by the customer, and helps them express what they feel inside. That whole combination is really what we're working for, doing good for the planet, but also doing good for yourself.
McKenzie
I think they go hand-in-hand, sustainability and confidence. You're going against what corporations are spoon feeding you, and you're doing your own thing, taking your own chance, thinking for yourself. We see that sustainability is confidence. It's being unique, not being told what to wear or buy, but thinking for yourself and expressing yourself.
Margarita
What I want to do with art. What Nikolaj wants to do with fashion. Stripping away all the bullshit and stigma and just really tapping into our uniqueness. From there comes confidence, you can make your own choices and hopefully good choices.
McKenzie
It's so beautiful, really inspiring, really, really cool. Thank you guys so much for meeting us and we can’t wait to see what’s next for you in your journey.
Nikolaj Storm and Margarita Howis demonstrate how strong values and morals around sustainability, individuality and self-expression can make a creative process shine at every step of the way. From the aesthetics of their collaborative collection, to the messages they hope to share with the world, their approaches remain bold, confident, and climate conscious. We hope to see more sustainably focused cross-disciplinary collaborations like this one, using the power of partnership and shared community to raise awareness and style.
