The culture of «good objects» according to NIKO JUNE

This summer nss edicola lands in Copenhagen with a pop-up different from the usual. After J’Adore Napoli, Ti Odio Milano Ti amo and Ibiza Mamma Mia, the project that will kick off in the Danish capital will take place during Copenhagen Fashion Week, so it could only be dedicated to the world of Nordic design. From August 5 to 9, nss will take over the spaces of Creators’ Hub in the company of NIKO JUNE, the artistic collective that in recent years has shaped the new era of Scandinavian minimalism. The collaboration was supported by the creative studio ms, which helped the brand with activations such as the realization and creative production of the project at the nss edicola pop-up. Before taking the name NIKO JUNE in 2020, the collective was, according to the co-founders, «a small village where each of us built small houses, studios for our individual artistic practices». With productions ranging from ceramics to furniture, from tableware to interior decor, NIKO JUNE elevates everyday objects without ever depriving them of their original function. The brand’s manifesto is clear: the desire to create “good objects”, those you keep forever and reuse endlessly - a detail that reinforces NIKO JUNE’s connection to its Nordic roots beyond the Scandi aesthetic for which it has become famous. After all, there is nothing more appealing to Copenhagen than sustainable design.

«Almost all our products are mono-material», say the co-founders to explain the high level of attention the brand dedicates to sustainable productions. «From a design point of view, it has many advantages for us, and then they are easier to recycle». Although the creatives of NIKO JUNE are all particularly committed to the environment and a minimalist approach to design, each of them is able to produce objects and furniture with completely unexpected shapes, sometimes crooked, sometimes “stained”, other times completely abstract, a detail that makes each object unique, full of personality, and thus of life. As the collective states, part of the credit goes to Copenhagen, a city that influences but does not homogenize and manages to motivate even the most conservative talent to challenge themselves. «Denmark has always had a strong heritage in the world of design. Copenhagen has a certain mix of tradition and modernity that provides fertile ground for designers to create beautiful but functional objects». In this perspective, while during its early years NIKO JUNE greatly appreciated the use of color, it has now become more serious. «The brand is going through a period of great changes compared to when we did everything ourselves», the co-founders say, adding that the company now produces in collaboration with a group of artisans who have brought a less colorful, «but no less pleasant» vision to the products.

«It's a matter of connection and mutual support, it's about growing together and creating bonds through different sectors and shared experiences. Creating an atmosphere where people feel they belong to something bigger than just a brand»

Like the nss edicola project, one of the values on which NIKO JUNE is based is sharing. The creatives who launched the collective in 2020 chose to come together under a single name for the same reason they decided to bring their studios under one roof. «Working together produces better results, in general», they say. The collaboration with nss edicola on the occasion of Copenhagen Fashion Week follows exactly the same reasoning, as community continues to be a key value for NIKO JUNE. Despite the recent changes the collective is undergoing, the innovations that Copenhagen is embracing, becoming increasingly international when it comes to fashion and design, the goal for NIKO JUNE remains the same. «Production is impulsive and variable», they tell us. But it will always be about «good objects».