The coolness of Berner Kühl's slow fashion

Today, as yesterday and perhaps forever in the future, the concept of “coolness” remains something elusive or, rather, something that can only be recognized when you see it. And defining what is cool, or rather finding it, is one of the great obsessions of today’s fashion – not talking about big commercial and corporate fashion, but about all those brands that, at various levels of the market, operate independently and, untethered from quarterly results and continuous growth objectives, know how to develop organically. One such brand is Berner Kühl, a Danish brand founded in 2020, that has quickly captured the hearts, not only of fans of the modern Scandinavian normcore school, but also of fashion insiders across Europe. During the last Copenhagen Fashion Week, we met the brand’s founder, Frederik Berner Kühl, who told us about the birth of his project, but, most importantly, its future. Speaking about his origins, Frederik shares: «I got a bit burnt by working in this industry from a very young age. Got a lot of responsibility early on and it was a lot of fun. But also, a lot of work. The actual workload was not an issue, but the creative workload wore me down. Doing a new collection after a new collection after a new collection. I took a full stop, went to Florence to do my Master’s, and during that year the urge slowly came back. The urge to create something again. Slowly I started to think how my own output would be. After working for others, what would my own thing look like. And it became the biggest obsession of my life.» This pressure led him to take a break, spending some time in Florence to complete a Master’s degree. Berner Kühl was not born to fill a market gap or respond to a particular need. As the designer recounts: «I did not look for gaps in the market. I analyzed it thoroughly and I saw a hugely congested menswear space, with a lot of competition. So, in that way, it was no easy feat. But I think I was naïve enough to believe that if my thing was good enough, it would find its place. And so the grind began.»

One of the central philosophies of the brand is to «redefine the codes and connotations connected to a fashion industry that is in constant change». This translates into a slower production pace and greater attention to quality: «We don’t have external pressures forcing us to do things in a certain way. We try to do things the way we want. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. But we have to try and tell people that they should buy better, instead of buying more». Berner Kühl produces only two collections per year, a pace that Frederik still finds challenging: «Coming from a past where I was forced to do up to eight collections a year, I decided I would slow down. When we dedicate time and energy to creating a single product, it works. And we don’t necessarily have to replace it with something new the next season. We believe it will still work». This philosophy is also reflected in the choice of suppliers: «We’ve worked with four of our main suppliers since day one and continue to improve with them every season. It’s a non-negotiable for us: taking the time to do at least that part the right way». Sustainability is also an integral part of the creative process: «We make simple things, meant to last a long time. We don’t change everything from season to season. The fashion industry is one of the most polluting, but it’s a dilemma when you really love something and you can’t help but create. About 30-40% of the collection is made from deadstock fabrics. It’s not perfect, because it supports the big players who buy too much and then rely on others to use up the leftovers, but it’s still better than buying new materials».

One of the big questions, when facing its collections, is the precise identification of the brand's vibe. Working carefully on the reinterpretation of classics, with products that work and incrementally add to a proposal that, from collection to collection, is enriched with a certain emphasis, a new design detail, or even a certain type of fabric (often rare), the brand’s offer may seem very normal at first glance. But just observe the bold and modern cut of its shirts, which are somewhat of a specialty for Berner Kühl, or the trousers, to find a mix of boldness and nonchalance that has nothing classic or boring about it—in fact, quite the opposite. That might be the essence of coolness: a sense of mastery and control that is never tense, almost relaxed in reality, which does not seek to impress, but inevitably ends up doing so. The brand’s customer «is someone who loves to discover a garment as they wear it, to see how it behaves and changes with use», according to the founder and designer. «A curious person, who doesn’t necessarily want to be part of a cog in the machine, but rather set their own agenda». The design of Berner Kühl focuses on simplicity—a simplicity that, as Frederik points out, can be deceptively complex: «We always restrict ourselves when designing. We start with a sketch or a prototype and then remove elements, trying to reach the core of that product. The purest version of that garment. It might seem simple, but simplicity can be very complex. It either works, or it becomes boring. It’s a fine balance». The materials are the starting point for every collection: «The fabrics become our storytelling. When we start designing, the materials begin to interact with each other, and from there the collection grid is born». The choice of colors and the quality of the fabrics help make the pieces timeless. «For us, timeless means something we don’t have to completely change in one or two years. Something that can be improved, but not necessarily transformed».

Among Frederik's favorite pieces from the current collection, he mentions the heavy Italian suede pants paired with a mercerized long sleeve tee and a boiled wool cardigan: «The colors look great together and the contrast between the fabric textures is very intriguing». Another look we’ll remember is a total black outfit consisting of a cotton raincoat made in Scotland, Super 120 pure wool trousers, and a Mongolian cashmere crewneck: «A perfect balance between business and casual», as the designer describes it. All pieces have a certain understated charm, so to speak, but no less effective: the purity of their lines and the hidden ingenuity in their architecture make their composure desirable. It’s no surprise, then, that the brand’s fame (and sales) are expanding beyond its native borders. «We’re starting to collaborate with wonderful stores around the world», Frederik told us, «and we want to continue that journey. We’re not in a rush to get big. We like being small and being able to say no to certain things. It’s a dream to develop slowly and always improve».