Nordic Front

Denmark has a long legacy with audacious design, and lately that's becoming equally true for fashion. Henrik Vibskov, a graduate of Central St. Martin's school in London, is one such promising menswear designer, hailing from Danish soil (in the countryside of Jutland). Having been a successful drummer since the age of 10 and an award-winning break-dancer at 12, Vibskov's runway work possesses the same sort of brazen, beyond-his-years brand of determination.

Despite the more streamlined (read: classic) direction menswear has been revisiting, Vibskov's man emerges the adventurer, unafraid of playing around with unexpected color, texture, and patterns. He carries off skinny velvet rocker pants with aplomb and a boxy ribbon-patterned jacket as if he were born for the runways of Paris. It is clear Vibskov's vision isn't always for the faint of heart (is there a man in possession of enough pluck to pull off a striped unitard or a pink suit?). Stripes or no stripes, this Nordic trailblazer has piqued our curiosity and proven he has exciting work to do on and off the runway.

Many could equate Denmark with pale, graceful Wegner chairs or world-class architecture, but thanks to a fresh crop of daring young designers like Henrik Vibskov, the country is gaining notoriety for its bold fashion scene, too.