AKNVAS TO DEBUT MENSWEAR COLLECTION FOR SPRING ‘21
Danish-born designer Christian Juul Nielsen will launch a spring/summer 2021 menswear capsule collection for his advanced contemporary label AKNVAS.
The capsule collection, comprised of 15 SKUs, is Nielsen’s first menswear collection after launching AKNVAS for resort 2020, which has quickly become a favorite of celebrities including Kate Bosworth, Emilia Clarke, and Emily Blunt. Nielsen, who currently works as creative director of Hervé Léger while designing AKNVAS, has designed for European design houses including Nina Ricci and Dior, as well as domestically for, Oscar de la Renta and J. Mendel.
While quarantining this past spring in New York City, where he resides, Nielsen decided that now was the time to add a menswear capsule collection to the brand. His womenswear collections have always been influenced by menswear, so it was a natural progression for the brand.
Given the relaxed wardrobe changes that have been made since the pandemic hit, Nielsen included elements of comfort into the capsule collection. Pants have elastic waistbands, shirts are oversized and easy to wear. When he launched AKNVAS, he wanted the collection to take women from desk to dinner, but he now understands that we need to go from Zoom to dining room.
Prices for shorts start at $295; pants start at $395; shirts start at $395; jackets start at $695 and logo sweatshirts are $145.
“I wanted to create a collection of clothes that I wanted to wear,” said Nielsen. “I’ve always been drawn to cotton shirting, but wanted to make it fresh and relevant, especially to fit our changing lifestyle. When styling the women’s lookbook, I incorporated many of the men’s pieces. I think people are wearing what they want and what feels right, not sticking to the gendered categories.”
The brand will show two seasons per year in New York and Paris. AKNVAS is sold through Rent the Runway, on the brand’s own e-commerce store, and in specialty stores across the country.