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DAY’s Christina Exsteen talks Digital shows and New Directions
Launching your debut collection for a brand is nerve-wracking on a normal day, let alone launching it during a pandemic AND a digital-only fashion week. For Christina Exsteen, it was an important day, but one she took in her stride, with grace and years of experience behind her. I sat down with Christina after DAY Birger et Mikkelsen launched their AW21 collection at Copenhagen Fashion Week last month, to discuss her new appointment, the new collection and the new direction.
How has your first year at the helm of DAY been?
The first 10 months have been exciting, challenging and intense. Let’s be real – It is an absurd situation to launch a brand in a closed world.
To set a new creative direction for a brand, get a new team in place, get to know each other and establish work processes in a time where you can only meet in limited numbers. That is challenging! Not to mention to start up supplier collaborations in a world, where no one can travel or visit each other. But we did, and I think that is what we have to learn for all of this – To remember to stay flexible and open to change, and to embrace them instead of working against them.
Who is the new DAY woman?
It is a woman who has “arrived” in her life. She has duties and demands in her life, and she needs a wardrobe that suits her and helps while she is doing that. I am done with creating clothes for some idealised image that no woman can relate to or live up to. The new DAY celebrates the everyday life and we want to walk tall, smile with our eyes, and most importantly, feel strong, sexy and alive. Age is not so relevant, I mean let’s face it, we use our age when it has a purpose, otherwise it’s just a number.
What is your favourite piece from the AW21 collection and why?
I have worked a lot on the values of the collection, such as integrity and functionality, but all while not compromising on the aesthetics – We have upgraded both the fit and craftsmanship. We use a wide range of materials from delicious wool and soft leather, to more raw and democratic materials such as heavy canvas and denim, which is the perfect contrast to more delicate materials such as silk and loose feminine silhouettes.
A trench coat is a classic piece and one which has been in women’s closet for decades – I like how we have personalised ours with black, vinyl press buttons. The removable wool lining. which can be used as a waistcoat, adds an extra function, making it a coat with no season – it is an all year round item, which I think is a great feature for clothes in general.
The checked suit in a relaxed silhouette, and wrapped up with a handcrafted belt is an interesting look. It pushes the limits of how we wear a classic suit and adds character, which I love. There’s also a canvas skirt, which is made in raw, heavy workwear material – combined with a smooth nappa shirt, it’s one of my favourite looks. Add leather boots, and you have a great everyday outfit!
Has presenting a collection digitally changed your opinion on the importance of fashion weeks?
Personally, I love making shows – it is an incredible way of showing a collection and your thoughts and inspirations behind the collection, and in general just a lovely opportunity to gather people. With that being said, it is also an interesting format, the digital format. I mean, it is available for more people to see and I think that’s nice. Since the format this time was digital, it was important for me that we did something different – that we did not film a “normal” fashion show. So I took the models out in to the real world, in to the real streets of the city.
It’s filmed in Copenhagen, but it was important for me that it had the feeling that it could be in any city, about any of us – the viewer, meeting her, The DAY woman in moments of her daily life. I think future shows will be a combination of the two [digital and physical], because at the end of the day, we are human beings and we need to be around other people and to feel connected. That good vibe that comes along when people meet is precious, I think that has become very clear for us all.
Christina has taken a pinnacle of Danish fashion, and given it a modern and beautiful refresh, while paying homage to its’ history and her own – something that is not always achieved successfully, may I add. With AW21 being her debut for DAY, I can’t wait to see what the future holds for the brand and their new Creative Director.