IN CONVERSATION WITH HAMPUS BERNHOFF
The valour of redefining a classic is always alluring and undoubtedly the trivia of what can be achieved in a classic shirt can rather be challenging but SCHNAYDERMAN’S born in 2012, the Stockholm based brand delineating the art of shirt-making in the most incalculable classic through experimental shapes, silhouettes and texture to now evolved in a full collection propounding to trousers, coats, overshirts, every piece speaks for it-self indulged in sartorial and human collaboration.
So, the world of SCHNAYDERMANS's - "the weird and the beautiful" gets tracked down with the brand's creative director Hampus Bernhoff, for an interview to discuss the conceptual playground through envisioning the revamp of the classic norms and the journey laid down through years of wisdom.
Hampus Bernhoff - Creative Director | SCHNAYDERMAN’S
Ciao Hampus, I am Shinal and thank you for taking out your time and giving us a chance to interview you.How are you? How has your day looked so far?
HAMPUS BERNHOFF: I am fine thanks! I am just finishing my last days of holidays which is a little bit bitter-sweet but I managed to get some well-needed rest and I have new energy for all the work that lies ahead.
Firstly, congratulation on the success of the SS22 collection “In Transit”. The digital presentation of SS22 was an ideal portrayal of human reaction towards an incalculable covid world - what was the starting point for this collection and your journey with SCHNAYDERMAN’s so far?
HAMPUS BERNHOFF: Thank you! Well, it has certainly been a weird year and for me, it has been dominated by a feeling of being in limbo - waiting for something else. It is strange because up until the pandemic hit, things were moving very fast and when everything turned to a sudden halt, it was difficult to have that busy mindset in a surrounding where everything stood still. I wanted to try to work this state of mind into the collection and our fictional runway show, so we worked with a dear friend and brilliant director and producer Michael Rendell on creating the story for the movie ”In Transit” we presented at Copenhagen Fashion Week. For me, it turned out to be the ultimate way of showing our collection because you can see the clothing in multiple settings as well as being able to tell a story and convey thoughts and feelings.In terms of the collection, the idea was to make clothes that remind us of a life in motion with airy silhouettes, washed-out colours and appliqués and embroideries that capture traces of movement. We also collaborated with Swedish artist Marcus Mårtenson on prints that depict the time we are in now in an almost satirical way that suited the collection perfectly.When it comes to my journey with Schnayderman’s it has been a project of passion from the start, where I get to work on things that are important to me such as brand integrity, quality,meaningfulness, creativity with an undercurrent of timelessness.
Hampus we all know about the diverse experience you hold in the industry working in Acne studios, Kelly Wrestler to your own company “Champary”. Tell us when did you set off on this journey with fashion?
HAMPUS BERNHOFF: Well, It has been a long journey that had to take the course it did until I ended up working in fashion. After I graduated High school I continued studying Economics at University for several years, and it wasn’t until I finished I realised that it wasn’t really what I wanted to do as an occupation. I hadn’t previously allowed myself to explore my creativity, but I knew it was there so I embarked on a new path where I started studying fashion design at Central Saint Martins in London. I think coming in from this different angle into the world of creativity has helped me to form my visual language and point of view.I am very curious by nature so it has to lead me to work on a broad spectrum across Womenswear, Menswear, Jewellery and Home & Interiors globally which I am very grateful for.
Personally, I am an enthusiast of shirts and believe the experimentation in the construction of shirts are underrated. Since Schnayderman’s defines the art of shirt making in so many ways – do you think this former idea of shirt can be refashioned?
HAMPUS BERNHOFF: Glad to hear that we share the same passion for shirts. Schnayderman’s started as a shirt brand where we felt that there was missing a brand that really could perfect the casual shirt and also build further on this idea is one of the earlier brands that embraced the Overshirt.During the years we have explored different ways of stretching the boundaries of what a shirt can be, both in terms of qualities we use and silhouettes and shapes. As we have grown into a full collection now, I think we have landed in a couple of silhouettes that we feel strongly about, so we almost had to do this full circle of experimentation to land in these specific styles. I am most excited about our ” Non-Binary Shirt” that we have cut to fit any gender identity. It is super versatile and comes in a wide variety of materials.
What your schedule looked like during the times of lockdowns and what has kept you sane? (Music/films/documentaries/Activity/Sport)
HAMPUS BERNHOFF: I wanted to maintain some sort of structure so I have tried to work in our studio as much as possible but of course, there have been many days of working from home which I have to say has suited me quite well. Other than that I have read more than usual - the last book was Ocean Vuong's novel ”On earth, we are briefly gorgeous” which was incredible. In terms of exercise I love running, it is a time when I digest everything that has happened. Additionally,I have been doing Transcendental Meditation for the past 10 years which certainly has helped to keep me somewhat sane :)
We are almost at the start of NYFW and so on. Which designers or brands are you most looking forward to this season?
HAMPUS BERNHOFF: In New York, there are some really interesting brands that I look forward to. A long time favourite is Proenza Schouler and I love following the younger brands Barragan, Eckhaus Latta, Telfar and Staud.
While growing up which artist or brands have exerted a huge influence on your work?
HAMPUS BERNHOFF: Christo & Jeanne Claude and their wrapping projects have been a huge inspiration for me throughout the years. The passion, the philosophy and the scope of their projects are mind-blowing to me. I also look to photography a lot with some favourites such as Walter Pfeiffer,Jona Frank, John Divola, Martin Parr, Larry Sultan, Tyler Michell and Jack Pierson to name a few. Lastly, music has also been a huge influence - Cocteau Twins, Sonic Youth, Massive Attack, Black Marble, Fleetwood Mac I can go on and on
In CFW we witnessed an evident shift of the brands showing promise towards the ethos of sustainability and diversity on the runway. What are your thoughts on this and how important it is for our industry to take responsibility for the change gravely called for?
HAMPUS BERNHOFF: Yes, so happy to see and be a part of this shift. It is a new landscape and it can certainly be difficult to navigate as sustainability is changing quite rapidly. For Schnayderman’s quality is still one of the main aspects of sustainability and we produce everything as close to us as possible in Europe. Diversity is very close to heart and something that we try to be constantly mindful of.
In an interview, you talked about the new upcycle collection ”Git Oig “ –The good eye. Can you tell us a bit more about it? or not yet xdd
HAMPUS BERNHOFF: Yes! Git Oyg is our Upcycling initiative at Schnayderman’s and it will be launched in the last days of August this year. It is really about making use of everything we have so we re-invent some of our older stock and try to make use of any leftover fabric we have stored at our suppliers. It also gives us a chance to work more dynamically and allows us to be experimental in our approach which has been very fun and evolving for us as a brand so I look forward to the launch.
How do you describe your creative process in 3 words?
HAMPUS BERNHOFF: INFATUATION, ELASTICITY, VISUAL
During Covid time we have seen a lot of brands opting for digital hybrid presentation and skipping the frictional runways- do you think in post covid world digital spaces/runways will result in more relatable and reach a wider range of audience?
HAMPUS BERNHOFF: For sure. I am so happy about this change and for many years I think that the traditional runway shows have felt quite redundant. I think it is really exciting to see new ways of presenting and communicating and I hope we will see more of this development in the future.
Lastly, what’s the future of the brand “SCHNAYDERMAN’s”?
HAMPUS BERNHOFF: Next is the launch of our up-cycling collection Git-Oyg and simultaneously we will work on the new collection in autumn/Winter 2022. Any day now the current Autumn Winter 2021 is hitting the stores and it is our best collection so far so I look forward to releasing that.Other than that we are working on a couple of collaborations that will be announced soon and in the meantime always trying to do improve and do better products.
