Peter Jensen has had plenty of reasons to celebrate this year. First, he was awarded sponsorship and an exhibition by the Danish Design Museum, titled ‘Peter Jensen’s Muses’; and then, after a three-season stint in New York, he brought his designs
"I think muses are important because I like personalities; it's not only about style, but about a character, an attitude. I also like the idea of the narrative, and the muse helps guide that. For someone to become my muse, firstly, they have to be someone I admire, but it can be in either a frivolous or a sincere way. I like the idea of being fans, there's something of that in my approach. My muses tend to have some kind of kink, or be damaged somehow. I’m attracted to humour but there's a mean streak to my humour sometimes. Once I’ve selected a muse, the way in which I put her into the collection is quite varied. Nina Simore was the last one, and that was very much about her attitude, as well as referencing images of her and episodes in her life. The collection based on Sissy Spacek very much referenced her film roles; the characters and the costumes. Laurie Simmons’ work was the inspiration for S/S10, and we collaborated with her on the presentation. Everyone is a bit different. I particularly like the collection Christina, A/W07, inspired by Christina of Denmark. It was quite a tough reference point so a bit unusual for us but I was really happy with the collection. I love all the women though. For me the most important thing is personality, style is important, of course, but it doesn't necessarily need to be good style. I like there to be something wrong, something off. But there has to be a story, that's essential."
Peter Jensen has had plenty of reasons to celebrate this year. First, he was awarded sponsorship and an exhibition by the Danish Design Museum, titled Peter Jensen’s Muses; and then, after a three-season stint in New York, he brought his designs to London fashion week with a presentation impressive enough to entice some audience members back for a second showing. Now, the Danish designer is taking part in the V&A’s Fashion in Motion series, commencing later today, which will see Jenson intertwine both his men’s and women's wear collections for a unique catwalk performance – a rich retrospective, in fact – which coincides with the quirky label reaching the age of 10. The anniversary of which is also being celebrated with the release of the book, Peter Jensen &.
Asked about the V&A museum as a venue for Fashion in Motion, Jenson replied with the kind of childish enthusiasm you might expect from a designer who has vowed to make bunny shaped sunglasses a viable accessory: “I have always loved the Museum, having first visited on a school trip to London from Denmark as a child. It is a truly inspiring place and one that I have always dreamt of being locked in after hours or for a whole weekend without anyone else about.”
Whether you follow Jensen closely, or from afar, his talent for storytelling is obvious to all; and he never tells the same story twice. Instead, Jensen’s collections are formed around a series of varying invented, and real life characters. From the geeky heroine Candice Marie, star of Mike Leigh’s 1976 television film Nuts in May, to his aunt Lytte who managed a cab company in Greenland in the 70s, the only continuity in Jensen’s designs are the humour he contributes to them; either via subtle parody, or not so subtle animal graphics.
Considering Jensen’s muses garner just as much attention as the designs themselves, on the eve of Fashion in Motion AnOther felt compelled to ask him to explain what he looks for in a muse, and how he translates them into his collections.
Fashion in Motion: Peter Jensen takes place today Friday 18 at V&A museum. Peter Jensen & is published by Dent-de-Leone and available now.
Text by Fiona Cook
