BRØGGER SPRING/SUMMER 2019

Under the formidable name of Margrethe, the spring/summer 2019 runway debut of Brøgger explores the wardrobes of the two most formative figures in the early fashion perception of Julie Brøgger: the designer’s late mother Margrethe Brøgger and H.M. Queen Margrethe II of Denmark.

Through the subjective binoculars of nostalgia, the collection fuses childhood memories of the bold and eccentric looks of the Queen through the 1980s and 90s with the executive elegance of Mrs Brøgger in the same decade. A prolific family law attorney, she relished in ladylike glamour, dressed dramatically for the opera, and taught her daughters that boardroom feminism could co-exist with red nail varnish and a slip dress.

They are values projected in the theatrical splendour of Queen Margrethe, whose confident and artistic approach to royal dressing mesmerised a young Julie Brøgger. Evoking creations by Danish dressmakers Erik Mortensen, Holger Blom and Jørgen Bender from the 1980s, the collection transforms the rigid cuts, jaunty ruffles and subversive florals of Her Majesty’s look into universal tailoring and flou for a contemporary wardrobe.

Approached with a daughter’s rebellious disposition, the classic dress codes honed by Margrethe Brøgger are affectionately twisted and turned. Prints are remixed and purposely mismatched, clashing lines and shapes collide in new silhouettes and surface decoration, and the traditional fabrication of formalwear is replaced with more functional proposals such as crushed spinnaker rib stop and tech organza.

An animated palette evocative of royal dressing paints the collection: coral, blood orange, jade, ivory, and garnet tones. Sustainable bi-product seal and swakara by Kopenhagen Fur appear in outerwear and intarsia fur accents. A nod to the largely hand-worked core of the garments – all of which are made in England and Europe – the cocktail cuffs of tailoring are adorned with gilded metal closures in the motif of hands.

Brøgger is the London-based brand launched in 2016. Raised in Denmark, the designer served on the teams of Preen by Thornton Bregazzi, Erdem and J.W. Anderson before establishing her independent label. The spring/summer 2019 show at Copenhagen Fashion Week marks its fourth season and runway debut. Brøgger is available at Barneys New York, Harvey Nichols London, and Joyce in Hong Kong, amongst other stores.