Danish advanced contemporary fashion brand AKNVAS is a newbie to the runway scene. For NYFW, lead designer Christian Juul Nielson brings his line to the runway for the first time ever, signifying a seachange for the brand. Taking place in Manhattan’s staple French-Vietnamese restaurant Indochine, the brand’s debut runway collection featured bold colors, oversized builds, and an endless amount of ruffles. Though the brand certainly still has room to grow, the AKNVAS SS23 line marks a well-executed entrance into the industry. 

Juul Nielson takes his inspiration from the French pantomime character Pierrot Lunaire. In this collection’s retelling, Pierrot falls from the moon back down to earth, landing in an Icelandic flower field. Pierrot holds on to some silvershine from the moon while sporting his classic black headpiece, ruffled shirts, and oversized pants. And, as always, Pierrot’s look is accented with layers and layers of tulle. 

The inspiration of Pierrot’s story can be seen throughout the AKNVAS SS23 collection, ranging from the bright floral colors of the Icelandic field to the incorporation of metallic ‘moon bits.’ Those ruffles that make up Pierrot’s outfit are just about everywhere within the collection, ranging from the draping of skirts to the build of an entire dress. 

One eye-catching feature of the AKNVAS line is Juul Nielson’s use of a hand-crafted floral lace, built in those bright colors meant to emulate the Icelandic flowers. Consider one of the collection’s standout looks, a vibrant green fitted lace top with oversized matching green pants. The lace creates an almost fairylike image, emulating the magical splendor of the story’s acid green grass. Finished with a layered thick-wire chain, the look is one of the collection’s most creative stand-alone pieces. 

Though the collection’s two color palettes often stay separate, Juul Nielson does make some attempts to blend the bold floral tones with the more muted beiges and blacks. In one look, Juul Nielson covers the same lace top and oversized pants (this time in a shade of hot pink) with a sleek beige jacket. The collection also features some more simple striped looks, alternating that glowing green with a duller brown. Though these looks may not be the most innovative, they pull their weight in adding to the line’s sense of creative cohesion. 

AKNVAS’ entrance into the runway game was certainly not perfect, with the collection frequently falling into overplayed fashion tropes or looks that seem out of place within the line’s story arc. To expect perfection on the first run of it, though, is a fool’s errand. The brand demonstrated its utter mastery of crafting beautiful, jaw-dropping garments. Striking this hot on the first attempt should be thoroughly applauded. The show at minimum set up AKNVAS and Christian Juul Nielson as runway names to keep an eye on.