Within the first few days of arriving in magical Copenhagen, I found myself out in the waters of beautiful Christanshavn on a private boat with the owner of Red Roses, my now favorite coffee shop (and daily ritual) in Copenhagen. Earlier in the day, I struck up a conversation with Tue, the man behind this gem of a cafe. I talked about missing the Lower East Side in NYC and Tue mentioned that he and his family had just been there. Before I knew it, Tue was giving me a tour of the gorgeous waters of Copenhagen, and I quickly forgot my homesickness. I’ve included a short video below as proof this really happened:

What does this have to do with a Danish designer you should know? I am getting there. Like many days and nights in Copenhagen, there is time for a(nother) coffee stop, a drink with a friend or a detour on the way to your destination. After my personal tour of The Little Mermaid statue and Copenhagen’s Royal Danish Opera House, Tue dropped me off at Paper Island –  a wonderland of street food offerings and delicious drinks. There, I met Kristy, my “hostess with the mostess” during my time here in Copenhagen. Though she was a bit surprised I arrived by boat, we quickly changed the focus to food and drink.

Full of street snacks and wine, Kristy and I searched for her bike, but what we found was far better. We stumbled upon a Henrik Vibskov sample sale – which brings me to a Danish designer that you must know. In a warehouse by the water, I marveled at Vibskov’s voluminous cuts and his androgynous aesthetic and wondered about the story behind each collection as I took note of the different tags and labels on each piece. I purchased several pieces and will admit to carrying around the tags from my new black oversized overcoat in my backpack because I can’t bring myself to throw away these tiny pieces of art.

I love the cerebral nature of Vibskov’s inspirations and the visual imagery conjured up by these two notions:

Take some time to get to know Henrik Vibskov – he is a graduate of Central Saint Martins in London, but based in Denmark with stores in Copenhagen and New York City. In addition to designing an impressive number of collections under his own label, he has exhibited all over the world (including MoMA – PS1 in NYC) and drums in his own band. He currently teaches at DSKD and guest lectures at Central Saint Martins and the Antwerp Royal Academy of Fine Art. Vibskov has also published four books.

I will certainly count the Henrik Vibskov pieces I scored at the sample sale as some of my best finds during my time here in Copenhagen. And I love that the route that took me to them reads something like the name of one of Vibskov’s collections: The Latté that Lead to Uncharted Waters and a Sample Sale.

 Header images: Henrik Vibskov SS16 Collection