Johan Lindeberg is inseparably aligned with leather. Worn over jeans, leather jackets are part of his day to day uniform – whether in white, black, tailored, fringed, tuxedo-esque or battered...
"I bought my first leather jacket in the 70s. It was from a vintage store in Copenhagen – brown with a shearling collar. The original jacket was kind of hip length and I thought it would be ten times cooler if I shortened it and added a rib, making it into a bomber. I just wanted more attitude. I asked my mom to help me fix it and I began to wear it all the time. I want my leather jackets to feel like I can sleep in them. I even wear them on the beach. I've always worn a leather jacket since then. The white leather jacket has always been with me. I remember driving through Europe on a chopper wearing a white, fringed, deerskin jacket.
"To me, leather jackets symbolise something intellectual, like someone who is prepared to stand up and speak their thoughts"
There’s just something about the attitude of leather, especially women in leather jackets. It communicates a certain strong attitude, whether it's a biker jacket or a pilot bomber, with jeans or over a dress. It somehow shows her strength. Leather jackets tend to have an attitude of anti-establishment. It is often considered an anarchistic garment and an expression of freedom. Yet to me, it also symbolizes something intellectual, like someone who is prepared to stand up and speak their thoughts."
Johan Lindeberg is inseparably aligned with leather. Worn over jeans, leather jackets are part of his day to day uniform – whether in white, black, tailored, fringed, tuxedo-esque or battered – and it is this affiliation that has informed all his collections for BLK DNM. And S/S13 is no different, with a range of leather jackets forming a core part of his womenswear line, shown here in images shot by Johan himself, worn by the likes of Sara Blomquist and Caroline de Maigret, women who evoke the insouciant strength and attitude of the line.
BLK DNM eludes easy definition, incorporating timeless pieces that evolve with the seasons. With the brand, Lindeberg is creating fashion that defines his own personal style and sartorial obsessions; refashioning smart versatile dressing with fabrics that are traditionally reserved for the casual element of the wardrobe, with impeccably sharp tailoring, reinventing them for the smartest of occasions.
Text by Tish Wrigley
