STYLING
NEWHEART OHANIAN
PHOTOGRAPHY
KEVIN SINCLAIR
Christian Juul Nielsen, Creative Director at Aknvas.
“I wanted to create a brand with some couture vibes, yet still approachable with the price point. That’s how AKNVAS came to be.”
Camisole AKNVAS, wings ERICKSON BEAMON, hat DESIGUAL.
After working on his brand, AKNVAS, since 2019, designer Christian Juul Nielsen celebrated his first collection fashion show in New York in the Spring 2023 lineup. The Danish designer has a long list of accomplishments under his belt, having worked for some of the most influential fashion houses in the world, like Nina Ricci, Oscar de la Renta, and Christian Dior when Galliano was at the helm, and subsequently Raf Simons. Christian impressively works full-time as creative director at Hervé Léger and his brand Aknvas.
With Aknvas, Christian balances voluminous shapes and draping with modernity and novelty. The juxtaposition results in garments emanating surrealism, elegance, and sophistication, yet they are urban and wearable: an adaptable look perfect for the busy cosmopolitan individual that wants to stand out in different settings like their office and an evening cocktail party but doesn’t have time to rush back home to change.
Interview by MAGO
Mago __ You are the creative director of Hervé Léger, in addition to running your own brand Aknvas. Could you tell us about your background?
Christian Juul Nielsen __ I'm Danish and from a large family. I have two older sisters and two younger brothers. I grew up in Denmark, Copenhagen, and lived there for the first 18 years of my life. I did quite a few things when I was younger, for example, I was a fireman for a while.
Mago __ No way!
CJN __ Yes! [laughs] I was a fireman for about six months as part of my national service in Denmark. So, I sort of know how to put out fires.
Mago __ You’re perfect for the fashion industry! [laughs]
CJN __ That’s right! I've saved a lot of girls with corsets that were too tight and needed to be brought back to life! [laughs]
Mago __ You've held positions at design houses such as Christian Dior, Nina Ricci, and Oscar de la Renta. How did you build such an impressive resume?
CJN __ I moved to London in my twenties to study at the London College of Fashion and while I was there, I contacted the Galliano Studio in Paris to intern there. That landed me an interview. As a student, I didn’t have much money to fly around for interviews, so I bought a one-way ticket to Paris and hoped I would get the internship. And I did! I was supposed to stay there for a month, but I told them I wanted to work on Haute Couture, and they said, “Well, that's not until June.” And I was like, “Well, then I'll have to work here until June.” And so it happened; I interned for six months full-time while in school.
Mago __ Impressive. You dared to take risks and knew what you wanted at a young age. I remember that many years ago, one of my mentors told me to list ten people I wanted to meet, get in front of them and ask them for 15 minutes. I’ll never forget that. In the same spirit, in 2019, you created your brand Aknvas. Tell us more about that.
CJN __ Later in my career, I was employed by Galliano and did ready-to-wear and couture for eight years. When I was in America, I wanted to make a brand that people I knew could buy and wear. Because making dresses at $250,000 is very limited in terms of clientele. I wanted to create a brand with some couture vibes yet, still approachable with the price point. That’s how Aknvas came to be.
Dress AKNVAS.
“In terms of the brand's meaning, "AKNVAS" is pronounced as a person with a Danish accent, would pronounce “a canvas,” thus... AKNVAS.”
Tunic AKNVAS, boots GIVENCHY, harness AKOBI. ( (left) Trouser and vest AKNVAS, shirt PIERRE ANTONIO GASPARI.
Mago __ How does your design background influence your brand?
CJN __ When I started this journey in fashion, it was really important for me to reach out to the designers I respected, looked up to, and wanted to learn from. After interning at Galliano, I interned with Christian Lacroix, one of the designers I admired my entire life. Then I worked at Nina Ricci, where I learned about working with chiffon, delicate fabrics, and mixing laces. While working at Dior for Galliano, he never wanted me to sketch. Galliano always wanted me to drape. All my work was done on the mannequin, creating shapes and volumes with the fabrics. On the other hand, during the three years I worked for Raf Simons, we focused on sketching and researching. From Raf Simons, I learned how to create modernity, meaning how do you take a ball gown and make it modern? How do you work on a piece appropriate for a lady to wear to a cocktail but still make it look modern? He pushed that concept of modernity a lot onto us. Combining those two aspects, drapes from Galliano and modernity from Raf Simons, allowed me to create Aknvas.
Mago __ What does Aknvas mean to you? What are you trying to tell us with Aknvas?
Marissa wears: sweater AKNVAS (worn over) dress ANNIKA MARIA, necklace ERICKSON BEAMON, boots MAGDA BUTRYM, gloves STYLIST'S OWN. Youssouf wears: sweater AKNVAS, shirt and pants NAZARENE AMICTUS, boots QUE SHELBY.
CJN __ I'm trying to create a beautiful alternative for dressing men and women in America. I think you have more options in Europe, so I am trying to close that gap in the American market. In terms of the brand's meaning, Aknvas is pronounced as a person with a Danish accent, like myself, would pronounce “a canvas,” (Ah-Con-Vas) thus... Aknvas. The canvas is the starting point of my process. I am currently sitting in my studio, and as you can see behind me [points behind his back on the Zoom call], there are six blank canvases that I am ready to work on for the next collection.
Mago __Tell us about the process of how you fill in the canvases.
CJN __ You see here [points to a stack of papers] this is a pile of images for Pre-Fall and Fall. So I'm going to work on the next two collections simultaneously. All these images are getting edited; there are images you find on social and art galleries or technical ones like fabrics or knit samples. All this gets combed through, and each canvas gets a different story. You'll have fabrics on one canvas. Then I start building up dresses with tops, pants, and outerwear on another canvas. Finally, I’ll put up mood boards and photos of where I'm at with the collection’s concept.
Sweater AKNVAS (worn over) dress HALEIA.
Jacket and pants AKNVAS, bunny ears and necklace ERICKSON BEAMON.
Mago __ Do you find that your aesthetic design blends into other areas of your life?
CJN __ It definitively does. For example, my Paris apartment is very decorated with old photographs, art, statues, and books. I love going to Paris, pulling out all my books and artwork, and being inspired. On the other hand, my New York apartment is more minimalistic. New York is rich in opportunities; you are constantly bombarded with options, and you sift through a lot of information. I'm not saying that I get $5 million dollar
proposals daily [laughs]. I'm just saying that there are a lot of interactions; whether you walk through a department store or walk home. Do you want to come in and have a wine tasting? Do you want a free trip to the top of the tower if you buy this and that? Do you want to collaborate with this brand? Do you want people X and Y to come to your studio and buy directly from you? It’s exciting, but you have to learn to filter things. I think this is the reason my New York apartment is minimalistic. I created a simple place where I can simply rest, relax, and think.
Mago __ What does authenticity mean to you, and what makes your work authentic?
“I think authenticity is about deciding whether you want to lead or follow. […] What I try to do with Aknvas is doing something where all parts of the brand is authentic to what I like and what I believe in.”
Sweater AKNVAS.
Total look AKNVAS.
CJN __ I think authenticity is about deciding whether you want to lead or follow. I'm not saying that I'm leading the entire industry, but I certainly do things in my own way. What I try to do with Aknvas is create something where all parts of the brand are authentic to what I like and believe.
Mago __ What's your view on the current state of fashion?
CJN __ I think fashion is going through a period very focused on social media, how the clothes will look in pictures, and whether social media influencers want to wear them. This makes sense as fashion has to be relevant to the time and the culture we live in. Instagram and other social media are a huge part of society.
Mago __ What's the biggest challenge you are facing in your career?
CJN __ Time management. Starting up a new brand while working as creative director at Hervé Léger means working nonstop, and I am ready for change. It's not that I want to work less; I just want to work in another way. I want to work more out of Europe and be more in my own environment, either in Paris or Copenhagen, to ensure that I stay true to myself.
Dress AKNVAS
Mago __ As a designer, how do you balance being innovative yet still addressing the commercial aspect?
CJN __ I observe men and women when I go out and think of the people I surround myself with. When I design, I think a lot about situations, like when would somebody want to wear this? What is she wearing if she's going for lunch in Montauk? Or to a gala in New York City? Or, perhaps to a trip to Paris? Or, what would I wear myself?
Mago __ I was going to ask you about your shirt [laughs]. I love it! Did you make that?
CJN __ I didn't make this one. This is vintage. But I make my own menswear and I wear it a lot. Making clothes for myself teaches me what the brand is about and what I want to wear.
Mago __ There is a significant situational aspect to your designs, where do the ideas come from?
CJN __ I like to look at things in the past that are about the future. For example, I love sixties science fiction films based on the future, like Barbarella. I also like to draw ideas from the eighties and nineties, think of The Fifth Element. These films take place in the future, but they’re from the past. I find that fascinating. Fantasy is a significant component of my process. For example, this floor-length tulle gown that walked the runway [points to a beautiful black piece on a hanger behind him] part of it is entirely transparent, so you see straight into the body and around the legs, and part of it is covered in tulle, underneath it is worn with a sequin, embroidered slip dress. I enjoy playing with silhouettes, shapes, and volumes that I believe are interesting; then I start asking myself, how can I imagine a girl wearing this? How can I make this huge volume a bit sexy? How can I cut some of it to show some of the body?
Mago __ Well, congratulations on your runway show. It was truly an honor to meet you and get to know you. For my last question, what is next for Aknvas?
CJN __ Two weeks ago, what’s next was doing our first runway show. We just did that, and I would say it was a success. The next step is to be better represented in Europe. We have a good representation in Asia, the Middle East, and the U.S. It is also time to get the company more organized. It has been growing fast, and I have been doing it alone. It’s time to build a strong foundation that we can build on season after season.
Photography Kevin Sinclair, Stylist Newheart Z. Ohanian, Creative Director Wayne Jones,Interview Mago, Set and Prop Stylist Chloe Barcelou, Hair & Make-up Liam Dunn, Fashion Assistant Jack Ransom, Model Marisa Harbert (Fusion), Model Youssouf Bamba (DNA)