Ann Wiberg
Paris-based Danish designer Ann Wiberg and her partner, Roberto Henrichsen, are the masterminds behind Trash Couture. They create what’s been called “haute couture to go”, a beautiful bohemian mix of antique fabrics, feathers, gems and lace reincarnated into elegant gowns and bustiers as exotic art you walk away wearing. It’s also art worth collecting, as exhibited at the Joyce Gallery in Paris, the Shanghai and Beijing National Museum and featured in Hollywood Glamour-Iconic Fashion on Film at the FIT museum in New York City. Renown for staging alluring performance pieces in Paris nightclubs, Trash Couture’s future vintage, one-off creations have a cult following among celebs, such as Penelope Cruz, Kirsten Dunst, Kate Moss, Emma Thompson, Gwyneth Paltrow, Mary J Blige, Jodie-Jemma Kidd, Veruschka and Anne Hatheway in “The Devil Wears Prada”.
A different audience outside of Denmark
Unlike Camilla and Jens, Ann’s departure from Denmark had nothing to do with finding herself. It was more about finding her audience. The recipient of Denmark’s top fashion award, “The Golden Button”, Ann left Denmark to design one-of-a-kind couture pieces which sold to clients that include Arab princes and rock stars. This involved reinventing herself from a Danish mentality, which tends to be more practical, price-conscious and influenced by cold weather. “Danish women express their femininity in another way. They don’t grow up with men who lavish them. They are brought up to be tough, career-minded mothers and wives with pressures that don’t lend themselves to expensive indulgences,” notes Ann. Instead, she chose to design for global clients who are in the market for extravagance. “We’re not limited as to how many meters of material or the price,” says Ann, adding “They just want something amazing, which is very liberating.” Bearing these cultural differences in mind, the logical step was to take her one-off, ultra feminine ideas to the couture capital of the world, Paris.
One-off designs
This openness to extravagance was also shared with Roberto Henrichsen, former Anna Molinari designer and Creative Director at Missoni, who has been her partner since 2002. Together they were the first to bring “haute couture to go” to the retail market. “Otherwise you would have to call Galliano to make an appointment,” adds Ann. Their success has come from avid fans who discovered them via word of mouth alone. They are also free to create their unique, dreamy chic pieces whenever they like. Ann and Roberto make 700 – 900 one-off pieces a year by hand, without regard to catwalks, seasonal collections or trends. Since they don’t belong to a large fashion conglomeration, they are free to deliver a much more artistic product.
“The dresses make themselves and you become like a medium”
Their way of working is actually “a spontaneous creation – like a reincarnation”, claims Ann. As she explains it, “The dresses make themselves and you become like a medium making them. It’s very spiritual. Our role is more as a creator than a designer.” Each Trash Couture piece is an exquisite collage of textures, curves, rhythm and hues assembled from recycled couture pieces, antique fabrics, semi-precious stones, sequins, feathers, embroidery and lace, including materials they dye themselves. Hence the term “future vintage”.
In the case of Ann and Roberto, the blending of gender roles takes place in their way of working, not their designs. Of course, there’s a twist. Ann brings the more masculine elements, where Roberto brings the more feminine ones. Typically, she might start a piece, go to a meeting and come back to see a sumptuous addition from Roberto. And vice versa. “Roberto brings something I didn’t see, a certain energy. Or I bring something he didn’t imagine. It’s a free exchange of fantasy.” As a design duo, they are the perfect Ying & Yang.
Performance pieces in Paris nightclubs
Moving further outside the confines of convention, their interest lies in creating not just one-off designs, but also one-off experiences. Ann and Roberto are famous among party glitterati for hosting evening soirées at their Place des Vosges Paris atelier. And for their performance pieces in Paris nightclubs, where masked, Trash Couture-clad dancers and drummers perform live to ethnic music for exclusive, experiential events.
Trash Couture is also referred to as “wearable art”. Recent appearances include a showing at the Palais Royal Gallery in Paris, and at the Basil Art Fair in Miami, where Ann and Roberto were invited to display their work as part of a series on important designs from this century. Since the creation of Trash Couture involves recycling, several pieces have been auctioned for charity. For example, at the London Fashion Show last September, their gowns were donated to an auction benefiting S.O.S. Save Our Seas.
Next: An after-life collection
Ann sees recycled garments as having lived a previous life, so I was curious as to her ideas on a future collection. According to Ann, “When you leave from this world, it’s very important what you wear. Women have to make a choice. ‘I would love to give birth in this dress. To get married in that one. To die in that other one.’ Why not do an after-life collection?” It will probably be a sublime design destined to re-appear in another lifetime.
February 2007