henrik vibskov ss27 | keep the moisture rising

Bea Vanhala.

Henrik Vibskov wants to talk about your feet. Your foot cream, to be specific. His Spring/Summer 2027 collection Keep the Moisture Rising’ is another titillating journey into his mind. “Since I was very young, around the age of five, I’ve been having quite a lot of dry skin, eczema,” says Vibskov. “So, I thought [about] that whole addiction to cream. Always, I need to go back if I forget it,” he admits. It was Vibskov’s “addiction” to his eczema cream which got him thinking about all the ways we use cream in our daily lives: ice cream, skin cream and foot cream were some of the things that came to mind. Yet, fearing that cream alone would be difficult to translate into a collection, he turned to the internet’s recent fascination with and sexualisation of feet. To add a bit of humour, he says.

Bea Vanhala.

Bea Vanhala.

The show began with performers sitting in slings underneath Vibskov’s Umbrico Spirals’ installation. The red and white parasols attendants utilised to massage and caress the performer’s feet. A reference to the endless panorama of feet one might see sticking out from umbrellas on the beach. For the collection, Vibskov used fabric textures to mimic cream applications: boiled wool represented uneven coverage, corsetted pieces represented whipped cream, layered cream-coloured knits represented melted ice cream. A fil-coupé weave arranged different creams – hand cream, coffee cream, toothpaste, milkshakes – into a still life composition; shirting carried words of affirmation, lifted from beauty packaging. Funny foot-themed prints and references taken from Vibskov’s doodles were featured throughout: footprints on silk scarves, for example, a clever poke at the old money bourgeoisie, and a reminder not to take fashion so seriously.

When asked where he continues to find his humour, Vibskov credits his own life. “Nowadays, it has to be very personal, what kind of themes [you choose]; also, with the time being [as it is], we shouldn’t harm anyone with culture. You have to look inwards,” he says.

Bea Vanhala.

Funny or not, Vibskov’s Umbrico Spirals and other works will soon become part of a self-titled retrospective at the Design Museum Danmark, from 18 September to 21 February 2027. The exhibition focuses on Vibskov’s legacy as one of Denmark’s creative visionaries and pioneers in fashion and art – featuring different works and experiences – from tiny models of installations to 44 display cases with objects, prototypes and works to large-scale installations that visitors can move through, but Vibskov is not a braggart, and when talking about the upcoming exhibition describes it as a display of “all the weird stuff in the basement coming out.”  

Much like when Vibskov started his career, he seems to always look to the future and continue to explore his passions. “It doesn’t matter about you know, money. It’s all about passion, so you like what you do, as long as you can survive. I think passion and lust must be the main power that you have to feel; it also keeps you going, or else it’s not fun,” he says.

A Henrik Vibskov show is nothing, if not fun. 

Discover the Spring/Summer 2027 collection here.

photography. courtesy of Bea Vanhala (backstage), James Cochrane (runway)
words. Malcolm Thomas