Anne Sofie Madsen

Anne Sofie Madsen (born 2 February 1979)[1] is a Danish illustrator and avant-garde fashion designer who grew up on the island of Funen. She first developed her talents as an illustrator and animator, and later turned to fashion, graduating from the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, School of Design, also known as the Danish Design School.[2][3] After training with John Galliano in Paris and Alexander McQueen in London,[2] she established her own fashion label in 2011 and presented her first collection at London Fashion Week the following year.[4][5]

Early life and education

Madsen was brought up in Ringe in central Funen where she completed her school education.[2] Although she showed an early interest in fashion after seeing a collection designed by Jean Paul Gaultier in one of her mother's magazines,[6] on matriculating from high school, she first attended art college where she trained to become an illustrator.[2] Thereafter, she contributed illustrations to magazines and children's books and joined an animation class at the National Film School of Denmark as a guest student.[2] In 2002, she went on to study at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, intending to develop her skills in animation and storyboarding. It was not until her final year that she decided to specialize in fashion, earning a bachelor's degree from the Academy's Design School in 2005.[2][7]

In 2006, Madsen received practical training in Paris where she deepened her understanding of materials while at Peclers, a trend-setting agency.[8] Still in Paris, she then spent a few months as an intern with John Galliano who was then Dior's head designer. In May 2007, she returned to Denmark to study for a master's degree at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts School of Design.[2][9]

Fashion career

Before finishing her master's degree, Madsen was offered a job as a junior designer with the London-based designer Alexander McQueen.[2] She spent a year in London, then returned to Denmark.[2] She graduated from the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts with a master's degree in 2009,[10] and set about establishing her own business.

In August 2011, Madsen held her first fashion show during Copenhagen Fashion Week. By the end of 2012, she had not only built up a design team in Copenhagen but had opened stores in New York and Miami.[2] In 2014, she presented her first ready-to-wear fashions in Paris.[5] The same year, her collection was also presented in St. Petersburg, London and New York.[1] A review of Copenhagen Fashion Week 2014 in The Guardian wrote that: "Anne Sofie Madsen's cyberpunk girls helped define the fashion event."[11] In 2017, The Guardian wrote that inspiration could be found in the "models at Anne Sofie Madsen who layered several blankets into a dress".[12] She showed a spring 2017 collection in Tokyo and a 2018 ready to wear collection in Paris in autumn 2017.[13][14]

Madsen has described a variety of sources of inspiration for her designs, such as mythology and museums,[15] the Nike Air Force One shoe,[16] classic aliens with big eyes and long, thin necks,[16] the Miracle Strip Amusement Park in Miami, Florida, with its "vision of abandoned thrills and discarded pleasures",[10] Jesper Just's art film, Sirens of Chrome (2010),[17] and "contrasts and borders between the primitive and civilized, the exotic and classic, the barbaric and elegant, the futuristic and historical".[18] She combines soft, smooth and tough, hard materials in her designs,[10][17] and often uses digital prints of her own illustrations for the garments.[9][17][8]

By 2014, the Danish Design Museum had selected some of her creations for their permanent collection.[19]

In 2021 she collaborated with crochet artist Lulu Kaalund[20] to produce a limited edition of eleven handmade designs, using materials including leather, suede, cotton and wool.[21][22]

Awards

In spring 2012, Madsen won the Danish Designer of the Year award at the Danish Fashion Awards.[2] In October 2013, Madsen won the Dansk Design Talent award which was presented by then-Crown Princess Mary for the five fashion designs she had created for the Danish singer Oh Land.[23] In 2015, she won the DHL Exported award for the collections she was to show in Tokyo.[24][25]

Illustration

Madsen has illustrated graphic novels and books for young adult readers, including several books in a series of young adult horror, and the Squirrel People series set in the Stone Age. A reviewer has described Madsen's illustrations in the horror series as "strongly and atmospherically illustrated",[26] "very creepy",[27] and "part of the horror".[28]

Zoom on: Horror series:

• Frederiksen, Sara Ejersbo (2012). Zombiekatten. Madsen, Anne Sofie (Illustrator). Forum, Kbh. ISBN 9788763822312.
• Grønlund, Peter (2013). Hr. Wisborgs hemmelighed. Madsen, Anne Sofie (Illustrator). Forum, Kbh. ISBN 9788763826532.
• Skaarup, Sara (2011). Helvedes hund og andre gys. Madsen, Anne Sofie (Illustrator). Forum, Kbh. ISBN 9788763816458.
• Grønlund, Peter (2014). I skolens kælder. Madsen, Anne Sofie (Illustrator). Forum, Kbh. ISBN 9788763831635.

Squirrel People series:

• Jørgensen, Lars Holmgaard (2012). Egernfolket 1. Menneskejægere. Madsen, Anne Sofie (Illustrator). Høst & Søn. ISBN 978-87-638-2224-4.
• Jørgensen, Lars Holmgaard (2012). Egernfolket 2. Flugt over isen. Madsen, Anne Sofie (Illustrator). Høst & Søn. ISBN 978-87-638-2225-1.
• Jørgensen, Lars Holmgaard (2012). Egernfolket 3. Shamanens lærling. Madsen, Anne Sofie (Illustrator). Høst & Søn. ISBN 978-87-638-2500-9.
• Jørgensen, Lars Holmgaard (2013). Egernfolket 4. Ild og jord. Madsen, Anne Sofie (Illustrator). Høst & Søn. ISBN 978-87-638-2706-5.

Other:

• Grønbæk. Pors, Justine (2014). Støjende styring : genopfindelsen af folkeskolen mellem ledelse, organisering og læring. Madsen, Anne Sofie (Illustrator). Frederiksberg: Nyt fra Samfundsvidenskaberne. ISBN 9788776830472.

References

1. Wagner, Marc-Christoph (February 2013). "Anne Sofie Madsen: Fashion as a Cultural Clash". Louisiana channel. Retrieved 25 January 2018.
2. Ulrich, Lise (8 October 2012). "Anne Sofie Madsen: Dansk couture med et strejf af McQueen" (in Danish). Alt for Damerne. Retrieved 25 January 2018.
3. Mackinney.Valentin, Maria (13 June 2016). "Class of 2009: Anne Sofie Madsen". KADK. Archived from the original on 26 January 2018. Retrieved 25 January 2018.
4. Armitage, Helen (16 June 2015). "The 10 Best Danish Fashion Designers You Need To Know". CultureTrip. Retrieved 25 January 2018.
5. "Anne Sofie Madsen, Copenhagen". Not Just a Label. Retrieved 25 January 2018.
6. Bellini, Elisa Pervinca (20 September 2012). "Anne Sofie Madsen - SS [Spring/Summer] 2013". Vogue Italy. Archived from the original on 26 January 2018. Retrieved 10 January 2025.
7. Spotts, Natalia (7 January 2016). "Anne Sofie Madsen". The Last magazine. Retrieved 26 January 2018.
8. Udale, Jenny (2020). Textiles and Fashion: Exploring Printed Textiles, Knitwear, Embroidery, Menswear and Womenswear (2nd ed.). Bloomsbury Publishing. pp. 186–187. ISBN 9781350203389. Retrieved 17 January 2025. Originally published 2014
9. Clark, Patrick (13 January 2014). "Interview: Anne Sofie Madsen!". Schön.
10. Erica. "Fashion. Anne Sofie Madsen". SVA Magazine. Retrieved 13 January 2025.
11. Hellqvist, David (3 February 2014). "Copenhagen fashion week: six things we learned". The Guardian.
12. Ferrier, Morwenna (31 October 2017). "The good, the plaid but not ugly: how to wear autumnal checks". The Guardian.
13. Clarke, Ashley Ogawa (24 October 2016). "Anne Sofie Madsen Tokyo Spring 2017 Collection". Vogue. Retrieved 17 January 2025.
14. Templeton, Lily (2 October 2017). "Anne Sofie Madsen RTW Spring 2018". WWD. Retrieved 17 January 2025.
15. Christophersen, Sesilie (23 March 2012). "Anne Sofie Madsens designs er inspireret af mytologien". Berlingske. Retrieved 17 January 2025.
16. "Anne Sofie Madsen: Dansk couture med et strejf af McQueen". alt. (in Danish). Oct 8, 2012. Retrieved 17 January 2025.
17. Ariz, Estíbaliz (19 June 2013). "Anne Sofie Madsen: Dark Poetry". Metal Magazine. Retrieved 17 January 2025.
18. "The re-costruction style of Anne Sofie Madsen ss17". Zoe Magazine. Retrieved 17 January 2025.
19. Pedersen, Niels (30 November 2014). "Museum slår langt om længe et ridderslag for dansk mode" (in Danish). Politiken.
20. Macalister-Smith, Tilly (3 February 2021). "The Danish chef-turned-crochet designer you need to know now". wallpaper.com. Retrieved 17 January 2025.
21. Jensen, Sofie Ringtved (19 March 2021). "En ny design-duo, fremtidens tøj og et gyldent genbrugskoncept" [A new design duo, the clothes of the future and a golden recycling concept]. Fashion Forum (in Danish). Retrieved 17 January 2025.
22. Henneberg, Emma (23 March 2021). "Vi er vilde med dette nye designsamarbejde" [We are excited about this new design collaboration]. woman.dk (in Danish). Retrieved 17 January 2025.
23. Høg Daimar, Amira (4 October 2013). "Anne Sofie Madsen vinder Dansk Design Talent 2013" (in Danish). Soundvenue. Archived from the original on 27 January 2018. Retrieved 26 January 2018.
24. "DHL Exported 2015 - Anne Sofie Madsen". YouTube. February 2016. Retrieved 1 February 2016.
25. "Anne Sofie Madsen wins DHL Exported". REVOLVER. 10 February 2016. Archived from the original on 27 January 2018. Retrieved 26 January 2018.
26. Thagaard, Kirsten Thorning (2 March 2011). "Anmeldelser: Bibliotekernes vurdering (Reviews: Librarian's assessment)". Bibliotek.dk (in Danish). Retrieved 15 January 2025.
27. Thagaard, Kirsten Thorning (2 January 2013). "Anmeldelser: Bibliotekernes vurdering (Reviews: Librarian's assessment)". Bibliotek.dk (in Danish). Retrieved 15 January 2025.
28. Thagaard, Kirsten Thorning (20 December 2013). "Anmeldelser: Bibliotekernes vurdering (Reviews: Librarian's assessment)". Bibliotek.dk (in Danish). Retrieved 15 January 2025.