The Documentary And A Dream for SS10

J. Lindeberg's 'The Documentary And A Dream' for SS10 tests the legs of my coffee table.

Back in November you might recall that my postman summoned all of his might to deliver an inspiring item of mail from the good folks at J. Lindeberg. Inside the huge parcel I discovered the fruit of the Scandinavian brands first foray in to a large format biannual book for Aw09. The generous large format book evolved from J. Lindeberg's desire to tell the complete story of what they do and why they do it. Thankfully the debut issue received overwhelmingly positive feedback and considering how much fun they had creating it, they soon initiated a follow up. Towards the end of last month my postman had to once again struggle with the sophomore publication and I just had to share its contents with you before my coffee table buckled under its weight...

Now that is what I call large format. It dwarfs my little table.

The story it weaves is one that expands way beyond the realms of the standard look book and runway views we are all accustomed to seeing. Throughout the book you are treated to inspiring art works, collages, interviews and an array of wonderful imagery. It is more akin to an issue of Acne Paper rather than your usual look book. It is a publication which weaves together people, imagery, history, newness and takes great pleasure in information exchange and learning. It offers a glimpse in to the inner workings of the industry and the inspirations behind it all, while of course showcasing their SS10 offering. The Biannual's house photographer and Artistic Director Jorgen Ringstrad went to Montauk with the latest collection and met up with a few local surfers. The main theme of exploration in the sophomore issue is J. Lindeberg's Nordic heritage. You can after all leave everything behind but can never really escape your origin and it is great to see J. Lindeberg embrace it and explore how it has shaped the brand. They have come along way but their journey has only just begun and through this publication they invite the reader to tag along. Christopher Kutner has photographed 'The Definite Goodbye', inspired by the Scandinavian emigration to the US at the beginning of the last century. Johan Renck has created a handful of beatiful still life pictures of Nordic twigs that almost appear figure like at first glance. There are also contributions from Swedish artists Andreas Nilsson and Ulf Rollof as well as the Danish poet Inger Christensen. Below is a selection of my favourite pages...

Capturing the Nordic Spirit with the help of artist Andreas Nilsson

The iconic German-American fashion photographer known as Horst P. Horst is one of the most influential and memorable of the mid-tentieth century.

The Definite Goodbye photographed by Christophe Hunter.

Golfer Camilo Villegas as photographed by Jorgen Ringstrand.

Twigs photographed by Johan Renck

Tony Caramanico's collages accompany the Montauk Surfers editorial.

The Montauk Surfers as captured by Jorgen Ringstands.

One of the most inspiring selection of images I've seen in some time. Deconstructed by Johan Sandberg.

This Scandinavian brand is well-known for the quality of its garments and for its unique philosophy but it is truly interesting to see it evolve in this way. I just wish more brands pushed themselves to offer more than the usual press materials which circulate after a collection. If you don't think your table can handle such a book do not despair, the whole thing is available to flick through online here.