Freya Dalsjø — Basket, Match Seat
ABOUT THE PROJECT:
Basket and Match Seat by fashion designer Freya Dalsjø explore the combination of modern and traditional construction practices to create functional forms from thin leather string. Inspired by traditional woven basket making techniques, Dalsjø has utilised laser cutting to create a series of long and thin leather strands, meticulously hand-painting edges and sewing together individual strands to create forms that are structured yet allow the natural qualities of the leather to bring shape and dimension into each piece. While Basket remains simple and unadorned – with thin, concealed mahogany support structures giving way to a flowing and sculptural base, Match Seat features additional leather strings sewn into its form that provide depth, tactile movement and a soft cushioning to the seating object.
PROJECT QUOTE:
“I hope people will be drawn to the techniques I have created; the fine leather strings sewn into perfect grids, draped to create Basket – and the tactile qualities of Match Seat.”
Material and dimensions:
Basket.
Leather, Mahogany.
65 x 65 x 75cm.
Match Seat.
Leather.
150 x 30cm.
Year:
2026
PHOTOGRAPHY BY:
Benjamin Lund
LONG DESCRIPTION:
No one garment within Freya Dalsjø’s body of work stands alone, with each piece forming part of a continuous dialogue with past, present and future influences, inspirations and techniques. This is also true in the case of Basket and Match Seat. While the functional typology of the two works sit as distinct within the fashion designers catalogue of works, the techniques and forms can be traced back to her runway collections. The exaggerated open warp and weft of Basket stems from earlier studies into textural tops – with a structured upper construction and a flowing base, much like the final form of Basket. So to with Match Seat – its added texture stemming from earlier works; full length dresses and skirts that accentuate movement and shape when draped over the human form. Within this new context, the ability of the human body to provide three-dimensionality to the works has been removed, replaced with slender timber supports in the case of Basket, and Match Seat shifting its orientation and relationship to the surrounding environment through the act of seating. Even within these shifts in context and function, Daljø retains the visual expression of her garments within objects designed for daily use within the home.
DESIGNER BIO:
Freya Dalsjø.
Fashion designer, born 1989.
The work of Danish fashion designer Freya Dalsjø is built on a foundation of knowledge and intimacy. Working alongside her mother and a small and dedicated team, Dalsjø’s studio is located a stones-throw from her home in Copenhagen’s Nørrebro district, where work and life meld and intertwine. This same sense of intimacy can also be seen in how Dalsjø works with materials and fabrics, with intuition and intrigue in new materials giving way to rigorous research and testing to find the boundaries and limits of a given material. Through a fierce commitment to working with natural fibres, Dalsjø has built-up a wardrobe of textile garments over the past decade – from ready-to-wear pieces that focus on the practicalities of daily life, to conceptual works that explore craft, shape and a fabrics technical capabilities. The studios scale allows a hands-on intimacy with each step of a garments creation, with a finished piece seen as single step within an ongoing journey towards building knowledge and visual language. This commitment is perhaps best represented by her work with silk duchesse – with the designer cutting, weaving and fraying the natural fabric in a myriad of ways since her labels foundation.
EDUCATION:
2010: BA, Fashion, The Royal Danish Academy, Copenhagen, Denmark.
GRANTS & HONOURS:
2021: Opening, Freay Dalsjø Concept Store, Copenhagen, Denmark.
2021: Working Grant, National Banks Anniversary Foundation, Denmark.
2018: Three Year Working Grant, Danish Arts Foundation, Denmark.
2015: Nominated, Woolmark Prize, International.
2015: Designer of the Year, Elle Awards, Denmark.
2013: Sølvtråden Prize, Denmark.
EXHIBITIONS:
2026: Fashion Show, Copenhagen Fashion Week, Copenhagen, Denmark.
2026: Fashion Show, WWD Select, Suhe House, Shanghai Fashion Week, Shanghai, China.
2025: Fashion Show, Paris Fashion Week, Paris, France.
2025: Fashion Show, WWD Select, Palazzo Giureconsulti, Milan Fashion Week, Milan, Italy.
2025: Fashion Show, Nikolaj Art Gallery, Copenhagen Fashion Week, Copenhagen, Denmark.
2024: Fashion Show, Paris Fashion Week, Paris, France.
2022: Group Exhibition, Tradition is Contemporary, Danish Ministry of Culture, National Craft Museum, New Delhi, India.
2020: Fashion Show, Freay Dalsjø Concept Store, Copenhagen, Denmark.
2019: Fashion Show, Nordvest Library, Copenhagen Fashion Week, Copenhagen, Denmark.
2018: Fashion Show, Nørrebrohallen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
2018: Fashion Show, Copenhagen Contemporary, Copenhagen, Denmark.
2017: Fashion Show, Hotel D’Angleterre, Copenhagen, Denmark.
2017: Fashion Show, VR360, Copenhagen Fashion Week, Copenhagen, Denmark.
2016: Fashion Show, Copenhagen’s Town Hall, Copenhagen, Denmark.
2016: Group Show, Mindcraft 16, Salone Del Mobile, Milan, Italy.
2016: Fashion Show, Børsen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
2015: Fashion Show, Cinema Hall, National Museum, Copenhagen, Denmark.
2015: Group Exhibition, Danish Fashion Now, Brandts, Odense, Denmark.
2015: Fashion Show, DGI Byen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
2014: Group Exhibition, Fur: An Issue of Life and Death, National Museum, Copenhagen, Denmark.
2014: Fashion Show, Copenhagen’s Town Hall, Copenhagen, Denmark.
2013: Fashion Show, Copenhagen’s Town Hall, Copenhagen, Denmark.
2012: Fashion Show, Tap 1, Åbner Copenhagen Fashion Week, Copenhagen, Denmark.
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