A coat does not begin with cloth.

It begins with a pattern –
and with the decision to test it.

I drafted the coat first.
Not to finalize anything, but to see what it might become.

From there, I cut a toile in coarse cotton.
Every line marked clearly.
Every proportion left visible.

The toile is not made to impress.
It is made to answer questions.

The sleeves are assembled early.
They carry more information than they appear to.

There is always a moment where the structure starts to reveal itself –
not as a finished form, but as resistance, tension, imbalance.

That is where the work actually begins.

I write as I go.
Not instructions, but observations.

What moves.
What holds.
What needs to be left alone.

The collar is built in reverse of tradition here.
A small shift, but enough to change how the coat behaves.

The body follows –
panels joined, balance adjusted, shoulders eased into place.

Nothing is fixed yet.

Everything is still negotiable.

Before the real cloth is cut,
the coat has to pass through this stage –
where it is allowed to be uncertain.

That is part of the process.

And part of the point.

Diving into a world where creativity intertwines with the essence of our planet. In this realm, the art of tailoring goes beyond the fabric – it’s about transforming inspiration drawn from the soil beneath our feet and the energy that fuels our days. Each stitch is a story, a blend of tradition and innovation, crafting not just garments but expressions of our journey.

I love cutting new items! It’s like being a creative visionary every time! Adjusting and planning according to the fabric. And seeing the finished product in front of me already before it being done. That’s so much me! I don’t need computer programs for that – I just use my brain and my vision. Practical? Yes, indeed. I’m cutting a creative vision.

When I create new designs, pattern-making is just such an important step to me. It’s like the architecture of clothing! You can either use draping, pattern-drafting (a mathematical construction) or simply a mix of both.

Most design projects needs a colour chart to create a final coherent-looking expression. It also makes combination possibilities so much easier in the long run. So that’s why we also make those – to help ourselves stay focused!

This is our bid for the new spring 2020 collection! What do you think? Do you like them? Let us know.

First outfit in the new Systems Breaking Down 2020 spring collection. The process has started! Let’s make this!

• Coat

• Jacket / blazer (suit)
• Denim jacket
• White tie jacket
• Black tie coat

• Waistcoat (suit)

• Trousers (suit)
• Black/white tie trousers
• Jeans
• Chinos
• Shorts
• Track pants

• Shirt
• Bowling shirt

• T-Shirt
• Turtleneck
• Tank-top
• Singlet
• Sweatshirt
• Fleece
• Hoodie

• Briefs
• Boxers
• Bathing trunks

• Skirt
• Dress
• Corset
• Top

• Sports gear
• Hunting gear
• Wedding outfit
• Uniform
• Masquerade, club attire, costumes

• Socks
• Scarves
• Hat, hoodie, beanie

It was a long list – and even a rather not impassioned one too, by the look of it. It seemed just a tad boring, and even maybe a bit uninspiring. “I think I probably have some group and un-grouping to do with the items in this list, and maybe post them together in styles and whole outfits instead.”

He new that many looked upon garments, and craft, with more emotions than practical sense. To get someone’s attention – anyone at all, really – you had to be more fantastical. Starting with your average over-the-top items, and then work yourself down to the things that probably would be the most worn, and thereby your most valuable garments. (Valued achieved, according to days used that is.)

“So let’s do this!” He started writing again. At the top he wrote ‘Bespoke 3-piece Suit’.

He knew this would be a long night, but he just kept on, until he felt he got it right.

He wasn’t a quick writer. Not by far. Every word he wrote was taped with caution while he continuously worried about misspellings and ununderstandable terms. To be a self-employed tailor for 30 years, didn’t necessarily make you a good writer! But he needed to do this – he felt it was important.

As the hours went by, he tried to elaborate on that very first note he had written the other day. The first installment in that list was ‘Making’. Another, further down, was ‘Type Of Garments’. “If I start with these two easier ones, maybe the rest will come more naturally…?” That was what he hoped for, and that was, what he was trying to accomplish.

“I rather get some main areas written down first…” He had already made a list of type of garments he produced for customers, at least those that came into mind – the most distinct and recent ones. And now he was working on the more complex area of the whole tailoring experience – the actual making.

“But, with the vast possibilities in ways of making a garment… How do I know which combination that will be the most resourceful one to choose?” This was such a classic question within the tailoring community. The everlasting search for the most true of tailoring methods. How to do it correct! And even after the recent large addition of many external self-acclaimed bespoke experts, that had been thrown into the mix – criticising every stitch made and every garment cut, but from a customer’s perspective – things had not become any less complicated.

The problem with all of this was of course that bespoke garments were ment to be extremely personal, and individually made, catering to a certain specific person’s needs, both work-wise and privately, even including deeply personal movement and wear behaviour. And that ment of course, that everybody had their very own different ideas on what a correct garment for them should be! Even hailing their own or others opinions, as bonafide truths.

Frome a tailor’s point of view, on the other hand, it was more of a standardization thing. How could you differ a hidden good quality inner structure from a lesser one? By setting some standards of course. But how could you then explain these standards – very complex routines and choises – for someone who’s not knowing anything about it? Most likely by simplifying it.

And there it was. A power struggle between overly simplified descriptions (of technique and routine), and an ever changing opinion crowd – of some even not being customers, just mere opinion-makers. A certain segment wanted it stiff and neat, others wanted it soft and casual. And even some, just wanted to stay in the process not ending with a finished garment at all.

“I think I maybe just have to trust my own knowledge and experience in this area, and present just that, flat out.” he thought for himself. “And then add my own inner criticism!” He laughed. Well, that was the easiest part of it all! He had lots of that – inner struggling criticism. “So there it is!” he decided. And then continued his writing.

Next to Town Hall Square, was yet another much smaller square, which was called Rainbow Square. They had planted cherry trees there that blossomed shortly each summer. “It’s really amazing how much space and room it’s in here, while still being so very central…” he thought. From this large open area the street where he had his studio started out. The street was a narrow and short one – just about 120 m long – and was called Lavender Street since monks used to plant lavender there in the olden days. And on each side of the street there was a tall structure locking it in. To the right The Castle’s imposing courtyard entrance, and to the left Town Hall’s bell tower that continuously kept track on time with its big clock.

Every morning he passed through The Castle Courtyard on the way to work, and then greeted The Bell Tower before stopping right there in the middle of the street, turned left and headed into the building where his tailoring shop was situated. And almost every evening, he went the opposite way, saying goodnight to The Bell Tower before heading back home over the same courtyard. Unless it was in the middle of the night – then he took another way around instead. The large courtyard could be very dark and intimidating, badly lit as it was.

“A picture on me hand-washing…! Let’s try that!” As usual he was already set to make one of his updates for a customer of his and his many bespoke shirts, so why not use that as a test image…? “This is such a great idea!”

He did that a lot, hand-washed for customers. But only garments he had made for them of course. He did it to ensure that the garments had the best environment possible out there in the ‘real’ world, constantly treated with respect. He called it updates to stress that it wasn’t just about getting garments cleaned and pressed – they were also looked after, overviewed for wear and tear, there was mending, altering and also a collecting of information for the customers’ further garments to be made.

“Let’s do this!”

After waiting the usual amount of time you should with the old system Polaroid pictures, he quickly ripped off the front and… well…

Disappointment.

“It must be an old film then… Let’s see if we can find another one…” The picture was all bleached out. Didn’t look great at all.

Of course, an instant success wasn’t all that easy to obtain. He went looking for an unopened package of film, if there ever was one. And yes – there were actually a few of them! Again, he was lucky! “Let’s try again…!”

“Okay. Slightly better…!” The hand looked awful – unnatural and old. And the colours were off. And strangely enough, the framing of what he wanted to get into the picture was hopelessly difficult to get. “I guess this is what you get with instant cameras… They’re quick, but art it is not!” He quickly decided to take another one – just to be sure.

“I guess I just have to practice as I go along…” He felt that well-known creeping feeling of failure coming on. He knew it all to well from his tailoring trade where extreme passions rode high, but time, money and overall boundaries for working hours were seldom and far, and few, in-between.

He was determined though, to not let this set him back in any way. Okay, the pictures were not great – even he could see that. But he had to remember that that was not the main focus here. He knew all along that this project would be difficult, but the goal was to share knowledge and thoughts! That was important to keep in mind. Not to be the best in image-maker ever. Because that, he knew, he would never be.

As the hours went by, and he continued to work on his suits, he sometimes and in-between looked at his Polaroids. After a while he actually started to like them…! They had a certain very dreamlike feeling over them, as if they captured a time long since passed.