A British fashion brand inspired by artists, drivers and butchers. Wayne Sorensen began working on SØRENSEN in 2015 and was inspired by the work ethic of archetypal professions.

What have been the main contributors to your brand’s success?

I found myself surrounded by an amazing group of individuals who are all experts in their own fields (and certainly in areas that I’m not proficient in) that were all offering me their support. For me SØRENSEN is attributable to them. I just saw my role as bringing all these wonderful people and their expertise together.

At what point did the idea turn from concept to reality?

It was this gentle segue. I’d taken something of a sabbatical when I left Orlebar Brown which allowed for this wonderful period for the concept to be explored and developed properly. There was one day though where I looked at the calendar and said; “okay, we’re launching on 11-May 2016 – let’s go”.

How important have your site and pop up units been to the success of SØRENSEN?

I love to think about when a customer connects with a certain piece from the collection and in that moment feels better about themselves and the world around them – that is why the brand exists. Having a space that facilitates that moment, as a store does, is incredibly important.

Where do you feel the fashion industry is heading?

To observe fashion is to observe what’s happening in society. To say we’re living in uncertainty and change is an understatement but that’s an incredible honour to be a part of too. We’re questioning everything. We’re throwing out the rulebooks – and that’s happening in the industry too. No one knows how it’s all going to shake down but I do feel there’s going to be a call for more integrity with how we produce and what we consume.

In what ways do you think that menswear has changed and is changing?

You look back at photographs of our fathers and grandfathers and how sharply turned out they were. Over the last three or so decades that confidence in our dress has deteriorated. Thankfully there is a gradual turn in that tide and the rise in menswear and grooming is well documented.

Your website focuses on six main types of male ‘groups’, what led you to implement this and why?

SØRENSEN is based on an observation that most men (and a lot of women too) have little inclination towards fashion and trends per se, yet they still want to know that they look good. The relentless hype and hard sell involved in the fashion industry means there’s been a slow deterioration of confidence in people’s ability to identify their own sense of style, their own personal uniform as it were. “To rebuild that confidence, to create the idea of an, ‘archetypal framework’ of pieces rooted in specific values and virtues drove me to develop SØRENSEN”.

www.studiosorensen.com

Ramy Riad (Sentram) acts on behalf of SØRENSEN