What happens when two fashion worlds collide? You get a collab like Cecilie Bahnsen x Alpha Industries.
The new release from the two brands manifests as a blend of each of their aesthetics: nylon bomber jackets with a feminine Cecilie Bahnsen touch. We sat down with designer Cecilie Bahnsen to talk about her collaboration with Alpha Industries, finding out what the inspiration was behind it.
What about Alpha Industries do you think drew you to want to do this collaboration?
“One of my friends always wore this Alpha Industries bomber over her poofy skirt, and I just thought the layering was super cool. I get this everyday vibe, and I like this kind of nylon against the feminine softness. That was my initial inspiration going into it. There’s [also] this kind of curiosity for these staples, these icons [of a brand]. I think pretty much every brand has a bomber jacket in their collection, but Alpha to me is like the original bomber jacket. So, to get to work with them I’m redefining what is the perfect bomber jacket and how you can take the coats and make them super feminine and I saw a lot of inspiration in that.”
Specifically, what are similar values yourself and Alpha Industries share?
“I think collaborations really work when [each of your] aesthetics are quite different, as you get to surprise [people]. [Cecilie Bahnsen and Alpha Industries] are really similar in this kind of timeless approach, and our idea of creating pieces that you [wear forever]. I have a bomber jacket that I wore as a teenager that I still wear and I love it for the way it’s all so worn out. I think this kind of timelessness, but also updating and reworking and refining, we have in common. I also really love the kind of contrast [between] the technical nylon [of Alpha Industries] with the really feminine [aesthetic of Cecilie Bahnsen].”
The collection notes describe it as a combination of utilitarian heritage and poetic femininity. Where did you get your inspiration from for your part in collaboration, and what was it like bringing your brand’s iconic aesthetic to Alpha Industries’ silhouettes?
“I think it was very much about enhancing the details that were already there, maybe making them more voluminous or more sculptural or more feminine. Alpha Industries is very well-known for this orange quilt that they have inside their bomber jackets, and we have a lot of quilting in [Cecilie Bahsen’s] collections so it was kind of about moulding [them together]. I really liked this idea that the lining popped out, so when I saw these sculptural hoods that [Alpha Industries] did that you can kind of zip open and then you get this feminine pop. The patches as well – there’s a lot of history in all of [Alpha Industries’] patches – but [I thought about] how you could work with the flower motif. I found this vintage gardening book that I was obsessed with where the flowers were popping out of the frame and wanted to have the flowers popping out of the patches [on the jacket].”
There are so many small details in this collection that contribute to the “poetic femininity” of Cecilie Bahnsen, like the inner linings and zips, that people might not immediately notice. Why are these small details so important?
“For me, when I wear something or when I [picture] the woman who wears our collections, I like [to imagine] that they keep exploring inside the pieces, and that these trinkets are for you to discover and enjoy. We had a lot of dresses in the beginning of the brand which would only open in the back and I think it was this kind of sensuality that is for you. It is really [about] designing something for the wearer to enjoy. Of course, you want to look beautiful in it, but you also want to feel like you have this [piece] that is designed for you and for you to appreciate these [small] details. You might appreciate the outside first, but then as you wear it, you find more things you love about it.”
You might’ve heard about the 2016 revival occurring in 2026, and bomber jackets were a huge staple of 2016 fashion. Were you a bomber jacket wearer back then?
“That’s what is kind of incredible about the bomber jacket, because it goes through different eras. I think I’m probably even a little bit further back [than 2016], like, I remember the first bomber jacket I got as a teenager. It was both a high fashion icon, but it’s also this accessible piece, like a kind of place in that intersection between the two. When you look at 2016 [fashion], for me, that was more like when the bomber jacket also had big logos and loads of patches and like that kind of vibe. It was this object for coming of age or finding your attitude as a teenager – putting it on you just felt that little bit cooler going to a party. I think it has that attitude to it that I think is super interesting against this sense of femininity.”
Where would you imagine someone wearing the collection?
“I think, because my friend that I [mentioned earlier] who inspired the jacket is from Tokyo and I saw her wearing it there, it’s got a real kind of Japanese feel to it. I could really see it being worn in Tokyo. But I do think it has a language that can be translated in so many ways and worn very individually.”
What advice would you give to emerging designers who are inspired by your work?
“Once you know your style or what you love to create, then just set out completing that and keep going. Eventually with time, it will work. Like these jackets I think are a good example of that. It takes a lot of time and love to show [people] what you’re about, but you just have to really keep going and be passionate about it. It might take time, but it will happen.”
