Surrounded by a few unclaimed suitcases and a sizable crowd, a live saxophonist puffs a long, drawn-out note into her instrument. It’s magnetic, a little unsettling even. To that languid dance of notes, the first model steps down and around a snaking runway — a makeshift security lane created with retractable belt stanchions. She’s wearing a black mini skirt, a white shirt and above-the-knee leg warmers. 

But it’s not just any mini skirt; it’s a clever little number with a waistband for a hemline, an open fly forming a small slit. And it’s not just any white shirt; it’s a blouse with boat neckline that’s quite literally taken to new heights. Oh, and those chunky leg warmers? They’re seemingly made out of a Samsonite bag, with zippers running up, down, and sideways along the model’s legs.

Then, the next “traveler” meanders down the runway in a floor-length gown made entirely out of suit sleeves, wrapped and tied to show slivers of skin. As more models appear on the runway, they organize themselves into a queue for a make-believe security checkpoint. There’s collective annoyance on their faces as they wait together, shifting from one foot to another and throwing their heads back in boredom.

Dubbed “High Haste / Bricolages,” Danish brand Bonnetje’s spring-summer collection examines the act of getting dressed while in transit. “[It’s about] how you dress when you have to get out of the door rushed, and how different types of people are acting in waiting or on their way, or in the bus or in waiting queues, in the airport area, or in the metro,” Anna Myntekær, who co-founded the brand with Yoko Maja Hansen, tells me during an interview after the presentation. 

After graduating together from Gerrit Rietveld Academie in Amsterdam and cutting their teeth at influential brands — Yoko at Maison Margiela, and Anna at Cecilie Bahnsen — the two friends decided to create their own brand. “It wasn’t clear to us in the beginning,” Anna tells me. “We just tried a lot of things, did a lot of mockups, and did a lot of ugly things, too. I think we just had to get a lot out. We’d both been working with fashion houses, and I think we just had a lot of ideas.” 

During that creative process, one article of clothing offered itself up as inspiration: the time-tested, humble suit. The duo began studying it in its entirety — from skin to innards. All its layers and all its linings. All its stitching, vents, and pockets. And then they began manipulating it into new silhouettes. “I think it just really made sense,” Anna says. “It really connected us.” One day, while filtering through cast-off apparel, they found something in the pocket of an old suit: a drycleaning receipt — or “bonnetje” in Dutch. The rest was history.

Today, we see a very developed and sophisticated offering from the three-year-old brand. The designers tear apart trousers at the seams, refashioning them into asymmetrical skirts. Blazer sleeves are twisted and manipulated into crop tops. Sometimes, Anna tells me, these ideas happen naturally by breaking up the garment and reconfiguring it. Sometimes, the Bonnetje team uses graphics software to cut and rearrange pieces into new inventions. Other times, one idea spirals into something completely different. The process is very much raw and organic. “I think that’s also the fun of it,” Anna says. 

Jacket linings explode into silk dresses, the inner pockets and their original labels kept intact. The double-ended dress can be worn from either side, with straps and a zipper mirrored like a court card at the hemline. Waistbands are transformed into necklines of dainty, sheer dresses, and several blazer patterns are patched together into a gown, adorned with flapped pockets and buttons. I love that several of Bonnetje’s pieces still bear the original garment’s label. “In the beginning, we were doubting whether we should do it,” Anna says. “But for now, we do it, and we also think that it’s cool [that the garment] had a life.” 

A sharply tailored blazer fastens with a silver drawbolt salvaged from a suitcase — a quiet nod to the theme. On the back, a suitcase handle makes for a funky-but-cool attachment to the collar. And speaking of outerwear, one coat features a multi-paneled construction made from an upcycled suit and deadstock fabric. But of course, it’s impossible not to talk about the look that steals the moment — a cocoon coat with suiting fabric sewn in clusters for a dramatic effect, like feathers or fur. “When cutting up and making markups, we got a lot of waste and scraps from the suits,” Anna says. “I think we both really liked the idea of making this fur — even though it’s a summer collection.”

What I loved most

In viewing this collection, one thing is immediately clear: Bonnetje is about more than “upcycling.” It’s about revering a garment’s past life. It’s about re-envisioning it into new silhouettes that resist easy characterization. In an industry where every idea has been played out (and perhaps even replayed), the brand brings something new to the table. In other words, Anna and Yoko might be loyal to a single garment, but in their hands, the possibilities of what they can do with it are endless.