With a shift from Australian to American production, Mjolks Australian roots are still ever present with 60% of their current production still on our shores.

At the beginning of the design period for this collection, Mjölk moved permanently into a new studio in the Chinatown section of Manhattan. As designer Lars Stoten rode his bike up the East River to the studio every morning, he was faced on one side with the majesty of the East River, and on the other with the grit and pungency of New York City in the summertime. The space occupied while designing is essential to concept development for the Mjölk collections, and this season it is the clash of generations and cultures, the dichotomies of old and new, the smells, colors, and textures, the beauty and adness of downtown Manhattan and its history, that show through in the range. These sensory observations led to intensive, eclectic conceptual research. The history of industrial New York and Coney Island, Depression-era photography, aerial views of farmland, stained glass windows, and contemporary art all inspired the balanced and distinctive range of colors and shapes this season.

Palette, proportion, and sense of line further dictate the theme and personality of the range. An exercise in color theory and the art of design, the Mjölk Spring/Summer 2011 collection draws from the mechanics and history of visual art, focusing on relationships between colors and shapes, and the affect these manipulations have on the viewer. Bold primary colors give way to subtle secondary and tertiary shades of green, burgundy, soft brown, and warm grey, allowing magnanimously disjointed looks to come together in chromatic harmony when the collection is viewed as a whole. Carefully calculated
combinations and distributions of hues, patterns, and textures pay homage to aesthetics and the visual sense, creating a spirit of subtle affability, visual coherence, and focused artistry throughout the line.

In Mjölk’s ongoing commitment to craftsmanship, the collection features hand-finished leather detailing, antique leather buttons, hand-knitted lambswool, Liberty prints, tailored garments in Japanese cotton, and rain macs developed with a family-run company in Boston who has specialized in coats for area fishermen for generations. The spring line also features hand-cobbled Italian shoes, and a full series of leather goods. One of New York City’s only remaining belt-makers hand-crafted this season’s belts using leather also sourced in Manhattan and buckles forged in Rhode Island. Location, palette, and craft converge in one of Mjölk’s most distinctive collections.