S.N.S. is using the words Trademark, Artisan, and Genesis to describe their collection, a nod to the fact that each piece includes a tag signed by its maker. Text by Pete Anderson Photos by Albert Thomas, unless otherwise attributed. I'm a bad salesman. When I'm selling something I don't like, it shows. I glance to the side, I waffle on details, I give canned answers. Dag of S.N.S. Herning is a good salesman, mostly because he gives an immediate impression that S.N.S. Herning makes a spine-crushingly great sweater and does it the right way. Unlike a few reps at the show who were reticent in dealing with "the press," Dag required no credentials from us before expounding, in Danish-accented English, on what S.N.S. Herning means.
Dag--not just David Alan Grier anymore. Literally, it means Søren Nielsen Skyt, who started knitting sweaters in Herning, Denmark, in 1931. The company has never faltered, and today is run by the grandson of the o.g. S.N.S. According to Dag, the deal with S.N.S. is that they aren't so much "designers," so much as producers, and their product is high-quality knits constructed in much the same way--on many of the same machines--since the 30s. (This despite the fact that S.N.S. was in part brought into the men's contemporary spotlight after being picked up by Dover Street Market, Rei Kawakubo's London store and a design tastemaker.) So the fall/winter 2010 collection at (capsule) was more of the same, in a good way. I had myself seen a lot of Herning pieces online, but the dimensional character of the knitting is much more evident in person.
The bubble knit on a cardigan and the interior tag stating "Garanteret ren Uld"--guaranteed all wool. 
Rack of dopest knits. 
S.N.S. rep demonstrating Danish nonchalance in re
collar styling. The overwhelming majority of S.N.S. knits are heavily textured. The "bubbles" pattern is a trademark of S.N.S., and serves to insulate today's wearer against closing-time-in-January cold just as it insulated Danish fisherman against North Sea weather. Most of the fabrics have a tight-knit, dry, almost wiry feel, rather than the loftier and cashmere-soft offerings that dominate the men's sweater market. The stuff isn't overly scratchy, though--I own sweaters that itch me even through woven shirts, and I could wear an S.N.S. scarf against my neck with no discomfort at all.
Not your granddad's shawl collar. But it may be Søren's granddad's shawl collar. Dag pointed out some of the aspects of sweaters that are unique to S.N.S. On one sweater, a thinner cardigan, a seamlike detail on the sleeve turns out to be an artifact of the knitting--you can pull it taut so the sleeve lays flat, but when you let go the fabric remembers the fold and the detail returns. The fabric on these lighter sweaters seems uniform; on inspection there is a heatherlike variation. Although S.N.S. does not consider themselves designers, according to Dag, "Sometimes the machine has something to say." The cut of the sweaters is also deceptively simple. The armscye is cut straight, rather than fully fashioned, and the sleeve is simply sewn in. That sort of anti-fashion, pragmatic detail is emblematic of their approach.
Dag explaining the ghost in the machine. Sort of. 
Olive this sweater. 
Dag showing off S.N.S. construction--no fully fashioned shoulder. Can't see the line, can ya Russ? The "Stark" cardigan is a perennial S.N.S. Herning piece, one Dag calls "our SUV." It's a versatile, heavy gauge cardigan with a typical S.N.S. knit pattern, a high neck collar that looks good folded down as well, and metal buttons that add an industrial dimension. One of the few aspects of S.N.S.'s models that changes from year to year is the colors offered. Popular colors in recent years include slate blue, purple, and neutral grays and blacks. There's a hint of Hamlet's and Kierkegaard's uniquely Danish existential angst in a black cardigan that's called the Stark. A striking color offered next fall will be a blood red--at (capsule) presented in a scarf that is essentially one long sleeve.
Perfect for taking arms against a sea of troubles. 
An actual arm to take against the sea... stretching it here. 
Color swatches. S.N.S. was cutting lengths for stores to take as samples. S.N.S. Herning is available at
OAK,
Tres Bien,
The Bureau,
Winn Perry, and the
Inventory Stockroom.
Albert, not doing his job. Photo by Dan Chaparian
