A
Alex In Wonderland
Name
Nikolaj Kristensen Gotthelf
Education degree
Kandidat
Fagfelt
Design
Institute
Design, Product and Material
Program
Fashion, Clothing and Textiles - New Landscapes for Change
Year
2026
Introduction
This project explores the contrast and tension between my rural upbringing and progressive youth culture and how it might bring insight to a new age of masculinity.
Alex in Wonderland
This project tells the story of a young kid who dared to fantasize. This project is an exploration of a young kid who grew up in a rural area, fantasizing about all of the exoticness of the world. At its core, the project investigates the tension between two highly contrasting worlds that shaped this upbringing and considers how that tension might offer insight into a contemporary understanding of masculinity.
Rather than proposing a revolution, the project suggests a post-postmodern reading of the heavily coded structures and ideals that have long dominated ideas of what a man should be, how he should appear, and how he should dress.
I grew up in a rural environment shaped by fields, horses, stables, and the rhythms of practical everyday life. At the same time, through skateboarding, music, and the internet, I became drawn to distant worlds of style, attitude, and self-expression that felt far removed from where I came from. My work emerges from the tension between these two realities: a grounded upbringing defined by labour and structure, and an imagined elsewhere filled with rebellion, fantasy, and alternative ways of being. Through fashion, I explore how this contrast can open up a more fluid and emotionally aware understanding of masculinity, questioning inherited ideals of what a man should be, look like, and wear.
"Alex in Wonderland"
These two pictures are of collages from my inherited world and my becoming. They showcase the drastic difference in the two worlds that i grew up in and the contrast that lies within.
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3D Weaving development of 'Distorted farmers shirt'.
This is a technique that I've developed throughout the MA. It allows me to weave any shape I could imagine.
Warped/Distorted farmers. Study on how shape can alter reality.
Visualizing what farmers would look like through the lense of progressive youth cultures
Mud splatter Graffiti print development
A commonality between graffiti and mudsplatter. It alters the surface. Graffiti notorious as a rebellious symbol, anarchy. Mud platter which is a core storyteller from a Sunday walk in the muddy fields. Both tell
Knitwear development
These two pictures shows my initial surface research into wear and tear and how I used it to inform my knitwear development.
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Fittings experimenting with themes of the project.
This is a few of the fittings i went through during the project. Here I experiment with different themes from the project, like the energy in explosive behaviour through deconstruction and reconstruction.
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Lineup and overview of the collection.
This shows the collective output of the collection. It's balencing between the two worlds, trying to enlighten and shine light on the contrast of my upbringing. This is my suggestion to a progressive menswear collection.
The Royal Danish Academy supports the Sustainable Development Goals
Since 2017 the Royal Danish Academy has worked with the Sustainable Development Goals. This is reflected in our research, our teaching and in our students’ projects. This project relates to the following UN goal(-s)
