For Tobias Birk Nielsen’s SS19 video THE SURVIVALIST, the designer asks the question, "If the world ended today, who would we look to for leadership?"
In 2013, John Gerzema and Michael D’Antonio completed a research study with 64.000 people. The study named “The Athena Doctrine” points to a global trend and major shift away from male leadership models built around masculinity, aggression and pride toward values more commonly associated with women – such as nurture, collaboration and selflessness.
In tribute to their study, Tobias Birk Nielsen’s latest film investigates the paradigm shift between male and female leadership paradigms. In brutal images depicting a post-apocalyptic universe, two female protagonist challenges a group of men and we witness as their influence grows.
This is the first time, the menswear designer feature women in his work, and while the designer is not launching a women’s line, he considers the message behind this project of great importance. The concept of the film was developed with director Stefan Pflug.