Henrik Silvius is Seizing the Moment

As is clear to see, 21-year-old fashion blogger Henrik Silvius is severely disabled and confined to a wheelchair. He also has 70 jackets, designs his own shoes, updates his fashion blog multiple times daily and will be styling a show at Copenhagen Fashion Week on today (Friday, February 3rd). Henrik straight-up loves fashion.

VICE: How did you get into fashion?
Henrik Silvius: Since I was young, I've always thought it was exciting to wear something different and I liked to buy my own clothes. I knew I would stand out because of my wheelchair, but I’m used to being different, I don't care what other people think. Fashion is a way of being yourself and expressing how you feel in a creative way. For me, it’s a way to show who I am and break down the borders between me and my disability. I don’t follow trends. I mean, you can be inspired by them, but you should always have your own style, you know.

Cool. So, when did you start blogging about fashion?
I started blogging two years ago. I thought it was hard to get into the world of fashion and I didn't know anyone who worked in the industry, but I had a friend who blogged about music, so I thought I could do the same thing about fashion. In the beginning it was like a normal fashion blog and heavy on all the latest designers' collections, but now it's more like a source of inspiration. There are way too many fashion bloggers, so it’s best to do something a bit off-key. I take a lot of photos of myself weirdly styled because I think it's more interesting for people to see what I'm into, and to try and show people the full range of what's out there.

So how do you inspire the generally judgmental and self-conscious fashion world? 
Oh, that’s tough. I think by being around I break down the misconceptions about me and my disability. For example, I show I can do things like being in fashion and styling shows that maybe isn't so normal for people in wheelchairs to do. Although, I think it shouldn’t matter what you look like or what you are. I always try to stay true to myself, because I personally find that most inspiring people are those who are themselves.

How do you choose what you are going to wear?
I choose my outfits the evening before. I mix items, try something new and match it with my mood. If, in the morning, my mood changes, then I'll start all over again. It's very important for me that the clothes make me feel better. For fashion week I choose my outfits two weeks in advance.

Wow, two whole weeks before. Which outfit would you be happy to wear for the rest of your life?
Hmm, I like that question. Something crazy. A lot of colours, gold jewellery, high-neck shirts or jumpers. Actually, I love jackets, I have about 70 of them. That’s my favourite item. So it would be a jacket based outfit, and because it's so cold here in Denmark, a good jacket is an important way of staying stylish while outdoors.

Are you a big shopper?
Almost every day – I spend a lot of money, haha. About 80 percent of my clothes are second-hand or vintage from online shops based in Paris, for some reason, but I also buy basics from H&M. Second-hand works because you get to play more, there's more to choose from, and less chance anyone else will be wearing the same thing.

Fashion-wise, what are you into right now?
Mixing something trashy, like a gold necklace, with something smart, like a fine jacket. I like Versace right now and I'm into gold, prints and colours. Women have a lot of stuff to choose from – dresses, high heels, flat shoes, jewellery – but men have nothing, really. So, maybe I'm more into an androgynous style, right now. You have to wear clothes that fit you well, work with textures and materials, and wear a nice pair of shoes. They are so important. I designed two pairs of shoes for myself because I find men’s shoes so boring.

Nice. Which designers and labels are doing it for you, at the moment?
There are a lot of great Danish designers doing stuff that you haven’t seen before – Henrik Vibskov, Stine Goya, Wakerhaus, Asger Juel Larsen and Barbara I Gongini.

That tattoo on your index finger, IMPULS, what's that all about?
It's the Danish word for impulse. I guess it means more in Danish than it does in English. It means living in the here and now, seizing the moment and it's very, very important for me to try and live in the here and now.