Ahead of the preview of his new line of sailing attire and crew kit at this year’s Monaco Yacht Show, Belle Rice sits down with the Sørensen Yachtwear founder to hear more about his plans for his eponymous brand.
We all know that behind the glossiest of hulls and sparkling teak decks that are lining up in Port Hercules at this very moment lies world-class technology and up-to-the-minute engineering; hidden clean out of sight but nonetheless a crucial key to each and every boat's ability to tackle choppy waves smoothly and create a seamless sailing experience for an owner and their guests.
If there’s one thing fashion designer Wayne Sørensen knows, it’s how to effortlessly take technical performance materials and turn them into supremely stylish designs - albeit his field of expertise is found in fabrics and fit rather than tillers and transoms.
Founded after a lifetime of experience in designing and developing men’s and womenswear lines for brands including Calvin Klein, Burberry, and Orlebar Brown (where he was design director until 2015), Wayne Sørensen's aesthetic has, he says, “always been rooted in summer dressing”, and it was by chance in 2019 that he was introduced to a superyacht owner by a mutual friend.
After much admiration of his previous work, he was invited to design some crew uniform and as fate would have it, Sørensen loved the process whilst the owner was delighted by the resulting collection, meaning a slight change of course for Sørensen’s career.
Whilst he has now been asked to design bespoke crew clothing innumerable times, his pieces have also caught the eye of owners, who often want to wear something similarly stylish themselves. With a knack for crafting flattering pieces from breathable fabrics that never compromise on style or wearability – think ultra-lightweight cotton shorts with softly elasticated waistlines and concealed buttons, or the Burch dress, a classic 1990s-inspired shift dress with a timeless boat neck which was named for Come Together’s chief stew Vhair Burchitt – it’s no wonder there’s demand from owners and guests to get in on the action too.
A few times now, “the owner has turned around and said, ‘I want to wear that piece’ as there’s a universal appeal.” It’s down to, Sørensen thinks, a duality where “form and function go hand in hand, and that establishes a bit more of a universal appeal.”
And it's easy to see why the new range has such a wide reach. Sørensen’s time as design director of Swim and Resort at Calvin Klein has informed the chic two-piece rash guard sets designed for both men and women, while his tenure overseeing Burberry’s menswear sports division has clearly given him a knack for producing designs that have, as he says, “style with a sense of purpose.”
With the majority of the collection made in Europe (only a tiny amount is sourced from boutique suppliers in the Far East), the brand stresses the importance of respecting both the planet and those that are crafting the clothing.
He's looking forward to showcasing the new designs around Monte-Carlo this week, where the collection will be on show on Thursday at the BOAT International Monaco Yacht Show stand for Happy Hour and a chance to meet the man himself.
His highlight of the show, he expects, will be forging friendships within the industry, sharing ideas, and “tapping into the brilliant energy that can only be found in Monaco”. Plus, he says, “reconnecting people with pieces that make them feel good about themselves in the world around them. I think that is very much at the heart of what we're doing.”
Meet Wayne Sørensen and see Sørensen Yachtwear on the BOAT International stand at the Monaco Yacht Show this Thursday 26 September from 5 – 6.30pm.