A strude is the mask traditionally worn by the women of Fanø, a small island off the coast of Denmark. It’s also the name for Trine Søndergaard‘s latest project, a series of photos on show at the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek gallery in Copenhagen starting tomorrow. These days the strude only really gets worn once a year, when the young women take to the streets in full Old World regalia for Fanø’s summer parade. We spoke to the art photographer for our fall fashion issue, who was instantly drawn to the costumes and their uncanny similarity to Islamic forms of dress. Unlike a burqa, the mask was worn to preserve a porcelain complexion, and protect the skin from sandstorms. Never one to shy away from the complexities of female identity, Søndergaard’s portraits throw up interesting cultural and political questions at a time when European countries like France are trying to ban the burqa altogether.