Design & Culture by Ed

Believe it or not – I can’t! – but we’re heading towards a new millenium. So, how do you choose the most important collections, designers and labels of the decade? The ones that made an actual impact in the 2010s? Well, it’s not an easy task. It all began in September 2009 with New York’s spring-summer 2010 shows and ended when the autumn-winter 2019 haute couture shows wrapped in Paris. Few thousands of shows, by the way. There will be 19 posts (that’s really the only possible minimum!) reminding about the best – and if not the best, then strongly influencing – moments in fashion.

Nicolas Ghesquière‘s AW12 collection for Balenciaga – “Join A Weird Trip“!

Nicolas Ghesquière’s time at Balencaga defined the 2000s and the first years of 2010s. And his autumn-winter 2012 collection is one of the greats. The corporate spies and outer-space agents on fluorescent-lit runway: that’s a fashion moment you just can’t forget. The designer moved the fashion conversation along in a few different ways with this line-up: by proposing new silhouettes with exaggerated, even challenging proportions (bonded leather coats with shoulders out to there, sculptural padded sweaters over stiff A-line skirts with doubled front panels); by deliberately trafficking in items of “questionable” taste (those black satin sweatshirts with spacey slogans like “JOIN A WEIRD TRIP” and “OUT OF THE BLUE” are today the ultimate collector item!); and by continuing to emphasize fabric research. The IT girls wore jumpsuits made from a hi-tech parachute material, and his animal prints came two ways—as a jacquard snake on the wool bodices of the office rebels’ strapless dresses and as leopard spots that looked like liquid mercury on the executives’ jackets. Incredible. Of course, to be honest with you, any Balenciaga collection by Ghesquière is a favourite, so here’s a brief recap of the best moments starting from 2010:

SS12, AW11 and SS13.

SS10, SS11 and AW10.

AW12, SS11 and AW10.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.

‘Jimaguas’ means twins in Cuba. Sayana and Claudia, Spain-based twin sisters who happen to be designers, define Gimaguas not just a clothing brand, but as their personal story. Both of them love to travel the world in search of unique, well-made handcraft. The label was born in 2016, while studying fashion (Sayana) and finance (Claudia) in London (this way, a perfect bounding of experiences took place). Every capsule collection is created in close co-operation with artisans from around the globe: Jaipur, Madagascar, Laos and Mexico, just some examples. Despite the fact that Gimaguas is an online retailer, Sayana and Claudia like to give a more personal approach to every collection through pop-ups in Barcelona, Madrid, London or New York. This way the designers can present one-of-a-kind products and all the stories behind them in the most intimate of ways. What Gimaguas feels like? A continuous selection of unique goods that evoke the twins’ love for summer, travelling, walking barefoot and collecting treasures from hidden paradises. At the moment, the label sells wool crossbody bags with floral embroideries, wool ponchos and cardigans (all hand-made in Mexico), duvet jackets made by women in Karuna Social Programme in Nepal and easy, vintage-y jewellery that will bright up any look. Nearly every piece is low in stock, if not already sold out (and they were “dropped” just a few days ago!). Gimaguas proves that ethical fashion can be both affordable and beautiful. Discover more right here.