Men’s – Cyclops. Rick Owens SS16

June 26, 2015January 6, 2016 | Design & Culture by Ed

“Cyclops” was the keyword of yesterday’s Rick Owens show. The mythological creature with one eye is a symbol of men aggression and devastation – and precisely this was presented through severely curled hairstyles of the models and tattered tunics. The maxi tank-tops had something chaotic about them, too. A kind of violence was visible in the clothes, that’s sure. Leather and other various textiles were all sewn together, giving an arty, very impulsive and emotional expression. However, the whole vision of Owens’ new collection was disturbed by Jera, a model-muse of the designer. Suddenly, during the show, the German model took out a banner that said “PLEASE KILL ANGELA MERKEL…NOT“. The unplanned stunt was said to be totally out of Owens’ hands, with the designer being furious and stressing in an interview backstage, “I don’t know because it was not my idea. He pulled it out and I punched him when he came off stage.” Whatever this message meant to be, this what Jera did was disrespectful for the whole project Rick Owens and his team worked on.

Men’s – Time Elapse. Raf Simons SS16

June 25, 2015June 25, 2015 | Design & Culture by Ed

The message behind Raf Simons‘ SS16 is quite melancholic, but so, so true – everything passes away as time goes by. In this collection, Raf presented the difference in fashion that ruled at the times of his grandpa, and at the time of today’s youth – knitted polos versus hoodies, fancy coats contrasting with whie sneakers. But in reality, the hoods were the biggest clue, giving the models and the show venue an eerie atmosphere. Half of the models walked with heads wrapped in checked textile (vision obscured to the point where at least a couple of them pitched off the raised catwalk). Hoodies have become a contemporary emblem of teenager, but Simons made his hoods medieval in shape. Monastic. And that automatically created a connection between the brotherhood of a medieval monastery and the brotherhood of a 21st-century gang of boys. Also, I feel like this collection wanted to represent the topic of martyrs, which was briefly moved by the chains carried by the models which staggered through the runway. But this mystery can be revealed only by the designer.

Men’s – Globe Trotter. Haider Ackermann SS16

June 25, 2015 | Design & Culture by Ed

Haider Ackermann is a globetrotter since being a small child – he was born in Columbia, spent his childhood in Ethiopia and Algeria and later in the Netherlands. But he still loves long, exotic journeys. His recent collection for SS16 is a fusion of Persian and Japanese culture, with which he has been inspired lately. But don’t think he went kimonos. The new silhouettes for men, and partially for women, were all about sharp cuts and beautiful shades of blue, gold and grey. The collection was rich in details and had this “I need everything” reaction . But the thing I enjoy the most about this oriental summer was the styling – different textures and not so banal textiles were mixed in a very stylish, Haider way. As always, a favourite of mine!

Rose Marie Meyer, the newcomer beauty.

The amazing Yassine Rahal and the Cuban boots. Also a newcomer!

Men’s – Modest Guy. Lemaire SS16

June 24, 2015June 24, 2015 | Design & Culture by Ed

Christophe Lemaire‘s SS16 for guys is not really a collection, but a full wardrobe with all must-have essentials. Black tank-tops? Check. Beige coats? Check. White shirts? Check. With a minimal splash of pistachio green there and there, Lemaire‘s summer offering is not about introducing new trends but rather discusses whether your casual, everyday wardrobe is ready on the go. And this makes the collection unruffled and tranquil, without much spark in it.

Men’s – Detournement. Gucci SS16

June 24, 2015June 24, 2015 | Design & Culture by Ed

“Detournement is the art of taking some parts of the past and using them in the present with a contemporary approach and away from their original contest” is what Alessandro Michele of Gucci said before his SS16 show for men. “I love to work with the past to translate the future,” explained Michele, and although his designs are certainly rooted in Gucci’s heritage (those horse-bit loafers, the green and red equestrian stripes, bee motifs and famous GG logos) they update the house’s codes in a way that’s unrecognisable, thanks to his desire of not wanting “to stay a prisoner inside of the brand.” There are many retro references, with suede jackets and wide collars adapted from classic silhouettes of the 70s, but there is, as Michele puts it, no room for nostalgia – his focus is on youth. “They really are the future – when someone asks me what the future is? The future is now, between us, between young people,” he says. Also, the dynamic, new creative director of Gucci has a truly amazing point of view on beauty for men fashion. “My idea of masculinity is beauty,” Michele said after the show. “If you want to be beauty you can be beauty how you want; it doesn’t mean that you are not a man or woman.” That is strongly visible in this collection – hand-made embroideries, royal looking textiles, tudoresque jewellery and that Italian “dolce vita” attitude towards life is felt all over these clothes.

As it is in Michele’s philosophy to have female models in his menswear collection, the mesmerizing robes and silk scarves were jaw-dropping for both genders. And even though, many of these clothes feel like out of this era, they are all looking far into the future. It is a great pleasure to have a peek at all that artisanal beauty and reflect on it in the same, poetic way. Maybe because Michele himself is a great poet?