Flea Markets. Vetements AW18

January 22, 2018January 22, 2018 | Design & Culture by Ed

Shown in the corridors of the Paul Bert Serpette market, north of Paris, Vetements autumn-winter 2018 collection left me with very mixed feelings. As the fashion collective’s main representative, Demna Gvasalia, summed it up, “we took it to the flea market because that’s where it always begins.” But the clothes, and the styling, didn’t only resemble a trashy thrift shop aesthetic. The designer, who has worked for years at Maison Margiela, decided to openly refer the brand and its legendarily anonymous designer as the main source of inspiration. Diet Prada, the passive aggressive Instagram fashion critic, has already criticized Demna’s choice to do the Margiela tabi boots in the show – like, what’s the sense, if we’ve got the original?

But as for me, it’s not only about the Margiela factor that makes this collection so problematic. Vetements wants to convey the feeling of real authenticity in their clothes. For instance, Demna went to the kindergarten next door to the Vetements studio in Zurich and set the children the project of making illustrations for the T-shirts. The models, who walked the show, are said to be ‘really’ dressing like this on the daily. The clothes do look like old and tattered, and that’s the entire sense behind them. But aren’t they being manufactured from new materials before they hit the stores? If not, then the 1000 euro price tags are a complete absurd. If yes, well… I think you get this kind of hipocrysy. I really do love people who consciously dress in a ‘cheesy’ and ‘trashy’ way, go to flea markets. But dressing up in Vetements to look ‘disruptive’ is somewhat a non-sense. It’s like wearing a t-shirt of a band you’ve never listened to.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.

Tongue in Cheek. Balenciaga Resort 2018

November 8, 2017 | Design & Culture by Ed

Balenciaga‘s current top place in the ranking of luxury top-sellers proves one thing – Demna Gvasalia‘s kitsch chic and trasy aesthetic is what a rich consumer likes in 2017. There’s no wonder why the Georgian designer’s resort 2018 for the French maison is a smart move of establishing classics out from previous seasons’ cult pieces: pantashoes and voluminous duvet jackets in new colours, the car mat skirt appears again, the logo fur stole keeps on popping throughout the entire look-book. Those are the pieces that sell and relate the most to Balenciaga clients. Is it bad to ‘repeat’? No, it’s a pre-collection that has to sell. Still, for those, who are still thirsty for newness, the season’s edition of XXL bazaar bags hits the total irony spot. The tourist postcard print is insane, it’s precisely what the fashion world hasn’t beautified yet. Bags coming from different capitals! Paris, London, Tokyo… I also thought the luxe hair scrunchies and plastic, grape-shaped earrings are hilarious.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.

Flaws We Need. Balenciaga SS18

October 4, 2017 | Design & Culture by Ed

Demna Gvasalia and irony are two synonyms – and you know what I mean, if you’ve seen at least two Vetements collections in your life. This season, Gvasalia wanted to do more of ‘him’ (that we know from the Zurich-based fashion collective) than dig into the Balenciaga archive. Less Cristobal, more wit and edge, but still with a strong, technical side. Coats with attachable extra sleeves, that in fact can be called a two-in-one at same price; head-to-toe money bill motif all over tea-dresses; charm belts decorated with toruist-friednly Eiffel Tower figurines; peplum tops in pink camo, a combination that sounds and looks so devastating that it’s good. This hilarious collection is a pun topped on another pun. A tongue-in-cheek comment regarding the rush for the senseless, up-and-coming trends. The clash between bad and good taste, being a result of endless street observation of how today’s society dresses. That’s what Gvasalia does best. And it’s even more thrilling to see him doing that very anti-fashion thing at Balenciaga, a fully established brand with stores all over the world. But the list of pieces that catch your eye in this collection is much, much longer. The already cult ‘Knife’ boots kept in a 2000s desktop print (think cheesy sunset or a postcard view of mountains); platform crocs made in collaboration with, yes, Crocs, in the most killing shade of yellow; reversible ‘rain coats’ for handbags; high-heels covered with studs and lots of tartan checks were clear signs that the designer is having an obsession with the punk subculture.

Strangely, or not, but I’m a sucker for those Demna-ish flaws and oddities. I think it’s something the superficial world of fashion needs to be ‘wake’ and relate to today’s world.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.

When in Zürich. Vetements SS18

June 28, 2017 | Design & Culture by Ed

Vetements‘ no-show spring-summer 2018 collection was a sensation in its own nature. Instead of a regular fashion show with models (wait – Vetements has never done a ‘regular’ fashion show, if you take a moment to look back at their shocking venue choices…), the designer collective lead by Demna Gvasalia exhibited over 50, real-size photographs in a Parisian warehouse. Photographed and styled surprisingly by Demna himself (no Pierre Ange Carlotti and Lotta Volkova this season…), these were the images of real real people in Zürich. The Swiss capital is the new location of Vetements’ headquarters, so deciding to keep it ‘local’ makes sense. The look-book presents everyone, from elderly women and families to bankers and goth teenagers, striking poses in new-season Vetements.

But is the new-season Vetements really new? If you’ve noticed looks that seem to be a déjà vu from the brand’s previous seasons – like over-sized checked shirts, deconstructed fur coats or a voluminous trench coat – then don’t be surprised. For this season, Gvasalia preferred to contemplate and reconsider, rather than create something absolutely fresh. Some of the pieces were recut and improved from the technical side, while others, like the Vetements signature tea-dress or cult Reebok trainers, went through small alternations (emoji prints, polka dots, surely to become next season’s hits). From one side, this concept is might be disturbing. Will Vetements stop developing creatively? Well, I doubt it. From the other side, that’s quite relaxing, as the brand suggests buyers and other labels, that its a non-sense to produce two (or more) totally different collections a year. Cherish the classics! Don’t rush for the new pair of shoes, if last year’s platform boots or cigarette-lighter heels will stay in the shops for good. Slowing the pace is right, from time-to-time.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.

Men’s / Family Man. Balenciaga SS18

June 23, 2017June 23, 2017 | Design & Culture by Ed

First thing I had on my mind, while watching Balenciaga‘s spring-summer 2018, was the photo of my dad carrying toddler-me in a park. He was wearing a pair of too big pants, a huge anorak and a quite unflattering knitted sweater. In other words – he looked like a Balenciaga model, who has just walked down the runway in the Bois de Boulogne park.

So what’s Demna Gvasalia up to this season? “There is nothing more beautiful than seeing young dads with their kids,” he said. The designer invited his friends from Zürich (the city of Vetements’ new HQ), who have kids; some models were street-casted a few days before the show in Paris; others where simply teen-aged sons and daughters of creatives, who work at Balenciaga. The idea of tranquility, peace, everyday pleasures like a walk to the park with your kid, appeals to Gvasalia since he ended with his night-life period. Comfort is a keyword this season, as the Balenciaga man simply goes to the suburbs, wearing his fashion-unconscious white shirt, a drapey jacket and bleached jeans. With a Balenciaga bike, of course, nearly sold-out at Colette right now.

Also, this collection is the undisputable peak of ugliness (in case of clothing). However, it’s real. And Demna loves to find inspiration in reality. While last men’s season was all about corporate dressing, this time it’s about the same men, but on the weekends.