Dear Diane and Shaded Viewers,
Pulling on the idea of counterfeit art that everyone knows is in wide circulation through dare not speak about, CMMN SWDN designers Saif Bakir and Emma Hedlund brought this concept right to the front of their collection. Literally, ‘Genuine Fake’ digitally modified artwork almost beyond recognition for poster-like placement on jumpers, shirts and on the back of jackets. They also played with slightly-off proportions in the sleeve and body, giving a sense that something isn’t quite right. Continually relevant in the context of fashion, copying creativity/ideas is something everyone knows happens, and some would even argue gives a financial base for the industry, and these designers are addressing it with style and humour. And if anyone copies this collection, well at least we’re all in on the joke.
After I spoke to Saif Bakir at the DMSR Showroom in Paris, I was drawn to Matthew Miller's work. Miller’s pretty clever with subverting the classics, especially in his take on suiting in his Spring collections. This season, he messed with the status-quo via textiles, where composition or pre-treatments removed the perfect veneer from business attire. Cotton had wire running through it, giving pieces a heavily creased effect, even to a point that you could position it like a scrunched piece of paper on your body – though much too interesting to throw away. There were also some nice pre-washed and creased linen pieces.
You’ll see in the last photo, Greg Hewitt from DMSR and Filippo Anzalone from Bjork Florence, both wearing Matthew Miller.
Happy Tuesday,
Sophie Joy
