Dear Shaded Viewers and Diane,
If we’ve come to love Nasir Mazhar as the one who provides clothes for the tribe, we might not have anticipated his disposition to challenge and tease even his own pack. Oh sure, AW16 is the dress code of subcultural comfort: loyally built on muscles and sweat, each outfit further linked to the next by the matte pitch palette of starless suburban nights. On the verge of “long-planned changes for the brand”, that the show notes promise, “are set to be revealed”, Nasir regroups, elevates and freshens his classics – cue in crisped tracksuits, zipped-up gilets, down jackets with drawstrings. But the season also strikes a more unusually seductive note. There are hints to a softer side – a new and rounder logo, framed by two white feathers, reads NAS and calls to mind NASA. While Nasir Mazhar’s work is often sexy, it came across this time as especially sensual, more assured than aggressive, laced-up seams, string bikinis and thongs for boys and girls alike. To be worn on its own, mind: this is the wardrobe of the extreme clubber, not your weekend practitioner, but those who party as a token stance. Still, Nasir has his own genius, prowess, relevance as well as a faithful fan base to thank – that he may reference his own non-commercial, purely creative beginning as the season starting point, and yet there’s no doubt that this collection will sell out just fine.
Later,
Silvia