For a brand that has never overtly positioned itself as activewear, Carven sure made a point to prove otherwise with its latest collection. Men’s artistic director Barnabé Hardy enlisted I Could Never Be a Dancer, a Paris-based choreography duo who specialize in crossover fashion, art, and music projects, to show off the clothes with maximum movement. The troupe of dancers flexed, leaped, moonwalked, and body-rolled in Hardy’s chambray Bermuda shorts jumpsuit, neon flocked parka, and seersucker suits boasting double-face back flaps. Gripping elasticized bands lined within a giant frame, they lunged as they would in a TRX workout, all while dressed in color-blocked knits and slim-cut pants with enough lightness, natural stretch, and geometric decorative accents to ensure unrestricted ease and graphic appeal.
This flow of dancers demonstrated how Carven menswear is less concerned with gender fluidity (what with womenswear the label’s marquee) than fluidity in general. Abstracted patterns of feathers and watery ink marks gave the impression that Hardy wanted to avoid anything—be it materials or mood—that would weigh down the collection. Unsurprisingly, footwear played an essential role in the performance; monogrammed sneakers and thick-soled deck shoes encouraged extra bounce, while the Michael Jackson–esque sparkle socks added offbeat kick.
Backstage, Hardy admitted that he would adore the opportunity to design actual dance costumes, perhaps even reinvigorating a classical production with similarly streetwise looks. Whether or not this was an audition, he effectively showed it could be done.
