Dondup is undergoing a rebooting process, with new investors eager to expand the label’s reach and hit the refresh button on style and business strategies. Previously known as a denim brand with a rock ’n’ roll twist, its rebellious spirit is being tamed, and its edges were smoothed in the men’s collection. It was called Academic Anarchic, which sounded more like hyperbole than an oxymoron; and even if slogans like Breaking the rules were boasted in capital letters on big knitted scarves (a ubiquitous item after Vetements launched it a few seasons ago), the look was definitely more suited to well-bred, almost preppy types than to dangerous seditionaries.
The design team looked at British university garb and the sportif attire of rugby leagues, a quite trite inspiration, especially when filtered through an average Italian idea of English style. In this case that meant replacing British natural flair with decadence and eccentricity with a fairly conventional, bourgeois approach. No trace of cool rebels here, but plenty of stereotypes.
The collection leaned heavily on the safe side, with all the right au courant boxes ticked. Urban outerwear had the lion’s share, with classic camel hair duffle coats tagged as the season’s must-haves, together with the ubiquitous sweatshirts, dyed inside out to achieve a bouclé effect. Yet a long, slouchy grandpa-style wool cardigan worn over a micro-checkered, vintage-looking suit was worthy of note. Paired with a logoed T-shirt, it conveyed the right kind of nonchalant, off-kilter attitude. We would have loved to feel more of this vibe.
