Albert Kriemler was a very young man when he started working in Akris’s atelier. His father lost his righthand man at the same time Kriemler was studying for his baccalaureate and convinced his son to join him. It was supposed to be a two-year stint, after which the young Kriemler could go to Paris as he originally intended. But two years went by and he was already so involved in the workings of the studio that he stayed. Thirty-eight years later, Kriemler is marking four decades at the helm.
It’s some milestone, but it wouldn’t be Kriemler’s style to overplay it. This pre-fall collection is no nostalgia tour; it’s more a showcase for all the notions that have made Akris into the quiet powerhouse it is: reversible double-face cashmere outerwear, lean tailoring, and subtle St. Gallen embroidery for evening. For Kriemler, textiles are the thing. He waxes equally rhapsodic about cool wool and techno cottons that he uses for his sportswear as he does about the silk stretch crepe marocain that he employs for a body-limning evening dress. “Akris clothes must be felt,” he says. Of course, he hasn’t ignored clothes with visual interest all these years either. The digital photo prints that are his signature made only the briefest of appearances here on an easy-to-wear cotton voile blouse and midi-skirt. He said there will be more on the fall runway.
