We’re living in a TikTok world, one that values instantaneousness above almost all else, but Tommy Ton and Andrea Tsao’s instincts are telling them to slow down. Deveaux is moving to a pre-season presentation schedule, and combining two seasons into one—in this case pre-fall and fall 2021. “It’s a strategic decision,” Ton explained. “It’s just too expensive to show four times a year, and we don’t have the mental and physical capacity to keep churning out collection after collection.”
As we round the corner on this pandemic year, we’re likely to see other brands breaking away from the show schedule. It’s an open question if the fracturing of the runway system will negatively impact small brands like this one, who’ve traditionally benefited from the halo effect of being grouped together with fashion’s household names. But creatively speaking Ton said he was more than satisfied with this collection; in fact he called it his favorite so far.
That’s an interesting observation. Ton became the industry’s top street style photographer during his years shooting for Style.com. Anti-fashion isn’t the right word to describe this Deveaux collection, but there’s a disavowal of much of what once characterized a typical street style photo. You won’t find any logos or bright colors, and not much in the way of prints.
Instead, Ton and Tsao focused their energies on sourcing a vegan leather with a surprisingly believable lambskin-like texture; cutting a pantsuit without shoulder pads or a lining so it wears like pajamas; and building a knitwear program that includes a very cozy-looking cashmere-wool bouclé. Ton and Tsao are getting behind the unisex concept. The twill pantsuit has crossover appeal, and they’re cutting the vegan leather boxer shorts for both genders. Those might turn on the TikTok kids, but winning on social media isn’t on the Deveaux agenda. Comfort, fabric-feel, and simplicity are.
