Let’s hear it for independent designers. As this menswear season has progressed it’s become clear to me that the impact of Andreas Schmidl and Josef Lazo’s designs far exceeds the size of their label. The pair, who work together remotely (Schmidl in Frankfurt and Lazo in Stockholm), have been champions of sex, color, fun, and cheek since they made their runway debut for fall 2017. And, it should be noted, they were on to camp years before the Costume Institute staged an exhibition on the subject.
The brand’s focus, says Lazo, has always been on creating “an alternative reality.” This, combined with a made-for-Tinder aesthetic has always made Lazoschmidl feel especially connected to millennial and Gen-Z customers, who have been partly responsible for the sea change in menswear. Things change so fast, and the eye so quickly adapts to what’s new, that it’s easy to forget that latex leggings, the color pink, chiffon shirts, Tarzan-like bodysuits, and chaps for men were eyebrow-raising when Lazoschmidl started showing them. So was their approach. “What we always say is men have the right to be sexy as well,” says Schmidl, “and taste forbidden fruit, try something else that you haven’t tried before.”
This season they are suggesting chaps with attached briefs, alone or layered over pants. Last season’s latex leggings in candy colors were such a hit that they’re back for fall, but in neoprene. The designers have a knack for engaging, evocative scenarios, and a penchant for louche 1970s styling, which is evident in their palette and use of Lurex. There’s also what Lazo calls a “surfer cowboy mix,” and the brand has its own (tweed) version of the baja sweater that’s been popping up for fall. Schmidl was a student of Japanese literature, which accounts for the symbols and lettering spelling out the brand’s name or tracing its butterfly mascot.
A shirt with chat bubbles links the clothes to the collection video, showing men in chat rooms and their typed exchanges. Digital media has made it possible for others to access Lazoschmidl’s world—and sometimes to borrow from it. Here’s hoping they get some real-world recognition for helping to bring sexy back.
