What would humans look like if — or when, given the way things are going climate-wise — they lived under water? Rushemy Botter and Lisi Herrebrugh don’t have a definitive answer for that, but they certainly had ideas on what they’d wear if their “Global Warning” is anything to go by.
But that didn’t mean they went all doom-and-gloom with these silhouettes, some of which were shown on women — a first for the brand. “The boundaries between men’s and women’s wear really felt unnatural for us,” said Herrebrugh, who added that they’d long done fittings involving female models, despite showing the collections on the men’s wear schedule.
Cut close to the body and trimmed of any bulk, they looked aerodynamic enough to swim in. Layers were piled weightlessly, be it lightweight blazers over shirting; polo shirts over clingy long-sleeved tops, or bomber jackets had a removable Neoprene vest.
Instead of deadstock, the design duo went one step further, using a majority of upcycled textiles for the season. One top that looked like an umbrella actually started life as one: Botter and Herrebrugh upcycled the ones used in eye-catching street installations around the world, recuperating them from their supplier Piganiol.
Because their beloved coastlines are front lines in the environmental fight, the pair started a partnership with environmental nonprofit organization Parley, using materials created from upcycled ocean plastic for around 60 percent of the collection.
This approach even continued in the accessories, which included mini bags in the shape of flotation devices and chunky necklaces featuring colorful fishing lures made by Japanese company Dowluck, a side project of designer Hidehiko Yamane, who founded the Evisu denim company. Fishnet tops, also made from thread from Parley, looked part playful, part sea hazard, especially when styled with shark figurines caught in them.
The witty additions made for an upbeat mood, as did the colorful suits spray-painted by London-based set designer and artist Ibby Njoya.
Progressing through a roughed up industrial building in Berlin, the models seen in this season’s atmospheric film brought another thing to mind: the idea that colorful creatures are dangerous ones.
