Dior Resort 2014
Within a few seasons, Simons has established a precise colour code of soft pastels and primary electric hues. Adding decorative twists and athletic turns, he continues to define what 'his' womenswear is about: pop, surrealism and superior gender.
/HORST
20130522
Candy Crush
20130518
A Short History Of The Comic Strip In Popular Culture IX
1. Snap! World Power, 1990
2. Snap! Mary Had A Little Boy, 1990
3. Snap! The Power, 1990
4. Snap! Oops Up, 1990
5. Snap! Mega Mix, 1991
6. Snap! Cult Of Snap, 2003
7. Salt 'N' Pepa Let's Talk About Sex, 1991
The constituting archive to this chapter can be found in my vinyl record collection. As someone said: I am creating my own future by writing this blog. Turning into 'The Cult of A Short History of Myself'.
/HORST
20130517
The Horst Interview: Komakino
Komakino Fall/Winter 2013
A lyric investigation on the London-based label that places traces of typography to convey an aesthetic universe based on music, theatre and, most importantly, anonymity. A short, restricted conversation.
Spring/Summer 2013
Who is Komakino?
Federico Capalbo and Jin Kim. We have recurring collaborators that are definitely part of the brand.
What does the name stand for? An homage to the homonymous single by Joy Division?
Yes, music has always been a constant in our lives.
Words are a recurrent theme throughout your collections, appearing as patches on clothes, as fragments of a secret message. Are you storytellers?
We have always worked on building a system of codes. Words, graphics, silhouettes are tools that we use to define a spirit. Fashion can be politically or socially addressed, but what we do has more to do with identity, an identity that is connected to subculture, defined by outsiders.
Spring/Summer 2012
Your work is multi-dimensional, conceptually as well as visually. Can you describe your approach?
I didn't really consider a set starting point with the first three or four seasons with Komakino. Later I started to take a clear direction in form of the music I was listening to, the universe that I related to, which could span from cinema to a gig. This was when our aesthetic became more defined. I tried to translate this through the alphabet of shapes, and how this formed through certain codes of fashions. We want to be able to succeed the moment you take a single piece from the collection out of its context and still it can be recognised and related to the brand. At the end of the day we are making clothes, and clothes are single garments.
Which further projects are you working on currently?
A fanzine project we would like to present in collaboration with artist Matteo Giordano – more a collection of visuals actually, which will hopefully develop into a film and an installation.
Spring/Summer 2013
Which item is dearest to your heart, which garment could stand as symbol for your body of work?
The MA-1.
Societas Raffaello Sanzio Tragedia Endogonidia, 2004
Which piece of art has moved you recently?
I have recently purchased the box set of 'Tragedia Endogonidia' by Societas Raffaello Sanzio. I had the chance to attend to a few performances by Romeo Catellucci in the past, I find his work to be terribly exciting.
A recent record you listened to?
Raime - Quarter Turns Over A Living Line
Thank you, Federico.
/HORST
20130516
Petit Prince
J.W. Anderson x Versus Resort 2014
An emergency announcement proclaiming: Versus is dead, long live Versus. The uniform for our new male sub-nobility includes bejeweled tiaras and bustier keyhole tops.
/HORST
Image credits Style.com
20130514
Post London II
A false encyclopaedic guide to the London collections, presenting:
Marios Schwab Fall/Winter 2013
2. Xena Warrior Princess, 1995-2001
3. Bernhard Willhelm Spring/Summer 2009
Horst on a red carpet could most possibly involve a Marios Schwab calligraphy dress in velvet and lace. Add a biceps tribal tattoo and a mention on the best worst dressed list is assured.
/HORST