February 28, 2022 |
Houston, we have a problem – Ambush is from another dimension. For its first major outing in Milan, drones and sirens and flashing red lights were the welcome, while a massive sphere sat at the centre of the runway demanding our utmost attention. It was a surreal spectacle, moving the label’s retro/future/romantic narrative forward and writing a new, celestial chapter.
From the mind of Korean-American design disruptor Yoon Ahn, the no-so-average label took on autumn/winter 2022 with an alien offering, distorting silhouettes and aiming to build an Ambush Metaverse. That’s because Tokyo-based Ahn believes that a digital universe must be rooted in reality, regardless of its intangible pixels. She designs clothes to be worn in the physical realm. With each atomic thread she took a journey into a new, imagined world that was both futuristic and nostalgic – reserved for only the coolest provocateurs of course.
As the show commenced, cartoonish Mary-Jane platforms buckled up to the thigh, raised loafers and bulky sneakers anchored the models’ feet to the white-quartz-powder catwalk. All in subdued teal, brown, burgundy and black, pin-striped skinny flares and ankle-drowning straight-leg trousers took otherworldly references to new heights. Elsewhere, lingerie contours and heart-shaped cut-outs bordered on cutesy whilst leather accents flirted with fetishism.
Veering away from the oversized silhouettes of Ambush’s past, Ahn kept tailoring boxy but muted, opting for soft distortions instead. Hard-edge leather outerwear, cropped moto-jackets and blocky blazers with shearling perimeters added a ’70s feel ,while huge shaggy coats and padded vests adopted off-kilter proportions.
Meanwhile, a yellow leather boiler suit played with Japanese film tropes – anime characters made real and real people made digital – and printed calf coats and chaps gave space cowboys a new name.
As for the accessories? Ahn is well-known for her complex jewellery designs for Kim Jones’ Dior men’s collections, so it’s no surprise the silver and brass ornaments were a standout, suggestive of the rings around a planet and undulating like a black hole. Her expertises were also echoed in laser-cut letter motifs repeated as AAAplus chainmail dresses, boots and bags.
Photography courtesy of Ambush.
