March 3, 2023 |
At Off-White’s AW23 show, cosmically-clad models emerged from a sunlit lunar landscape, complete with red sand (moondust), space rocks and a central orb. Naomi Campbell stepped out in a slinky, somewhat see-through gown with a tubular appendage curling across her clavicle. It was (inter)stellar. So was the rest of Ibrahim Kamara’s second collection for the Virgil Abloh-founded brand.
Dubbed Lunar Delivery, contemporary culture was Kamara’s first point of reference. He looked at our growing obsession with delivery – from Ubereats to online shopping – as it becomes a vital facility in the metropolitan milieu. But before taking-off to final space to “deliver” the intergalactic range, Kamara lifted inspiration from places much closer to home drawing citations from his humble beginnings: rain-rusted corrugated roofs, like the sand, inform the palette, and West African source material is reinterpreted to conjure a new vision of indigenous civilisations. “This collection marks the beginning of a new path, inspired by world-building,” the art and image director explained. “It envisions something yet to exist. Moon-surfing daydreams and star-gazing thoughts are at the heart of our evolution. It’s punk, sexy, romantic and inspired by our modern lives.”
Stratospheric, sci-fi-inspired black-matter opening looks were cut with constellations and silver grommets. They looked like perforated suns as they lined leather hems, strappy utilitarian harnesses, mini and midi skirts, overcoats and more. In models’ hair, they resembled gears and were worn with mini bicycle wheel earrings. Elsewhere, alien eyewear – futuristic cat-eye lenses and circular four-eye goggles – underscored beautiful brocade evening jackets, distressed gradient knits pierced by ball chains and pearlescent beading, and rubberized technical gorpcore twinsets. Denim was printed with the phases of the moon while topological maps were splayed out on slinky midi dresses and iridescent silver puffers – all worn with cowboy boots. A padded silver spacesuit spliced at the knees was followed by some of the most elaborate embroidery we’ve (maybe) ever seen; a beautifully bedazzled bomber and bermuda shorts.
With a 360° way of thinking and a democratic design philosophy, Kamara is expanding Off-White’s orbit. Now, to the moon!
Photography courtesy of Off-White.
