October 1, 2024 |
Ottolinger unveiled its avant-garde SS25 collection in Paris on Sunday afternoon. Calling it Ottonymous, the Berlin-based label – known for its deconstructed silhouettes, intricate detailing and punk-meets-couture aesthetic – drew inspiration from an abstract illusion of the body acting like a shark and drifting between cities.
To a soundtrack by WENCH, models emerged from the bloodied mouth of an inflatable great white which formed the entrance to the runway dressed in yesterday’s party garb yet prepared for tomorrow’s new beginnings – think sumptuous seams and raw edges.
Using organic materials derived from vintage fabrics that had been recycled and reworked to create the collection, design duo Christa Bösch and Cosima Gadient skilfully married manipulated silhouettes with minimalist tailoring, pairing wet-look, low-rise maxi skirts with inflatable-style tops that knotted around the upper body. These tops mimicked life vests, while a pair of grey wetsuit-like trousers with a black lining embodied the label’s Instagram-official slogan, ‘2 girls, 1 surfboard’.
Outwear had that same rough and ‘destroyed’ aesthetic with denim shorts underscoring a cropped, crunch-leather jacket made from Ecco.Kollektive leather.
Bösch and Gadient added twin necklines to asymmetric silhouettes, tearing materials and exposing skin through large cut-outs – these skin-baring, slashed garments dominated the concrete runway. The pair also layered bikini bottoms and nylon bralettes underneath, with some dresses featuring ruched detailing. Elsewhere, maxi jersey dresses appeared in a slew of colours, including white, red, butter yellow and shimmery gold.
Accessorising looks with oversized bands and straps that hugged around the fabrics, seat-belt-style fastenings were worn over dresses and crinkled, ruched trousers. Most of the models wore headphones and carried handbags in black or pink with rubber bases.
Sensual, sustainable and subversive, Ottolinger SS25 bites back.
Photography courtesy of Ottolinger.
