Using designs inspired by mechanisms of the human form, Goeie Katoen grounds an artistic representation of life in fashion for the release of its' Spring Summer 2018 luxury ready to wear collection: Vitam Et Mortem – Life and death.
Cotton velvet silk bomber jackets, velvet trackbottoms, alpaca cardigans, silk shirts, and woolen cashmere coats- the garments from the emerging London based label are a sophisticated, shimmering take on menswear - finished with gothic touches and a layer of regality.
Styled by Ross McCleish and photographed by Alexander English, the lookbook sees enshrouded, statuesque models placed in a light and bustling atelier workshop. Images are accompanied by hand written notes and annotations from the designer – adding a quirky personal accompaniment to the effaced effigys.
There is a silk base running through the collection – satin silk, crossgrain silk, grosgrain silk, cotton velvet silk, silk dupion, fuji silk. The lightness and comfort of the material is contrasted against structured, square patterns and metal finishes – zips, buckles, loops, buttons.
Vitam Et Mortem follows Goeie Katoen's Spring Summer release – A Fall From Grace. Speaking on the release of the collection, Goeie Katoen designer says:
"The garment as a pattern is the start of life, but then adding fabric and making is the living part of the garment, the eventual wear and tear is the ageing and then throwing away is the death. This is the same way way we live we interact with people you know, we are born, we endure have our wear and tear live, age, and then you know must go."
Where fashion often looks to bring an escape from the everyday, Goeie Katoen here brings the escape to the everyday through its' art led, regal ethos. Clothes are chosen and shaped to have a lasting purpose and effect on the wearer – from the feel of the fabrics to the colours, cuts and embellishments. This attention to detail is in keeping with Goeie Katoen's translation – 'good cotton'.
