AW16 is the second menswear collection by Timur Kim. Entitled “Chapter 1. Ice Rink”, it continues the volume that begun with “Prologue. Medical School”. The new chapter is dedicated to an unconventional love story between the designer and an orthodox priest. Ice rink is the birthplace of the story as well as the major point of reference, directing Kim towards the exploration of the similarly themed works by Wolfgang Tillmans entitled “Tableu” (2001) and “Snow/Ice Grid” (1999). The works gave the collection its colours – shades of navy, white and black – as well as the geometry for the patchworking and knitwear embossing.
Patchworking, Kim’s signature technique, is taken to a whole new level. Not only textiles, but also characters, social classes and historical periods are sewn together to create garments. Velvet, once accessible only by royalty and nobility is combined with canvas, which was a staple among the peasants. Posing the same question as the V&A exhibition “What is luxury”, Kim explores what defines luxury clothing in modern society. He deliberately patchworks expensive materials with humble and man-made ones, such as silk chiffon and polycotton in shirts and velvet and polywool in tailoring. It is a commentary on the changing perception of luxury and how we value things differently compared to people living in other centuries.
The collection again introduces three characters, but instead of professors, students and gods, this time it is a patchwork of royals, noblemen, priests and peasants. Front placket detailing of tops and shirts inspired by historical peasant wardrobe is opposed to slits inspired by Russian caftans worn by tsars. The shirts are worn on top of the black turtlenecks with overlaying white chokers referencing the priest collars. A fluid cape made from velvet, polywool and lightweight denim is opposed to a more stiff, oversized jacket made of wool, leather and humble canvas – nobility and clergy confront the countrymen, borrowing from each other, to form a harmonious union.
Wolfgang Tillman’s studies of unconventional love forms and Kim’s personal experience of the gay H&H scene inspired the footprint of the skinhead boot applied on silk chiffon in velvet flocking. The choice of the soft and light materials reflects the idea that love and tenderness can be found even in the seemingly brutal forms of fetishes. Slits on the sleeves also symbolise the act of self-destruction, referencing the ripped sleeves of drug slammers. The idea of ripping apart or cutting through was further developed in slashed turtlenecks and skirts, where the sexually charged feeling of impatience to take clothing off was explored.
The majority of the garments are asymmetrical in cut, details, or placement of the patchwork – another signature of Kim’s designs. By doing so he draws our attention to the fact that repeats and mirror reflections are hardly ever found in nature or human interactions. Nature is highly asymmetrical, while human emotions are unique to the moment and can never be captured or replicated. Following the idea of the momentary nature of human life, Kim often preserves the mistakes that he believes add to the design. The front part of the neckline of the tsar coat accidentally lost 2 centimetres during the fitting making a perfect overlap impossible, while the unfinished turtleneck missing two thirds of its usual length, was made into a stand alone garment worn on top of the t-shirt. Kim believes that the fast pace of fashion has at least one positive side to it, namely the impossibility to avoid such mistakes. By preserving them designers may discover new, unexpected and unique solutions, enriching their collections.
