Area Brand
AREA Presents Its New Fall Winter 2023 Ready-To-Wear And Couture Collection
Luxferity, 11.09.2023
This season we explored the idea of the primal instinct and its evolution through fashion history. Starting with bones and fur, materials originally used as means for survival, these transformed through generations into symbols of aristocracy and wealth, and eventually into today’s excess.
In this collection we try to break down those notions and redefine these symbols through alternative material explorations.
Fur Trompe L’oeil
Our initial research brought us to fur, one of the oldest forms of clothing. A material once used for warmth and protection, developed into a status symbol glamourized throughout history. Often a signifier of prosperity, this trade created a polarizing contrast between the rich and the poor. We wanted to take this symbol of wealth and transform it into something modern and inclusive through exploring fur as trompe l’oeil denim, fluid crepe viscose and silk jacquard.
First, we photocopied vintage fur pelts then warp-printed this artwork onto various fabrics. Next to the graphic texture, the allure of fur lies in its dramatic volume and construction. We translated this by draping godet-like volumes into skirts, dresses, and monumental couture coats. This technique was also applied to jeans and outerwear, hybridizing high-octane glamour with wardrobe staples.
Bones
Jewelry and adornment have always been important to our DNA. This season we looked at prehistory where one of the first jewelry pieces was made of bone. In attempts to marry a craft so primitive with modern jewelry-making, we rendered abstract bone shapes in various techniques of lacquer, Swarovski crystal bombé, and molded claws.
- Lacquered Bones
Our first exploration of bones was through hand-sculpting exaggerated bone-like shapes that are lacquered in resin enamel and encrusted with Swarovski rivoli crystals. These bones are then knotted into dramatically draped couture gowns and abstract jewelry.
- Crystal Bombé Bones
We reimaged bones and skulls as adornments by crafting thousands of Swarovski crystals into bombé skull heads, bracelets, and colliers. This technique was then translated through embroidered crystal and paillette cups on dresses, tops, and fully encrusted catsuits.
- Molded Claws
We wanted to infuse a sense of savage beauty into the collection by creating hand-molded jewelry claws that slice open elegant suiting pieces, body-hugging cocktail dresses, and slashed denim, offering a new take ‘distressing’.
