Duran Lantink AW24

LVMH Prize finalist Duran Lantink had it coming to him for years now. This master of upcycling has taken his designs to the next level. I remember him starting years ago with splicing designer labels and putting them on clothing. A Gucci Vuitton? No problem, got it right here. A Yveslenciaga, sure, here you go... That collection made us ask ourselves, is it still luxury after the label has been "destroyed"?

Taking that thought a step further we eventually arrived at this AW24 collection. The upcycling of clothing with the enhancements of our human desires and abilities in mind. The ultra padded shoulders showed either strength or fear. The puffed out chest showed bravery and the wrap around floating garments seemed like emotions swirling around. When I had a chance to speak briefly with the designer at the showroom he had said that foundation of this collection was to show the strength in people. Like armor, if you need some extra strength or courage you can put this on.

The show started out mildly enough with a red dress and medium sized shoulders. It quickly jumped to a black zip up dress with extremely exaggerated hips and arms, parts on a woman that we traditionally feel sensitive about. Nobody wants giant puffy arms and hips that protrude out but are not smooth. Somehow though, it works. As the show progressed we saw padded knits that were swirling around the body with parts of the midsection showing. There were lots of unnatural protrusions that don't seem traditionally attractive. Another wonderful example of that is the bodysuit with chest pieces that jutted up and out. Too much of a good thing one might think, but again, it worked. These seemingly grotesque lumps and bumps highlight parts that have been glamorized for centuries. To have them in your face like this does indeed seem very brave. For this designer, upcycling is untraditional. And that's very brave of him.

For more about Duran Lantink, click HERE