The question I have been asking myself since London Fashion Week wrapped up last month: will I be wearing a burqa come Spring 2014?
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dmittedly, an all too pervasive blasé feeling towards fashion in general has struck me and I blame industry. Today’s nonstop fashion machine is tiresome, for consumers and creators. Weren’t the bigwigs briefed on how nice it is to truly long for something? Even Spring collections that near artistic and commercial perfection (Valentino, Balenciaga) somehow fall short on that magical it-factor. Perhaps it comes from knowing that these collections will be seen on every editor, blogger, etc in Western and Eastern Hemispheres before hitting the stores. (Am I out of line in saying that all this Instagramming and label dropping seems just a little tawdry? That’s another post later.)
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ith that in mind, I think there is something positive to be said about the moment’s ever dynamic fashion scene. It is incredibly multi-cultural, from a design and manufacturing standpoint, and I love the idea of tapping into style from all corners of the globe when considering a garment. Enter KTZ, the club kid, streetwear turned couture brand, that somehow steadily navigates this hectic fashion machine with effortless ease. From a Balinese studio of course. KTZ is producing for both men and women, and excelling at catering to the best fashion tastes: fickle, comic, and informed.
For Fall/Winter, designers Marjan Pejoski and Koji Maruyama caught my attention with esoteric references. For the Men’s S/S 2014 collection, shown in July, these references evolved into a Berber-inspired collection. I nearly shrieked with delight when I saw women’s Spring/Summer 2014, continuing the nomadic, North African style of dress, with some amazing jewelry. Traditional mosque patterning appears throughout the collection of skirts, leggings, oversized jackets, dresses, capes and burqas. Tradionally worn for religious purposes and in North Africa’s case, to deflect inclimate weather, I can’t think of a better garment to block out the haters in this hodgepodge rat race of digitalized fashion. So yes, for Spring 2014, the burqa is a yes. Whether or not KTZ intended to subvert an article of clothing front and center of current international debate, I care not. Fashion lovers, this is for you.
