In a sparse warehouse dotted with trees,
models sauntered down the catwalk in tweed coats to the sound of ravens as US
designer Thom Browne closed New York Fashion Week with what he called a
“romantically dark” show.
The designer’s theatrical autumn-winter 2024 collection on Wednesday
evening was inspired by Edgar Allan Poe’s seminal “The Raven,” in which the
hero, who has just lost his lover, is visited by the black bird.
With Janet Jackson and Queen Latifah looking on, half-human, half-animal
forms — some with feather veils or masks– sported Browne’s distinctive black
and white palette, as a female voice read lines from the poem.
A stole made of shredded tuxedo strips was worn over the shoulders of one
model.
The US designer used velvet, cashmere, black mohair and silk to create the
deconstructed, eccentric silhouettes he favors.
Known for reimagining the gray suit, with Bermuda shorts or pleated skirts
for men, Browne said after the show that he had sought to create a
“romantically dark” atmosphere.
At the center of the show was a model acting as a tree, wearing an immense
black puffer jacket, by far the largest piece seen during fashion week in the
Big Apple.
‘Put Africa on the map’
With between 10 and a dozen shows a day since Friday, the catwalk marathon
saw an avalanche of styles.
New York’s week may be less significant than those in Paris, Milan and
London, but it still attracts a galaxy of stars, like Beyonce, who sat in the
front row for the Luar fashion show on Tuesday.
Designer Jacques Agbobly, 26, who was born in Togo and immigrated to
Chicago as a child, represents a new, diverse generation of fashion talent.
“My work is to put Africa on the map,” Agbobly told AFP about his
collection.
“I’m telling a story about my upbringing as an African person living in the
United States… and having to navigate my identity between West Africa versus
living in America and figuring out a middle ground of having to exist in
between spaces,” he said.
Among the pieces shown by Agbobly was a double-belted trench coat in green,
yellow and red checks, reminiscent of the colors of his native country’s flag.
His creations are in the running for this year’s LVMH Prize for Young
Fashion Designers.(AFP)
