Collaboration – never has the creative industry needed to explore the potential of partnerships in such a laterally minded way. As the world goes through what has been dubbed a collective trauma, connected and meaningful interactions have been formulating as the experience of the global crisis solidifies groups – memories that will be shared in the future.
Partnerships are becoming more reasonable, more cultivating, more open to input and experience.We see the term maker traversing a spectrum of craft, limited not to certain adages and opening itself to dialogues with how others are coping and creating. On the crest of the pandemic breaking on western shores, Proenza Schouler collaborated with Birkenstock. Shot by Juergen Teller, the collaboration evokes an impression of the importance to look at function within form once more: of what people want, what people need.
Twin spoke to Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez of Proenza Schouler about this cross pollination of ideas and why we need collaborations now more than ever.
How did this partnership come about?
J&L: The collaboration happened quite organically. A friend of ours who was working on a project with Birkenstock mentioned to them that we were fans of the brand, and that perhaps we should all meet together to discuss a potential collaboration. We met, and the rest is history.
What was the attraction to either design house?
J&L: Birkenstocks have always had a special place in our lives and are one of the few things that the two of us have in common from our separate and completely different childhood experiences.
Lazaro: I grew up in Miami, so the ocean was an important part of my life. Spending your free time on the sand and on boats was what one did as a kid. Birkenstocks were what my friends and I always wore because they were easy, comfortable, and had a kind of counterculture nostalgia associated with them that was very much in the air during those days. I remember wearing them to my first day of college at the University of Miami and not thinking twice about how appropriate that would be. It was simply part of the culture down in the tropics. When I moved to NY, I of course took my Birkenstocks with me and actually still have those exact pair in my closet. They are one of the few things I still have in my possession from those early days before Proenza Schouler.
Jack: I grew up in Tokyo but moved to New Jersey as a child with my family. Growing up in the 90’s and being the free spirited and independent kid that I was, I ended up leaving home at a young age and traveling around the country with the Grateful Dead. It was during those years that Birkenstocks really became a staple of my everyday life. On tour, that was the de facto uniform. They became a kind of symbol of a by gone era that the kids around me were glorifying in a way, and trying to relive on our own. Of course, it was a different time altogether, but Birkenstocks somehow connected the past with the present. I moved to San Francisco after I eventually finished high school, then ended up at an arts boarding school in Massachusetts, before ending up in NY and starting at Parsons. Birkenstock were a part of my entire journey into adulthood and to this day are still a mainstay of my life.
Would you say this is a meeting of likeminded creatives or actually an opposites-attract partnership?
J&L: We love the idea of two New York designers who have a brand firmly planted in the eco system of NY fashion collaborating with a historic German shoemaker. The cross pollinating of cultures and ideas and work styles feels totally pertinent to the world of today.
Why do we need collaboration in the fashion world now more than ever?
Collaborations can be great if they feel organic and natural. We actually don’t do many of them as we like to focus on the work we already do in-house. We have pretty clear ideas of what we like and what we don’t, and sometimes with too many cooks in the kitchen the process can get difficult. There are already two of us, so adding more people into the mix can sometimes get complicated. On the other hand, if the collaborator does something iconic that we feel makes sense for us and our woman, and we have a very clear idea of what we would like to do for it, then of course it is a great thing to do. It opens up your brand to people who wouldn’t normally interact with it and vice versa. It can be an incredibly interesting thing to do on many levels and we think the one-off nature of the project usually makes it exciting and desirable for people.
It’s important to open up your studio to new voices, new ideas, new people, in an effort to push the boundaries of what is possible in-house. We could have done our own version of a Birkenstock sandal with Proenza Schouler shoes, but it would never be a real Birkenstock. Authenticity is something we care deeply about and if we wanted to create something in the world of Birkenstock, who better to do it with than the masters of that kind of shoe: Birkenstock.
It’s time to start buying into Spring/Summer 2014. One key piece, seen on the catwalks of Carven, Dries Van Noten, Christopher Kane and Givenchy, is the pleated knee length skirt. This versatile garmet is set to be a wardrobe staple come spring, worn with everything from luxury tee’s and logo sweats, so why not start wearing them now. This week we pick Twin‘s top pleated skirts, so you can get ahead of the game.
Downsizing is difficult, whichever area of your life you target – this spring, focus on your bag contents. Miniature hand-held accessories are a key trend this season. Perfect for those credit-card-and-lipstick-kind-of-nights. Take a look at Twin’s picks…
Charlotte Olympia Pandora Perspex clutch, £625, net-a-porter.com & Proenza Schouler PS11 Mini Metallic Hologram Leather Bag, £890,
For the A/W 13 season, Twin has sent photographers backstage at the New York, London and Paris shows to capture the moods of our favourite designer collections off the catwalk. First up, the Zuma photography series-inspired work of Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez at Proenza Schouler…
Overly cool brand Opening Ceremony has garnered a cult status through its locations in cities like New York and Tokyo. Luckily for us, London is finally getting a piece of the action, thanks to the launch of label’s first UK shop yesterday. Set in Covent Garden, the 3,000-square-foot pop up store has been opened to coincide with the Olympic Games starting later this month and the company’s ten-year anniversary in September.
The brand has already collaborated with the likes of Chloë Sevigny and Rodarte, but to mark the London O.C. takeover, designers including adidas, Norma Kamali, Topshop, Band of Outsiders, Charles Anastase, Christopher Shannon, House of Holland, Pamela Love and Proenza Schouler have created exclusive capsule collections for the store.
Combined with a selection of rare books curated by the Claire de Rouen team and set in a neon-coloured, geometric shape-decorated landscape courtesy of Studio Toogood, it’s safe to say we have found ourselves a new retail paradise. Let the shopping games begin.
From secondary season to fully-fledged collections in their own right, this past year’s fashion cycle has all been about the rise of resort. Offering the ideal transition from autumn to summer, as well as designers an opportunity to prolong their retail exposure, the season has once and for all stepped out of its main collection sister’s shadow.
From Chloé’s countryside romanticism to Givenchy’s downtown gypsy look, Twin chooses our favourite not-so-in-between collections of the season…
Alexander Wang
Wang’s aesthetic has increasingly matured since his prolific rise and this collection was a clear departure from those tank top and knit beanie days.
The designer still kept his downtown cool thanks to streamlined sleeveless puffa jackets and midriff-baring vests in patent and croc leather, but by offsetting them with front-pleated, pegged trousers and refined chiffon dresses, the looks went from everyday casual to New Yorker chic.
Celine
Every season, through the slightest tweak of a silhouette or colour alteration, Phoebe Philo manages to conjure up a new line of fashion must-haves.
Progressing from her sportswear influenced A/W 12 showing, this collection was a combination of relaxed silhouettes such as wide-legged trousers and leather jumper/jogger combos, but added that typical Celine elegance through geometric prints, clean lines and a largely black and white-colour palette.
Chloé
Chloé designer Clare Waight Keller headed to the country for this collection, but those expecting Little House On The Prairie type looks are in for a big surprise.
Instead Keller took the best inspirations of rural life – think pale skye blue and neutrals, ethnic prints and crochet patterns – and infused it into the brand’s laid back romantic DNA, resulting in lightweight harem trousers, smock dresses, waist-tie tops and scallop-edged shorts made for a summer in the city.
Christian Dior
An appropriate mix of historical references and contemporary elegance, these looks found their strength in the house of Dior’s archetypal look.
Classical waist-cinching shift dresses and tops with peplum hems were paired with cropped straight leg trousers and romantic knife-pleated chiffon skirts, whilst leather accents gave the whole collection a strikingly modern feel.
Givenchy
Presented in a street style photography approach, Riccardo Tisci fused strong tailoring with paisley and geometric prints for an urban bohemian look.
Leather and motif-printed capes stood alongside more relaxed silhouettes of harem trousers and silk shift dresses for a look that was truly Givenchy, but as always, has something new to bring to the table.
Proenza Schouler
Round-shouldered tweed jackets and capes, bleached slim cut jeans, low-slung flares, satin tuxedo trousers and laser cut neon cocktail dresses – this season Proenza Schouler offered the complete wardrobe for their brand’s cosmopolite cool audience.
With colours ranging from cream to ultramarine to pistachio, this was a collection that could go from day to endless night.
Stella McCartney
McCartney’s multifarious resort showing included sheer overlay pleated skirts, fringe tassel lace dresses, golden brocade print cap sleeve and short as well as bubblegum pink blazer and neon orange kick flare trousers combos.
Accessorised with sunshine yellow pointed toe platform pumps and holographic clutches, this collection made us that bit more excited for the summer.
Theyskens’ Theory
How to turn the essentials into something intriguing appeared to be the question on Olivier Theyskens’ mind this season. His answer ticked all the right boxes: oversized blazers were given an oil painting slick appearance thanks to silver velvet and watercolour-esque prints, shimmering lurex T-shirts and jumpers gained nighttime appeal and the tried but true boyfriend jean was fitted with just the right amount of slouch. Who said basic had to be boring?
Right now there’s one opening ceremony that we’re excited about. Yep, innovative retailers and purveyors of global cool Humberto Leon and Carol Lim of Opening Ceremony are opening a pop-up shop in London’s Covent Garden, days before the Olympics are due to begin.
While it’s a more than apt moment to launch the brand into the UK, we’re simply happy to have the store on this side of the pond. Having already produced collections lusted after by fashionistas the world over, the store is set to boast wares by Proenza Schouler, Chloe Sevigny and Pamela Love, as well of course as Kenzo, whom Opening Ceremony recently took over design duties for. For those keeping it strictly sporty during that month, they’ll also be Adidas X Opening Ceremony.
Hot on the heels of the pop-up store will come a permanent space opening in Autumn, but right now, the buzz building up for July just got louder.
Nashville blue skies, blazing sun and railroad tracks – cult film maker Harmony Korine’s fashion short Act Da Fool for Proenza Schouler’s A/W 10 collection is charming. Korine follows a sweet gang of suburban girls clad in the labels paint drip patterns and leather as they idle away hot days – spraying, drinking and getting wild. These high-end little ladies roaming shopping trolley and tyre-strewn landscapes are – refreshingly – a million miles away from Proenza’s usual slick Manhattan habitat. It’s Kids gone high fashion. Korine clearly ain’t no fool.
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