If ABASI ROSBOROUGH's emergence into the menswear scene in 2013 was assertive, the soft violence of their Fall Winter 2018 show betrays an uncertainty toward the future. Building on an interpretation of elegant doomsday themes from their Spring Summer 2017 show, which featured NASA photos of climate change on their stark silhouettes, Utopia/Dystopia was a commentary of the concurrent delights and detriments of technology around us. Models wearing facial recognition geometric maps reminded viewers of both the incredible technological achievement and the terrifying reality that a face can be studied, analyzed, identified, and processed. This commentary on the heels of iPhone X face key technology, itself a complex question of identity and ownership. The question posed to the audience is that of the meaning and value of mystery: How much power are we willing to give technology? Where do you draw the line between new tools and new constraints?
The clothing itself underlines the brand's inherent duality. Cut mostly from deadstock fabrics– Abasi Rosborough is a vocal critic of fast fashion and the industrial waste that stems from it– softer silhouettes cut into strong angles were balanced against sharp tailoring expressed in a melange of textures, creating more of a range than a balance. Military rigor, Abasi's influence on the brand, is toned down to balance with an athletic vigor, Rosborough's part, expertly navigating the seams between sport and style, precision and progress. Sporty tailoring, like the Arc Apres Shirt, blurs the lines between classic and contemporary, while tactical influences on iconic styles like the Arc Flight Jacket call on fictional futures past.
This was also Abasi Rosborough's inaugural fashion show. The Cadillac House was bathed in an otherworldly red glow with contrasting blue light panels, echoing pops of color against a number of all-black looks in an unique Doppler effect. The air was split and smoothed by a performance from R&B singer Kelela with accompaniment by guitarist Tosin Abasi. The cumulative effect would fit a Ridley Scott movie equally as well as a bold new collection from one of menswear's most exciting new talents.
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