FANCY FOOTWORK.

Again maybe I’ve missed the boat with this one but oki-ni are launching HUSSEIN CHALAYAN footwear in the near future. Wait, come back! People might know Chalayan for that LED dress, the “Tangent Flows” graduate collection (which Chalayan buried/dug up in his back graden) or the skirt that turns into an occasional table. But his menswear too often goes unnoticed. Chalayan, as I remember, was doing the minimal/muted/pin-sharp thing way before its current moment, allowing the focus to be put on the construction/reconfiguration in his clothes.

Either way these are pretty lovely sneakers, made in collaboration with Puma (which Chalayan is now creative director of) and Sergio Rossi, who produced my favourite shoe of SS 10 with a knockout collection.

I’ll definitely be “registering my interest” in these, but perhaps it’s time to take a look back at Chalayan’s menswear greatest hits. What’s startling is the focus- no arbitrary pieces, no embarassing wrong steps.

SS 08 collection for Yoox.com:

The AMAZING SS 07 collection, which Tim Blanks describes as being produced from research into garments throughout the 20th century. I love the biker jacket/blouson/shirt hybrids, and apparently there was latex in some of the t-shirt sleeves and on the hem of trenchcoats. This kind of fabric manipulation/hidden detail was a lot rarer a few years ago, but something we’re taking for granted in the all white SS 10 collections. Nice use of jackets with shorts, without looking odd:

And some highlights from SS 06- some nice shirt play, especially with the grey cutaway placket…

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