VIKTOR & ROLF

Founded in 1993 by Dutch designers Viktor Horsting and Rolf Snoeren, Viktor & Rolf’s designs tumbled down onto their couture runway with unbeatable energy and fieriness. The fashion house known for their avant-garde and conceptual vestiaire did not disappoint this January. They presented online an unusually explosive collection shot in a Cold War munitions factory which had been converted into a contemporary art space. 21 looks, which they described as “couture rave”, walked down an improvised path with their back turned to a melted metallic background.

Although the composition of the looks was kept simple – a bra-top associated with a long ruffled skirt or a panty – the styling varied immensely. One can notice there the duo’s talent for reinventing and fully exploiting the patterns, colours, shapes and textures they have chosen to generate a collection’s stylistic identity.  Tiered, open-front, apron-like skirts, lingerie worn as accessory (mittens, leggings), face jewellery and bows were mostly upcycled from their own archive and patchworked on the silhouettes, creating thus entirely new looks with entirely new spirits.

The wild, do-it-yourself nature of the collection was a success because the risks taken by V&R are always grounded in the perfect technical mastery of fashion’s aesthetic requirements. For instance, the garment’s volumes were always thought out harmoniously; the patterns never attacked the eye and one was pleasantly surprised by the underlying elegance of the grunge couture silhouettes. Viktor & Rolf SS21 will undoubtedly be warmly welcomed by all those who love to look effortlessly festive.