Boris Bidjan Saberi Delivers Avant-Garde Samurai FW19

A Japanese influence pervades the hand-dyed layers.

look7 look9 look15 look16 look19 look22

Half German, half Iranian, currently living in Spain. How does this eclectic background influence you from an identitary standpoint?

In every sense, as it would for anyone, I guess; yet I’m not sure how to define it clearly. I am indeed deeply connected to my background and my roots have always been influencing what I am doing as that is resulting from who I am. So yes, some would say that my thirst for perfection comes from my German side and stylistically talking, one would see bridges with my Persian roots. But finally it’s just about being yourself and giving shape to your personal vision. I’ve chosen fashion design to express who I am and I feel really fulfilled. Through my life in Spain too, because of the freedom and the authenticity this culture and its people are giving me each day.

Central points in your formation as who you are today. (Be it a book, a place, a writer, a designer, an artist, etc.)

Being devoted to my passion, I might say that my path had been punctuated by experiences rather than by a specific artist or a reading. Thinking of it, I would obviously evoke my childhood and my first encounter with clothing when I started experimenting on old Levi’s. And later on, during my teenage, I’ve discovered and dived into the street culture and that has influenced me, mainly musically talking. And it still does to these days. Studying fashion design strengthened my desire, I felt I was meant for it but I also needed to create and express by my own vision of garments. People I meet, places I see, experiences I do; all this things it constantly nourish me through.

Skate crews, military, mafia or the latest sailor/fisherman instilled designs: you have stated that you always need a group to inspire each collection. In which way do you relate to these social realities as influential and moreover what makes these specific groups appealing to you as a designer?

It is mostly the feeling of being part of something, maybe also a kind of non-spoken strength and power that you may feel when you are part of a community, be it a group of friends or a family. It is really important to me, I need it personally, I need my own family. To share and live. Design wise, it’s appealing because those groups develop a common aesthetic that results from something really specific. The garment may be the result of a functional need for a type of worker for instance or it can signify a certain position or hierarchy – if we speak about the mafia circle. Garments become much more than simple clothing and offer a lot of potential to explore and dig.

How do you see yourself relating to a “dark aesthetic”, if there is one?

To be honest, I don’t know what people put behind the “dark aesthetic”. If that only means cherishing black, I bet I’m part of it but I would personally not use this word to define my work, I’m not “gothic” or “dark”. I do not see this “flow” as a design school.

Different personalities express themselves and people make connections, build bridges between them, but I don’t know if that really creates a specific aesthetic. My influences are very personal and I believe it is the same for other designers. Main value that you would like to be associated with your brand. Unique and hand crafted with care.

Could you tell me more Eleven is the result of different creative needs and the expression of a lifestyle. I don’t know if I wish to compare or to define its differences with Boris Bidjan Saberi. I am beyond bo but paradoxically do it in a way that very often turns out as an expression of an abstract impersonality. How do you feel about someone wearing head-to-toe Boris Bidjan Saberi?

When I see someone who wears my garments, I feel deeply touched and it makes me happy, of course. Personally, I’m wearing my garments from head to toe. If I do, it’s because they suit my daily needs and that I feel myself more complete wearing them.

Name one thing for which you would never leave aside your work as a fashion designer and one thing for which you definitely would Leaving what I’m doing would mean leaving my life and what I feel being born for and my thirst for experimentation is still far to be fed. Boredom could be a reason to consider quitting. Also If I start to feel I’m not supported any longer. That would mean I’ve lost a certain spirit for creation. I would obviously quit, if I start to have this feeling. Another reason is more concerned with the way in which the fashion business is working and its implicit rules, which are pretty far from my approach. I don’t feel really confortable with this lack of authenticity, so if this would destroy my visions and somehow the soul of my brand and mine, I’d rather start something different.

How would you describe the meaning of clothes in the consciousness of people these days?

It depends from which point of view one positions itself. Clothing talk about individuality but rather because it expresses one’s way of life – when the chance to choose is given to you of course. When I’m talking about a way of living I do not mean lots of money that grant you the opportunity to pick up this or this garment, I am talking about lifestyle. So yes, clothing can express individuality if we consider that it talks about what one is living in the present time, in this specific moment and specific space. It can talk about what you’re doing, what you love, what you live and how. And for me, that’s the way it should be for any individual. Clothing in nowadays consciousness appears to be more about the possibility to choose, to express. A certain kind of freedom. Many rules have been broken since one started designing clothing. Today – in the society I’m living in – it’s not much about revolutionizing silhouettes, even though what has been fascinating and is still now, is how clothing can reflect social or cultural changes. Clothing seems to be less a social tool than an individual one. That may also change the place of the garment, its status. Let’s see though how will this evolve through the coming decades.

Is reality (in some ways) an aesthetic competition nowadays? If it’s about being competitive with yourself, challenging your own creative expectations, yes, I can say my reality is an aesthetic competition. I tend to surprise myself and to go beyond expectable garments vision.

You were once asked in an interview to describe your universe in one word, and you replied “Impossible.” Why is that?

How can someone describe its universe through a unique word? And then why should he? My universe is complex, complete and constantly evolving, I don’t want to describe it, to use words to frame it. Its entirety and complexity can’t be described from a lexical point of view and that would be senseless. Words aren’t my way of expression; garments are.

Abstract or C oncrete?

Concrete.

What is the purpose of a fashion show?

Oh, and we’re not talking about the literal “fashion show” definition. With the onset of COVID-19, a decimated global economy and a world in the midst of a race relations reckoning, the idea of models walking down a catwalk seems quaint, if not entirely irrelevant. Still, the greatest fashion shows make a statement, be they political, thought-provoking or otherwise. To the fashion communiAthey feel important. Sure, the fashion calendar itself is an oddity, and many brands are questioning the cycle altogether, but for the majority of major houses, the show system has always made relative sense. An ideal way to showcase clothing while catering to the editors, buyers, celebrities and stylists—fashion month is a way of life. Nothing impresses t ginning of this year, we were living in a different reality. While London Fashion Week: Men’s and Paris Men’s Week were cancelled by late March as COVID cases surged worldwide, many assumed come September following a slow decline across Europe fashion would once again proceed as usual. Then, Saint Laurent Paris—once a highlight of the Paris calendar—announced it was opting out of September’s show schedule entirely, instead presenting a co-ed collection on its own timeline. While many designers, from J.W. Anderson to Gucci and Jacqumeus have combined men’s and women’s as of late, the idea of sitting out fashion month is radical, but perhaps revolutionary.

It is well established that, from a retail standpoint, by far the best selling collections are Resort and Pre-Fall, arriving in stores approximately in November and June, respectively. Considering production times, the current show system, which primarily focuses on Spring/Summer and Fall/Winter collection—both of which wind up heavily discounted due to arrival times failing to align with intended season—is clearly broken. A virus nowhere near dealt with and the inability to safely hold physical shows only adds further credence to their claims. Now, with a major player striking out on its own and following a wave of designers vowing to hold digital shows, the future of fashion shows looks grim.

There is ample precedent for digital shows, these events were primarily novelties, and did little to affect the bottom line. In reality, the reason that these largely exclusive IRL fashion shows still thrive is their proximity to buying season (most designers hold showrooms either during or immediately following fashion week) and the social media attention they garner. Beyond raising brand awareness, for the most part fashion shows are little more than a marketing exercise. In an economy whose recovery may very well take years and with fall buys down an estimated 30 percent according to industry insiders, they may be a cost that is hard to justify.

Of course, that does not mean fashion shows will immediately disappear. In a recent Haute Couture et de la Mode—France’s fashion governing body that oversees both men’s, women’s and couture and controls it’s fashion calendar—explicitly stated its intention to maintain Paris’ status as the world’s fashion capital, with a full slate of runway shows included. Yet, as budgets tighten and the ability to safely hold public gatherings remains a near impossibility, other options must be explored. Ermenegildo Zegna already stated its intention to livestream an audience-free fashion show, while Armani jumped the gun and already presented to an empty crowd in Milan this past February right as Italy began to feel the brunt of the COVID epidemic. With London FW going compleatly digital and Paris look3

Picasso, Patti Smith, Hello Kitty: JUN TAKAHASHI Imagines

“Characters for a New World Order” at Undercover

Some designers have struggled to make work during these times, sitting out the season or offering abbreviated versions of their best. Jun Takahashi, it seems, has done nothing but thrive. His spring 2021 Undercover women’s collection is the sort of shot to the heart that viewers used to get at his physical presentations: a summation of the Undercover world, distilled to its most potent, thrilling ends.

words STEFF YOTKA

FW for a big part as well, surely others are to follow. Smaller, independent labels too will no doubt be affected, with many opting out of the season altogether lacking the funds to justify such an expense given the current economy. Now, whether it be a digital endeavor, fashion film or simply a lookbook, the number of options that are—not only COVID-safe but fiscally responsible—far outweigh the fashion show. While the LVMH stable of look8 look21 brands clearly have the means to withstand the current downtown, would a fashion week lacking the young upstarts that make fashion week so exciting even be worth it?

Frankly, the modern fashion show’s greatest asset is brand equity. In menswear in particular, presenting in Paris as part of the official fashion calendar is an honor, a badge of the elite. But, with increasingly fickle consumers who value sustainability, brand ethics and perceived value over brand cachet, does said badge even matter? Will anyone care if Off-White no longer presents, considering Virgil Abloh’s army of devotees will continue to cop regardless? Rather, will digital events or special projects presented online do more for fans and potential consumers than a runway presentation ever could? With September fashion month going partly digital, it will take until the end the next fiscal year to truly see. By the end of 2021, with COVID hopefully in the rearview and a partially recovered economy, the fashion season may bounce back.

But if brands show they can operate just as well without, maybe they—along with the antiquated fashion calendar— will be gone for good.