AVOC’s Laura Do and Bastien Laurents matched the inspiration for their “Business as Usual” collection to the stark grayness of the Philharmonie — corporate looking but creative. “Colorful silhouettes but in black and white,” Laurent said.
A touch of yellow provided asperity in the sea of putty gray, lab coat white and black. The glitchy relationship between Gen Y and corporate culture was figured in a tartan, distorted as if displayed with bad network reception.
Elsewhere, a double-breasted jacket and trousers had as much affiliation to a suit as they had to the uniforms of maintenance staff. A white lab coat symbolized the experimentation that led them to their Creative Prize nomination.
He and codesigner Do have been thinking about business quite a lot recently: those identikit open spaces, all gray carpeting and clinically white walls, but also what corporate dressing meant for their generation of Millennials. How to take their business to the next, more incorporated level.
“We’ve been biting off way more than we can chew,” he said. “We have to, otherwise we’d never get noticed. But that’s also what will give us lasting power.” It wasn’t clear whether he was talking about the brand, or his generation as a whole.
Then came their ANDAM nomination, and the reflection about where that could take their brand as a company. Regardless, the collection was already under way. Business as usual, indeed.
See More From the Men’s 2018 Collections:
Valentino Men’s Spring 2018: Pierpaolo Piccioli’s casual lineup was all about self-expression.
Y/Project Men’s Spring 2018: The collection was more merch-friendly without losing any of the edge.
Cédric Charlier Men’s Spring 2018: Called “Playtime,” the starting point for the coed collection was a sculpture by Todd Knopke.
Balenciaga Men’s Spring 2018: Demna Gvasalia’s collection was an ode to Sunday in the park with Dad
Jil Sander Men’s Spring and Resort 2018: Lucie and Luke Meier debuted at Jil Sander with a women’s and a men’s collections, which offered a fresh, new take on the signature rigorous elegance of the brand.
Fausto Puglisi Men’s Spring 2018: Urban, baggy silhouettes met references to the Ancient Greek and Roman cultures in this capsule collection.