Named “Ikorrok” after the Ewondo word for “fallow,” Imane Ayissi’s fall collection was an ode to nature and a reminder of its powers of renewal, a notion he brought to fruition in a vivid display of silks, hand-dyed cottons, wool felt and his signature raffia with a medley of playful embellishments.
“I love taking something ‘brut’ and working with it to give it its letters of nobility, the way I do with raffia, which is a very rustic material, to sublimate it without using glitter and all the bling usually associated with luxury,” said the designer backstage before his show. “I love starting with something basic and bringing it to life.”
Against a backdrop of sharp, classically inspired silhouettes in a rainbow of brightly hued textiles, that was exactly what he did, delivering a collection that appeared abuzz with movement. In perfect alignment, most of the materials he used were biodegradable, intended to ultimately return to nature and regenerate it.
You May Also Like
Delicate flowers in white porcelain by French sculptor Aline Putot-Toupry adorned the front of a raw-edged wool felt jacket in bright fuchsia, worn over a matching draped slip. Thousands of multicolored beads formed vertical stripes down dresses in a range of shapes to look like swarms of tiny insects, with more literal critters serving as the shimmering buttons on tailored silhouettes here and there. Dainty beaded fringe-work resembled shivering dew on a spider’s web, on a striking tie-dye jumpsuit with a cinched waist and sharp silhouette, for instance.
Ayissi styled his designs with elbow-length gloves in a broad array of colors or giant felt discs by way of earrings, accentuating his singular aesthetic and innovative textile choices.
