Chalk it up to the new era of transparency. Young designers often take a commercial turn, but rarely are they so honest as to write it in their show notes.
But Vaquera designers Patric DiCaprio and Bryn Taubensee have never been conventional, so the pair openly declared their intent to shift their subversive wares to more commercial, wearable pieces as the show’s opening salvo.
After a decade of collections, the design duo felt they had moved beyond the confrontational “crazy looks” that have so far defined the brand. They put their twist on basics with striped button-downs, shrunken bombers featuring pouf shoulders, slip skirts, cropped windbreakers and painted canvas fabric that made for a more humane take on leather-look cargo pants.
The twist on an oversized faux fur cape was full of the traditional Vaquera volume, and a pouf ball dress added an air of playfulness. There were ass-less chaps and bottom-exposing lingerie looks, but they didn’t overpower, and sailor touches were nods to past collections without being cartoonish.
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The duo explored Vaquera’s core codes and translated them into “clothes that are easy to buy, easy to wear, easy to understand, that are still striking, exciting, and all the things that we cared about for 10 years,” added DiCaprio.
They also launched other firsts for the brand, including shoes in partnership with Onitsuka Tiger and two styles of their own brand cowboy boots, jewelry in collaboration with D’heygere and their own brand sunglasses. Further establishing their commercial intent, the collection was infused with a V monogram on denim and handbags.
The sartorial soul-searching has led to another major change for the brand — DiCaprio and Taubensee will move to Paris in April. They are working with Dover Street Market Paris on business development, plus want more cultural connection rather than the isolation they are feeling as indie designers in New York.
“We’re trying to make a change that way and show something we think is cool, show that you don’t need to be a celebrity to be a designer. You don’t need 10 million followers,” added DiCaprio.
