After an auction, a comedy show and a theater play, Colm Dillane went with a novel idea to present the KidSuper fall collection: a proper runway show.
The scene at the door was remarkably sedate, without a crush or police intervention. Inside, benches framed a long runway, above which hung long strands of thick wool. There was a string orchestra scattered in the front row.
So far, so tame. But this is Dillane we’re talking about.
“I got [soccer legend] Ronaldinho to walk, nothing else matters,” the Brooklyn-based designer crowed gleefully before a show styled by TikTok sensation Wisdom Kaye. “The collection’s OK as well.”
Proceedings kicked off with American ballet dancer Julian MacKay, leaping and spinning his way down the runway in a ruffled black outfit, only to have it unspooled by the second model, revealing a suit decorated in pointillist portraits.
Rapper Jim Jones thrilled the audience by strutting in a burgundy suit and a teddy coat embroidered with Dillane’s sketches. Ronaldinho followed, to the delight of guests including “Get Out” actor Daniel Kaluuya.
These social media moments didn’t distract from Dillane having grown as a designer, a year after being one of the guest talents of Louis Vuitton’s fall 2023 menswear collection. He was also in step with the polish Parisian runways have offered so far.
Out came well-proportioned suits, preppy blousons and slacks, and grandpa cardigans paired with loose denims that felt more artsy than sloppy. Even when taking a more casual direction, layers remained bulk-free. Thrown into the mix were painterly puffers, courtesy of a collaboration with Canada Goose.
The season’s title, “String Theory,” was an opportunity for mathematics graduate Dillane’s funny-man antics. He ran with that narrative thread, with circular patterns depicting the theoretical physics concept, a striped knit suit with yarn ends left hanging all over, and even human figures connected at the hands and feet — strung together, get it? — lasered onto denim.
Accessories were standouts, too. Boston bags of various sizes, puffy crossbodies and totes, as well as bicolor penny loafers and hiking boots with thick laces rounded out each look.
Backstage, Dillane was asked what kind of statement this more conventional show was. “That maybe I am a really good designer,” he said. The clothes proved that he is more than a clever show.
