For her first season on the official calendar, 032c’s Maria Koch explored the idea of “anti-Zeitgeist” uniform dressing with a realistic spin.
The German designer views everything through a practical lens. “I’m not interested in living in a fantasy world,” she said. But she’s not designing for today’s increasingly tense world, either; instead trying to capture fragments of beauty. “For me there are still beautiful moments, when I’m with my husband, or my kids, or my dog. This is what we have to recognize.”
She concentrated on small details in shape and structure. Koch partnered with Georgian-American artist Ketuta Alexi-Meskhishvili, using one of her photos blown up in a mottled floral print on minidresses with high, Karl-esque pointed collars for women and button-down shirts for men. Dark olive on jackets and cargo pants broke up the mostly-monochrome color palette, save a bright burst of orange on two finale looks that also referenced Alexi-Meskhishvili’s works.
The collection was shown in near darkness, making it difficult to discern details such as embroidery on the runway. Koch’s production design decision was intentional, to show that beauty must exist independently of perception. But it’s difficult when you cannot see the clothes.
Koch explores timelessness “ruthlessly,” she said. Shapes varied from dropped-waist trousers with a vaguely 1990s feel and slim-cut jumpsuits to oversized parkas with plenty of pockets. Sheath tops on men and women reinforced the uniform dressing codes she is establishing for the young brand, which carried through on mesh gowns for women emphasizing her no-nonsense, sleek silhouette.
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