Is fashion an art? This question has divided minds for almost a century. Some say yes, others vehemently deny it. But one thing is certain: art has influenced fashion for many years. We think of Yves Saint Laurent’s Mondrian collection, the collaboration between Salvador Dalí and Elsa Schiaparelli, Gianni Versace’s collection in homage to Andy Warhol or, most recently, Yayoi Kusama’s collection for Louis Vuitton. These are just a few examples that prove: Art has and will always influence fashion. DRESSLER is also releasing a collection for winter 2024-25 that has an artistic source of inspiration as a background: creative director Christian Fenske chose a series of several works painted by his late mother-in-law and digitally reproduced by his wife, who is also an artist, as the starting point for the new season.
“Art is a very abstract and therefore difficult to grasp subject. But the colors and structures just wouldn’t let me go. The fact that the pictures come from the 60s and 70s, my favorite stylistic era, strengthened my decision. For me, “The Artist Edition” is a journey back in time into my family’s artistic past and a declaration of love for the creative power of fashion. We are consistently continuing the design strategy we have been pursuing for several seasons and are setting new standards for DRESSLER.”
COLORS AND STRUCTURES
The abstract, large-format paintings, which serve as a source of inspiration for the upcoming AW 2024 winter season, primarily influenced the choice of colors and structures. The collection is divided into three major color themes:
1. A fairly cool navy/denim theme, together with warm hazelnut tones, forms the first focal point, which is based on an oeuvre with subtle, slightly pastel coloring around a bright center.
2. The second color theme ventures deeper into the artistic template, with a mix of dark chocolate brown with petrol. The template here is a large-format painting made up of irregular circles that separate dark color areas from light ones on the canvas.
3. A painting made of vertically overlapping color gradations gave the idea for the third thematic block consisting of different shades of blue and black. These are given further gradations through patterns such as glen check and stripes and the blue in combination with classic black provides a solid basis.
The different thicknesses of the brush strokes and the paint applied to the canvas create contrasting surfaces in the works of art, which are also implemented into fabrics. The textile structures combine the finest fabrics with coarse qualities, which are particularly in demand in winter, and thus create an interesting field of tension that creatively enhances the collection.
Christian Fenske: “The choice of colors and structures was crucial for this collection. I wanted to incorporate as many of the colors of the paintings as possible without making them obvious at first glance.” In collaboration with weavers, more exclusive fabrics than usual were created this season in order to do justice to the difficult task. “Many of the colors also get additional nuances and gradations through patterns, subtle mixtures or special fabric structures. The result is a collection with a particularly high level of diversity as well as a certain uniqueness.”
STYLE AND SILHOUETTE
The typical DRESSLER silhouette will once again gain in width in the coming winter collection and will therefore become more fashionable. The new shapes primarily influence the trousers range, which has been continuously revised and expanded for several seasons. The casual silhouette introduced in the summer collection is reflected in increased foot widths and an overall loose cut along the leg. When it comes to jackets, the modern style is implemented through a cut that is more distant from the body with slightly wider lapels and a reduced waist. In addition to classic suits, hybrid modules are playing an increasingly important role, in which jackets and trousers can be combined depending on the customer’s wishes. Overall, the looks appear more flowing and take away the severity of the classic style.
Coats are an important topic for cold days. This season they are gaining a lot of length (up to 115 cm) and more freedom of movement in the shoulder area. Christian Fenske: “The time of tight, short coats is over. Long, wide coats are also making a comeback in the business sector.” DRESSLER has almost doubled its range of outdoor jackets, which have already been very popular in previous seasons. Here too, the tapered silhouette and artistic inspiration are reflected in jackets that play with volume and include decorative elements such as teddy lining.
MATERIALS AND QUALITIES
“Our new fabric qualities are being increasingly well received by customers. That’s why we continue to experiment with new products. In terms of high-quality qualities, the blends of cashmere, silk and virgin wool as well as the collaboration with famous weavers from Biella in Italy were further expanded,” explains Head of Design, Christian Fenske. “DRESSLER has always worked very closely with Loro Piana and Zegna. But in view of our upgrading and also the increased importance of the new supply chain law, we are increasingly paying more attention to building our partnerships more closely with these experienced luxury suppliers, who guarantee more transparency along the textile chain.”
The fine fabrics from the Italian “capital of wool” are used across the entire collection. As a further material highlight of this winter season, the head of design names a new virgin wool quality made of 14.5 microns, which can hardly be distinguished from cashmere quality and is considered particularly durable. New, almost wrinkle-free luxury fabrics are finding their way into jackets in particular. For suits in the mid-price segment, virgin wool Super 130 qualities with and without bi-stretch predominate.
