NYFWM: CRAFT ATLANTIC
We’ve been following Luis Fernandez for many years, and while we’ve loved all things past, this latest collection for Craft Atlantic could be the best yet. While he brings many of his strengths displayed during his tenure with Number:Lab to the Craft Atlantic table, the recent collections including this are considerably more refined, graduated even, and expertly made with all of the innovative technical qualities we’ve come to know and respect him for.
This season, while only a couple of the pieces on display at the presentation were “tailored clothing,” everything from the short shorts to sweatpants and Eisenhower jackets were expertly tailored. A thousand shades of navy with functional and technical attributes that must be seen up close to appreciate fully. Heavy use of performance fabrics in upscale shapes establish the collection as upwardly mobile, while geometric prints and fabric blocking gave the collection texture and depth.
“The inspiration was to creating a collection comprised of streamlined wardrobe staples for an escape to the most iconic of modern utopias: Oscar Niemeyer’s Brasilia,” he says. We followed up with some questions below.
What inspired SS16?
SS16 continues the Craft Atlantic travel story, with the defining concepts being time and travel…how the need for escapes lead to a constant search for utopias in varied forms (fictional, virtual, structural). Particularly, the Modernism of the 1960s and their vision of a hyper-futuristic world… or today’s ‘created utopias’ in the virtual world of social media. Brasilia, one of the great ‘modern utopias’ with seemed so fitting as a destination for this collection.
What are you most excited about?
It’s part of this dialogue on how technology is affecting our clothes for the future, how they can enhance our lives and make them more efficient.
The technical fabrics we work with are so versatile and exciting to work with. Particularly in outerwear are polished while being breathable and adaptable to any climate. There’s a great technical ‘denim’ jacket crafted in a coated linen; raincoat in a two-tone double-face waterproof canvas; and a paper-thin waterproof nylon coach jacket in a custom-designed geometric pattern.
It was also incredibly exciting to present the collection as part of the inaugural New York Fashion Week: Men’s. It’s a great time for menswear in America, and we are thrilled to have Craft Atlantic be a part of that.
How would you describe the presentation and the ideas behind it?
The clothing in the collection itself comes together as a streamlined travel wardrobe for the modern nomad, who finds himself on a trip to Oscar Niemeyer’s Brasilia, one of the most iconic modern utopias. Our presentation during NYFW: M, took this concept with a vignette of the ‘ideal’ airport lounge. We are presenting a kind of ‘polished futurism’ in the clothes through innovative linens, cottons, and light nylons. Each piece is crafted with special attention to the technical and functional details, all super luxe, breathable and effortless. The palette is mainly shades of blue: navy, indigo, teal; with pops of white. The original geometric prints are very bold, a light nod back to Niemeyer.
