Spring Summer 2019 Menswear

Interviews by the River
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German artist Martin Kippenberger’s The Happy End of Franz Kafka’s ‘Amerika’ (1994), which is based on Franz Kafka’s novel Amerika (1927) re-imagines a section of the book when the protagonist Karl Rossmann, having travelled across America, applies for a job at the "biggest theatre in the world." "Everybody is welcome!" proclaims the call for employment, "Whoever wants to become an artist should sign up!" Kafka never completed the novel, which he abandoned writing over a decade before it was posthumously published. The unfinished condition of the book suspends the possibility, unusual in Kafka’s fiction, for a "happy ending."

At its core, the artwork explores the fictional utopia of universal employment, adapting Kafka’s idea of communal job interviews into an artwork. Kippenberger described the situation depicted in his installation as “a circus in town, looking to employ reliable hands, helpers, doers, self-confident handlers and the like. Outside the circus tent, in my imagination, there would be tables and chairs set up for job interviews.”

Kiko Kostadinov’s sixth collection, Interviews by the River, is centred on that narrative, placing it in an imaginary Bengal town on the Ganges in homage to Stayajit Ray’s The Apu Trilogy (1955 – 1959) and Jean Renoir’s The River (1959), two Indian cinematic milestones that brilliantly evoke the intoxicating energy of social mobility in urban Indian.

The collection itself is an assortment of characters. They are men at various stages in their life, at different levels of authority, interacting with one another. Some are dressed as figures of authority in riffs on uniforms, whereas other are navigating the complex intricacies of social mobility. As a result, colours and textures are intentionally jarringly mismatched. The colour palette — buttery primrose, pale lavender, high-vis tangerine, pear green and navy blue — takes its cue from the cluttered composition of Kippenberger’s aforementioned work, as well as the streetscapes of India.

Elsewhere, sportswear details soften military shapes and boxy proportions and tunic silhouettes transform the banal familiarity of uniforms. A chef’s suit, for instance, is cut with open vents, exaggerated cuts and a Nehru collar — the result is something that riffs on the codes of workwear with a comfortable elegance. Ribbed-knits are unusually loose, appearing as tunic suits with undulating river-like stripes and flared trousers. Kostadinov’s signature trousers, cut with roadmap seams and complex volume, return with a relaxed air and draped construction and pockets that are concealed within seams that twist around the garments.

Double-faced workwear-wool outerwear is neatly tailored and crafted with keyhole pockets and secret passages that allow for swathes of Bulgarian carpet scarves or makeshift Bulgarian military cotton Meshka bags — both a nod to Kostadinov’s own heritage. Oversized chambray shirts feature singular appliqués borrowed from Bulgarian carpets, too, and a papery navy jacquard is a recurring material throughout the collection. Each look is worn with coiled headpieces and an artful web of fishing weights made by the legendary hair artist Katsuya Kamo.

The ASICS trainers mark the third collaboration between Kostadinov and the Japanese performancewear brand. This season marks the return of a cult classic — the ‘tug of war’ sneaker’ — reinvented in mismatched colours, asymmetric design and a pure gel sole, a first for Asics. For the silhouette-defining clunky moccasins and cut-out sandals, the designer has collaborated with Camper on a re-edition of their innovative TEIX boots.