Although the Dutch label Avelon has been around for a while, its success under the creative direction of Erik Frenken since 2010 has made it a brand to watch out for. Avelon’s Autumn/Winter 2011 menswear collection manages to be sophisticated and yet pushing the boundaries of fashion. Every item incorporates a futuristic language, playing with shapes and proportions to create an urban and industrial feel that is also extremely flattering to the male silhouette.
This season, the brand has focused on the ratio between the softness and volume of the garments. Slick tailored pieces such as skinny jeans or tight-fitting knitwear and cropped jackets contrast elegantly with oversized cardigans and harem pants and chunky knits. Leather, a trademark of Avelon’s collections, features on most garments (including trousers, knits, shirts, and tops) in the form of elaborated detailing and patchworks, providing the whole collection with an understated luxury feel while keeping it in line with the label’s philosophy of mixing different materials and textures to recreate the most unusual effects.
Great attention has been paid to the detailed construction of the garments, as evidenced in the use of raw edges, patchwork detail, and layering effects with sheer fabrics and leathers. Fabrics in dark muted tones have been used to create oversized parachute shaped tops, chunky knitwear and trousers. Some of the fabrics have been specially washed to create a worn vintage feel.
Avelon was discovered by Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana for their multi-brand boutique Spiga 2 in Milan, and is now listed amongst the store’s most popular labels. It is available in retailers in China, Cyprus, Denmark, Egypt, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, The Netherlands, Norway, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, Sweden, Taiwan, UK, and in the USA, in prestigious stores such as Browns, the Shop at Bluebird, Opening Ceremony just to name a few.