The cavernous and overheated environs of the Garage Turenne in the Parisian neighbourhood of the Marais provided a very adroit physical context for the runway show that unveiled KRISVANASSCHE’s Spring/Summer 2013 menswear collection during Paris Men’s Fashion Week on a hot afternoon in late June 2012. In essence, this was an alluring collection that could be described as breezy, youthful, and urban.
Following Kris Van Assche’s utilitarian view of menswear, the collection included very wearable looks made possible by fusing conventional cuts, designs, and inspirations. As such, cotton and denim trousers and shorts came in versions with pleats, turn ups, visible stitching, and elasticated waists; the arms of suit jackets were imaginatively reinterpreted by incorporating the short sleeves of white or black cotton t-shirts in colour block effects; and crisp white shirts were either covered by a casual cotton t-shirt or were cut so that it seemed that short sleeves covered longer ones.
According to Van Assche, this was a collection conceived to allow flexibility for the users of the garments; in this sense, the shirts’ sleeves had zippers to become detachable, not only to allow for varying lengths, but mostly to allow the wearer to move from day to night situations wearing the same outfit. The colour palette included white, black, beige, blue denim, red and grey micro-checked pattern, and an oversized crossed out diamond print in light blue.
Kris Van Assche was born in Belgium in 1976, and studied Fashion at the Antwerp Royal Academy of Fine Arts. He moved to Paris in 1998 and worked for Yves Saint Laurent and Dior Homme before founding his own label, KRISVANASSCHE, in January 2005. He has been involved in diverse projects, from developing collaborations with popular brands such as Eastpak and Lee to being the Artistic Director for Dior Homme, a post he took in April 2007. In addition, he also produces an art magazine, and is an artist whose pieces have been exhibited in various galleries in Geneva, Paris and Florence.
