VIA ANTONIOLI

Septième (The 7th)

This the 7th collection by the label and it is a very significant one. In their words : “it genuinely feels like it is the very first season that we truly believe we have found our ‘voice’ as a brand. We wanted to make this season a landmark.”

They consider this to be first proper FW collection that they have designed specifically for the International market with truly winter weight fabrics. They have worked intensively with fabric mills in Italy and Japan to create the majority of these fabrics from scratch.

The color palette is much darker this time around. Lots of black and different shades of greys. Materials are Paper-coated Cotton Wool. Virgin Wool. Cotton jersey bonded with neoprene. Heavy weight cotton viscose and Fire proof quilting.

This FW13 collection sees them playing with a lot of different textures and weights. The fabric choices altered the way they approached design and how they created shapes within the collection. There are 2 different spectrums – the ‘organic’ fabrics i.e. virgin wool, etc on one end and the ‘structured/tailored’ fabrics on the other (which includes paraffin coated cottons). This led them to create totally new silhouettes and subsequently pushed them into new territory incorporating the fire-proof quilting and tech wear. Utility is truly the key this season.

Song for the Mute’s unique aesthetic encapsulates both tailoring and the avant-garde with a sportswear edge while still offering the highest quality fabrics and construction. This season their aim is to make the label more accessible to a wider audience given this sportswear influenced aesthetic and the collection offers a good selection of basic knits and coats as well as still providing dedicated followers key new pieces.

PHOTOS BY ROMAIN DUQUESNE
STYLING BY CHLOE CHRISTOS

This new collection is a continuation of the last but this time improving the cutting and materials whilst increasing the western details.

Ziggy took a trip to the small town of Cicheng and was inspired by the bricks and stones of the historic architecture he found there : the walls and time-worn, weathered fabrics and materials he photographed. Cicheng is over 2400 years old and filled with natural and cultural historical sights and relics. It is renowned for its beauty, history and cultural depth.

Ziggy took these pictures to Japan and by working with the best factories he could find, he made these mysterious beautiful textures, colors and patterns into actual woven original fabrics. Most of them are made of wool and linen and woven in a traditional way. The colors are shades of Black and Gray, unique colors such as dirty blue and dirty brown directly inspired by Cicheng and created especially.

Ziggy has always loved classic cuts and has incorporated some looks in a classic style but combined with original cutting and the exclusive materials to create something truly new and original. He thinks there are too many similar labels on the market and wants to create a truly fresh synthesis of both Asian spirit and western classicism. They have concentrated on the cutting and fabric to create pieces which are extremely comfortable to wear. Clothing that everybody can feel at home in but which looks extraordinary.

In his new collection it really seems that Ziggy Chen has found a way to document the soul and essence of disappearing places and culture and preserve them in clothing.

For this season the designer wanted to continue his research from past collections and simply create better versions of his favorite anatomical themes. As usual materials have been pushed into more and more high quality and unusual textures. Once again Japanese Washi paper and cashmere feature heavily as well as the finest cottons available.

Colors have been restricted to the most basic : Black, Navy and Dark Grey and the designs are subtle reinterpretations and evolutions of the most important items in a person’s essential wardrobe.

Located near a water canal in an old boat house where parachutes were produced during WWII.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF OBSCUR.
OBSCUR WEBSITE.