Copenhagen-based brothers Julius and Victor Juul of Heliot Emil remain committed to Paris while rethinking their brand’s relationship to the catwalk. For fall, they hosted a pop-up/exhibition in the capital in order to draw attention to their second collaboration with Alpinestars, an Italian company focused on motor sports and material innovation. This time around, the partnership took two forms, Jules (re)made co-signed pieces using Alpinestars materials as well as crafting wearable sculptures (two of which are seen in the lookbook) from deployed airbags that safeguarded actual riders. What the designer wanted to underline with the latter wasn’t only Alpinestars’s technical aptitude but, as he said on a call, “that clothes also can make a difference in a very literal way for people; that you can actually save lives by innovating within the garment industry.” In other words, fashion isn’t as frivolous as it sometimes appears to be.
Heliot Emil’s aesthetic is anything but decorative; utilitarian is more Julius’s vibe. And while there are sometimes Langian elements at play here, the designer’s take on futurism, to his credit, is not at all retro. He’s previously used 3D technology to print footwear, experimented with AI design, and for fall incorporated a Shieldex fabric that blocks radiation, including from a cell phone, into some pieces. This idea of shielding synced nicely with the collection’s two takes on protection. There was the hard-edged defensive approach, and a softer more embracing sort. Alpinestars materials and a metal-infused fabric that holds any shape you make with it spoke to the former; garments in cashmere, mohair (used for the outer shell of a puffer), silk, and alpaca, the latter. Straps wrapped comfortingly around the body and then fluttered free. A pair of suede trousers for women had riveted panels of pony hair; they were a nice alternative to denims. The outerwear was the standout. Julius’s focus this season was less on forward movement in terms of silhouettes and more on upgrading and softening fabrications. The Dune adjacent styling (the lookbook was photographed in a Danish limestone quarry) was apt and timely.
Source link
