The Franzel Amsterdam collections at Amsterdam Fashion Week day two had an industrial and commercial feel to it, and when researching this audacious designer BDMOTP discovered that the reason for an aggressive style statement is that the designer himself originally came from a tough background where it was always important to keep fighting for success–and that this includes the statements men make every day wearing their clothes. Apparently the designer wishes to reach out to men, giving them the ability to become, what he calls, new. We could call it the “new man” collection, in the sense that each man faces a struggle certain in society to make it, from the bottom to the top, and in that only the new man has a chance to succeed.
The looks and sounds on the runway were industrial, commercial, sometimes gothic in its perspective, but with a large dose of art and non-art, street art, classic traditional art, classic art blending in with industrial design, or modern art, pop art, blending in with commercial design. This was aptly phrased by and characterized by a mission and brand statement printed across most of the collection with the slogan: “This is NOT art.”, the word “NOT” being crossed out to emphasize the ambiguity of the style.
Vermeer’s Girl with the Golden Earring and Van Gogh’s landscape art in all its colors blended with industrial and commercial design, and set on and against materials ranging from plastic, to latex, cotton, and everything else but wood. Andy Warholesque repetition of commercial products, in the form of coke bottles, and yes the infamous can of Campbell’s soup, juxtaposed against images of traditional art like the Mona Lisa. A blasphemy of sorts really for those who like tradition, or for those who like pop art.
One definite and notable standout in this marvelously macadam collection made for new, new summers on the streets of cosmopolitan cities around the globe, were the sporty calf-high white socks paired with various not-to-be-missed red basketball sneakers. Now granted that wearing little-red-riding-hood red sneakers in some parts of town may be dangerous fare as immediately all attention is drawn to the man who dares to go in style making such a bold and obnoxious statement in such fiery fashion, but we do have to admit that it still looks ‘bloody’ grand and pretty awesome on the runway–especially when the men go in teams wearing the same baskets, the same colors.
A pretty bold statement indeed but knowing that Franzel Amsterdam aspires and promises to make those men “new” who come from the other side of the tracks or from perhaps a the not-so-easy part of the hood, this may very well be the quickest road to success in life indeed. For the man who dares to stand out in colors in any and all circumstances, he, he will already have won, for the simple reason that he was able TO STRIKE A POSE before his rivals came along.
Franzel Amsterdam: For the man who dares…
Posted by Sandro Joo and photos by Paloma Canseco.
