LES BENJAMINS SPRING/SUMMER 2023 MENSWEAR
Drawing inspiration from the Western design codes of horse racing, as well as the mastery and dressage of its Eastern lineage — LES BENJAMINS’ Spring/Summer 2023 collection lifts and recontextualizes these ceremonial aesthetics with fluid streetwear cuts. Entitled ‘The Horse of the East’, the notion of the collection came to the brand’s creative director Bunyamin Aydin “When I was living in Dubai, I was in Business Bay, and my house was really close to Meydan, where all the big horse races take place. Lamia [my partner] would always tell me about her childhood, and how she was inspired by dressing up for the horse races she would attend, and create custom pieces for. It’s just like a fashion show, everyone dresses up.” Split into two sub-stories, the collection traces parallel themes associated with horse racing, with the first aspect diving into the technicality of racing wear, with bomber jackets and knee-length shorts tracing the silhouette of clothing usually worn by jockeys in menswear, and a bralet accompanied by a matching maxi-skirt in women’s. The brand’s signature Turkish carpet print maintains a presence across men’s and women’s, echoed in relaxed-fit performance shapes as well as tailoring.
PLEIN SPORT SPRING/SUMMER 2023 MENSWEAR
With innovation at the core, a key feature of this concept is the Plein Sport Truck, unveiled during the Spring/Summer 2023 event, the brand introduces the first mobile store that will travel across Europe to several cities to bring PLEIN SPORT. The truck will not only become a mobile store, but a powerful attraction delivering the philosophy and culture of this dynamic brand, which applies technology to develop new shopping experiences for all ages. The brand is breaking boundaries with the highest quality of sportswear by utilizing the most advanced technological solutions. Activewear with cutting-edge design, Plein port focuses on the functionality of the garment, ensuring each piece enhances performance. Power and strength embodies the spirit of this versatile collection, catering to both men and women. The styles presented are cool with a central functional purpose to increase endurance and vitality.
BRIONI SPRING/SUMMER 2023 MENSWEAR
Roma, the città eterna, is a capital with millennia of history just as much as it is a way of life. The accumulation of facts and artifacts, here, has created a distinctive mindset: a nonchalance, an ability to look at everything with a mixture of detachment, lightness and playfulness, in the ultimate awareness that nothing is really permanent, but everything remains. As the quintessential Roman House, Brioni is deeply absorbed in this ethos, which is in fact also a way of dressing. As a purveyor of the uttermost expression of sartorial elegance, the Maison fosters a soft take on tailoring: one that hides perfection and preciousness under a mantle of ease, suggesting spontaneous ways to play with garments. The attitude that comes through is one of tranquility, of thoughtful brilliance. The Brioni Spring/Summer 2023 collection is another foray into Roman nonchalance, in and out of the city, into enchanted rose gardens detached from the hustle of bustle of city life, along marvelous shores.
CANAKU SPRING/SUMMER 2023 MENSWEAR
Çanaku is a family matter. Since the beginning of this menswear project it has always been about the Family, the father’s suits, his uncles’ dressing up for special events and grannie’s embroidered tablecloths and curtains. It is a trip down memory lane where details of a distant past become part of the collection. The sea, the wound, a rockstar, Freedom and Nature: past and present live together in the SS23 Çanaku collection. It is all about the suit, contemporary tailoring with a Seventies twist. A new vibe given by a frantic research for perfection, detailed accessories and embroidered items crafted in heritage lace from the designer’s childhood. Like a rock star, frilled shirts live under worn out jackets inside the Çanaku wardrobe, breaking the mold, teaching us to go beyond the look, and dive deep into ourselves, letting go of weakness through rips and cuts.
DHRUV KAPOOR SPRING/SUMMER 2023 MENSWEAR
Blurring the lines between fact and fiction to mimic a contemporary society, ‘The Seeker’ projects a parallel universe as our new reality. A space where the intangible overpowers logic and there’s no room for prevailing systems. The multi-faceted collection stresses on the ‘Eye’, a symbol of the soul and varied states of enlightenment. Ancient scriptures borrowed from around the world and modern-day anime sit comfortably alongside it. Large hand-drawn florals blended with Y2K stamps balance notions of the past and future. Multiple tones injected into the collection allude to one’s emotional well being and help enhance individuality. Edginess is brought alive with apotropaic demon masks – presented as guardians of our thresholds to protect our energy as we ascend into the astral realms. For Spring/Summer 2023, Dhruv Kapoor targets a raw mix of emotions through mesmerizing colors, unconventional silhouettes, abstract prints and multi-layered surfaces.
