LVHM Prize Finalist - Matthew Adams Dolan

His highly realized attire might appear able to convince you otherwise, but truth is— Dolan did not always dream to do fashion. At the age of 17, the designer won a scholarship to visit the National Gallery of Australia, with aspirations of becoming a curator.

The Matthew Adams Dolan world is centered around the legacy and evolution of American dress.

In an event no short of fate, a Vivienne Westwood retrospective happened to be on display, and that exhibition would change the course of his life. For the first time, Dolan was able to see the link between fashion, art, and culture, and how each realm could inform the other to create something beautiful.

Arguably it was this ‘aha’ moment that day the National Gallery that formed the quintessence of Dolan’s fashion philosophy: Each article of clothing as an exquisite amalgam of past, present, and future, a beautiful embracement of where we have been and where we are going.

It is all about juxtaposition; elitism and democracy; young and old; street and chic.

What first put this designer on the fashion map was a reinterpretation of the most iconic ‘American uniform’, the denim jacket. More recently, however, Dolan has been playing with the idea of aesthetic heritage in other ways. Re-working and deconstructing other classic American staple pieces, such as the polo-shirt and the tuxedo, the designer is now approaching garment construction in an increasingly utilitarian way.

Dolan, 30, has already cultivated a rather impressive cult-following in his short two years on the block, which includes the likes of mega-star Rihanna. His success to date is in no small part due to the two paradoxes that have come to define his aesthetic identity: streetwise yet sophisticated, and unconventional in his approach to convention.

In a turbulent political climate, we seek to explore and challenge the American identity, mediating on what it means to be an American now— how a progressive vision of Americana can be presented to the world through the subversion of traditionally American signifiers, reimagining them as a modern American wardrobe for an inclusive and celebratory generation.

Fashion

Go-See Situation

Agnès is wearing a top from Peng Tai, a skirt from IRO Paris and boots from GmbH

Moli is wearing a top from Mengche Chiang, a dress from r . l . e with with tights from Wolford, ring from Julia Bartsch and shoes from empty behavior

Chloe is wearing a top from Acne Studios, pants from MM6 with a belt from Julia Bartsch, sunglasses from Uvex and shoes from Proenza Schouler

Glory is wearing a shirt from IRO Paris, pants from peng tai and shoes from Yume Yume

Timothée is wearing a shirt from Paloma Wool, pants from helios Emil and shoes from Yume Yume

Youssef is wearing a shirt from Dries Van Noten, pants, boots and underwear from GmbH, and a vintage hat

Fashion

The People of Lang

April 05, 2024

“The person gives meaning and value to the clothes and not the other way around,” said Peter Do of Helmut Lang SS24, his debut collection for the brand, which has finally hit the shelves.

It is an interesting, if not provocative choice — not only to ont put the garments primary, but to focus not on the “people,” as in a collective, but the “person,” as singular. It's a nod to what the brand has set out to establish since Do’s arrival, framing dressing as a system. It's a democratic formula which feeds off individuality and personal expression, relying upon character as opposed to custom. It’s a manifestation of personality, a farewell to performance. And it leaves us with one question, who is person enough to embody such a humble request?

By Vilda Krog
Photography by Huy Luoung
Styling by Jason Rider

The person in motion, the person of passion, the people passing by on the street who don’t care where you’re going, because they’re on a mission of their own. As Do crafts his garments, likewise do these individuals carve out their paths for themselves. No rules, no guidelines, and if there were — aren’t those meant to be broken? Suggestively, Do broke several rules once he interrogated assumptions around everyday dress back in September last year. Criticism came from more than one place at once. However, by staying true to his vision, he’s already beginning to see the fruits of his labor: his system of dressing, crystallized. It's subtly arrogant, yet widely accessible, dynamic, and utilitarian: it's a blazer, those striped trousers, that turtleneck top, and the traditional flattering denims. In other words, it's your carte blanche, thus let their personality be the color.

Who are they? The campaign, photographed by Huy Luoung and styled by Jason Rider, stars An-My Le, Armina Howanda Mussa, Ash Owens, Connor Sen Warnick, Devin B. Johnson, Eli Ping, Frederique Thiollet, John Yuyi, Kai Avent-Deleon, Linda Rodin, Michael Abel, Mindy Seu, Minjae Kim, Oscar Yi Hou, Sam Stewart, Sophia Roe, Steph Shiu, Yahdon Israel.

Usually, I’d hesitate to spell out more than four names, but in this case, perhaps we should consider them adjectives. Not at the expense of individuality. But rather, the definition of it.

Fashion

From Perler Beads to earKron

April 04, 2024

Our expression has reached peak performance; it's no longer just about expressing my Self through my appearance; but the visual desire has moved beyond, onto the urge of expressing the self through my appearances’ appearances.

In an era defined by the digital, this then–naturally–means that my computer must have cute stickers, my phone has to have a cool case, likewise do my airpods simply require a chic capsule. But, what about the actual pods? CAS&Kera suggest that we’re simply too unique to stay loyal to the ordinary design, even when it comes to what functions, or rather, fashions, our ears (consider the Perler Beads the potential far forerunner). Thus they arrive to present earKron, here to elevate every element of our expression.

It’s that unneccesary need. That essential expense.

Photography by Rankin

earKronTM by CAS&Kera merge the concept of fine jewelry with technology, providing a high-concept alternative to the painfully white, plastic pods. The cuffs are tactile and substantial in the hand, but somehow weightless in one's ear. The ceramic audio chamber is accented with the 18-carat gold and titanium ‘memory’ cuff, which is both malleable and adjustable. The design, which, happens to be the winner of the Red Dot design award, also promotes an open-ear experience, lending the wearer to conversations, and to the world around them, while the cuffs are worn exklusively as jewelry.

The cuffs come in a limited-edition series of black + gold, and pearl white + rose-gold ear-cuffs. Luxury accessories include a jewelry box charging case, charging cable, Maison quality carry pouch, and polished foxtail chain. Available online and at H. Lorenzo LA.