Another Version of Myself - Part II

October 12, 2022

le PÈRE, a clothing label as much as a creative community, releases their second collection, titled, “Another Version of Myself - Chapter II” in collaboration with Quartier creators Bráulio Amado, Cherry Kim & Noah Baker today. The collection will include three capsules, one per creator, with the final capsule dropping in February 2023. As we've come to learn of the brand, each piece and each capsule is an opportunity, providing a rich canvas for artists to explore their work through the medium of garments.

For Chapter II, le PÈRE welcomes you to sit (or stand) with worn out loafers on your relatives upholstered couch. The collection embodies moody Americana, with touches of Midwestern aesthetics, from blues and earthy tones to typographic textures and sports-inspired graphics. In the lookbook, models are draped in aesthetics reminiscent of a Southern grandfather's home with religious mementos and mid-century architecture.

Says the creators, "Each collection, released seasonally and in capsules, explores the tension between the fearless and the sensual attitudes of masculinity, revealing sports-inspired silhouettes and proportions, layered with dramatic and emotive sensibilities that elevate the codes of traditional streetwear."

Text by India Espy-Jones
Photos by Ricky Alvarez

Braulio Amado's capsule is the first to launch. He intends to reinvent le PÈRE’s “footballer” (soccer) character in his own childlike interpretation of the graphic: A pink footballer with a ball for a head which, playfully, fell off. 70s and 80s football jerseys inspire the shape of the shirts with a boxy silhouette and cropped fit. His new traditional style includes sweatshirts and t-shirts, manufactured in a luxurious Italian fabric, but draped readily for your next practice.

Cherry Kim, inspired by Korean wrestling matches of childhood memories with her father and grandfather, will be the second capsule to release in November 2022. The nostalgic homage of a “wrestler” graphic will be hand drawn on organic cotton t-shirts, hoodies, and sweatpants in tan, white, and red, some with a le PÈRE logo stenciled on. The collection, however, is not limited to athletic wear. Le PÈRE introduced trousers and button downs in the Cherry Kim capsule to add formality and structure, as a father would, to the release.

Noah Baker, as the third and final capsule to be released in the collection, offers a research of texture and typography in the use of weather maps for jackets and shirts in opposite colorways. His designs, inspired by the barometric pressure systems, inspire a vibrant pattern of repeated prints on iridescent fabric to be released in February 2023, as the third capsule to complete the collection.

In addition to the three-part launch, an eponymous fragrance will be released in November 2022 “to stimulate all of the senses,” and we can already smell it.

The three capsule collections will be available on lepere.com and neimanmarcus.com.

Fashion

Go As You Please - Ann-Sofie Back 1998-2018

In this conversation for Office Magazine, Ann-Sofie Back and co-curator Nicole Walker open up about the deeper themes behind their new exhibition. They discuss everything from fashion and creativity to personal reflections on legacy, death, and the journey of curating Go As You Please.

Interview with Ann-Sofie Back and Nicole Walker

NW If you had to choose one garment from the whole archive to take with you to the grave. Which one would you choose?

ASB It varies from day to day. Right now it’s the red wig sandals we put in the exhibition last night. I can never look at my designs as singular pieces, it's what they’re combined with that makes them special. I actually have an aversion to dresses because of this. It is too easy.

If you have a t-shirt that sends out a certain message, you need to pair it with the wrong shoes to erase the shirt's message in order for the look to be ambivalent and possible to read in different ways. Sending out a clear message is failure.

What has been the hardest decision you have made in terms of your work?

NW I think the hardest decision is how much I’ve had to compromise my creativity to be able to earn a living as a stylist. Like it’s half styling, half being an actress / people reader-pleaser. Or at least that’s my approach. With commercial projects, it’s always this draining, unhealthy feeling of selling your soul to a monster of capitalism. It’s really not why I do what I do. But I do love money!

And in all honesty, I think just carrying and taking one million bags of clothes/shoes and other shit around is exhausting at times. But I also enjoy pushing myself and my body to the limit. To the breaking point- which is compatible with being a stylist, it just also really means I will most likely die from treating my body like shit - but I’m ok with that!

This exhibition is all about death. Did working on this exhibition made you feel differently about dying in any way?

ASB Yes totally. It’s been a grieving period, and working on the exhibition and book for the past three to four years has helped me accept death and say goodbye. I feel like I’m done, I’m free, I can die now. My sense of self has been tied to being a fashion designer, but now, I’m free of that. The reason for keeping my design archive from 1998-2018 has always been to make this exhibition, but the death theme came maybe a year ago after going through some very dark times personally.

Tell me why fashion is the most important art form?

NW I don’t think it is. The reason why I love fashion is that it’s always going to be low culture. Fashion is never going to be considered fine art. And I love that. Fashion is that desperate little sibling constantly seeking validation.

Do you?

ASB Yes, everyone is involved has a say. Which makes super annoying but nonetheless more interesting and difficult to work with. You have the restraints of wearability and that the costumer and the constant question “do you think fashion is art” who cares?! But it is not.

NW So what is the most annoying thing about fashion right now?

ASB Since I’m not actively “in the business” any more I don't have any particular hates atm. People still dress ugly as shit though hahah.

NW If you could call someone dead, who would you call and what would you talk about?

ASB That thought is really scary. Firstly, I have a phone phobia and then talking to someone dead… I would call my dead dog Beverly and listen to her snores, huffs and puffs I think. I would tell her “cheese” and “ball”.

Do you want to be cremated and put in an urn or spread out someplace or buried in a coffin in the ground?

NW I want to be cremated for sure. I hate the idea of my body rotting or being eaten by worms and stuff. And would like to be spread somewhere nice, preferably somewhere warm like a desert or into a volcano. Or spread into multiple container necklaces, so people could be walking around with me around their necks. Would you wear my ashes around your neck if I die? :) I can put you on the list of potential owners of my ashes.

ASB I wonder how much ashes a body has? I don’t think I would wear you. However, you would get a special place in my house. A Shrine.

NW Ok, Shrine works for me.

Which is your favorite look in the exhibition, tho? You have to choose one.

ASB I can't. Maybe the first one you made still. Or the one with my baby teeth.

What about you?

NW That’s so funny, I think the first one I made or the one with baby teeth too.

ASB Isak (The Deputy Director at Liljevalchs, the gallery) was asking why I wanted to do an exhibition with my archive and not an archive show? Would you have liked to do that instead?

NW Like a runway show? No, I prefer this set up. I want to see your creations in an art Gallery. I walked through the exhibition, now that it's almost finished, and I got very emotional. I love the way it turned out, and I’m so in awe of what you’ve created, and I’m so happy to have been a part of this.

ASB I feel the same. Thank you for being a part of this and hanging in there through the very, very long process.

NW What happens for you now when the exhibition is almost done, what are your plans for the rest of the year?

ASB It will feel empty, post show-blues for sure. However, there is a lot happening and to do with the interior objects I am designing under the name Gnilmyd kcab. What about you?

NW I might move to Tokyo for a while, but it’s all up in the air at the moment. Which feels exciting and life is behaving beautifully strange and I just hope Trump does not win the US election next week cause if he does it really feels like everything will go to total shit.

RIP.

Fashion

Market Studios x Snipes: A Day With Cash Cobain

Market Studios seems to effortlessly blend the worlds of fashion, music, and culture. Partnering with Cash Cobain and his crew leading up to his surprise concert is just one of the ways in which the brand seeks to contribute something new and interesting to the fashion landscape. One of their core values is making people smile which they accomplish through working with a diverse array of creators and icons. Founded in 2016 by Mike Cherman, MARKET is known for its limited-edition drops and focuses on redefining streetwear. Market showcases its story by offering their customers variety in their shopping experience. Don't be shocked to find homegoods, tailored cut-n-sew garments, accessories, and graphic apparel all in the same place.