Carter Young SS24: Vintage Americana Meets Modernity

What can we expect to see in SS24?

SS24 is a continuation of the modern tailoring I have been refining since SS23. Modern American tailoring shapes, strong shoulders, wide lapels, and western detailing permeate the collection, with fabric novelty punctuating the more classic silhouettes. I’ve tried to create a juxtaposition between mainstream menswear silhouettes like an aviator jacket or a western shirt by rendering them in a mint shade of pig suede, a two-tone linen crosshatch, or adding a raw hem that will roll back on itself with wear. There is suiting in herringbone linen, as well as a double-breasted jacket cut in a wine color and pink check wool windowpane fabric. We’ve also done a pleated sweatpant, turning something banal into a more structured trouser. The most exciting fabrication this season are work shirts and overcoats done in a vintage drop cloth sourced from a vintage supplier in the Midwest. She has a warehouse full of old, painted-on canvases that we found and repurposed into classic workwear shapes.

How is SS24 different from previous collections? Explain your evolution since you began designing clothes.

There is a focus on fabric hand and drape this season, using silhouettes we have established over the past few years. Whereas many designers look to develop new fabrics and treatments for textiles in labs, we are often looking to vintage materials or analog processes to evolve our offerings. When I first started as a designer, I felt I needed to reinvent the wheel with every product offering. Even when I had an idea that people liked, I felt I needed to start fresh every time, instead of refining the ideas that were successful. I am much more comfortable now with iteration and I often feel more energized by re-working a design or silhouette or repurposing a fabric. I value being able to sit with one idea for longer, thinking through how it can be improved, and ultimately creating something new out of it.

You’ve worked with many notable designers. Tell me about some of these experiences and how they shaped who you are as a designer.

I met Linda Dresner by going into her store with my mom over the years in Michigan, so I knew her even before I was a designer. When I first launched the line, Linda gave me the opportunity to do a pop-up in her shop. Her career and influence in the fashion industry are incredibly impressive, so having someone like her in my corner helped me build a lot of confidence. I have learned something from everyone I have worked with, but the best piece of advice I have ever gotten was from Matthew Williams when he told me, and I’m paraphrasing, the world doesn’t need more stuff, so if you’re going to make something, make sure it has a reason to exist.’ As someone who was interested in one day launching my own line, this set me on a course of self-evaluation that helped me eventually refine my ideas for a brand. Without being able to answer why am I making something, I don’t think I would have ever been satisfied with starting out on my own.

Your clothes are on SSENSE which is a huge achievement for designers. What other goals do you have for yourself and for the brand?

I want to say thank you to the SSENSE team for giving me the opportunity. It was a milestone in our expansion into wholesale and to have them as our first major retail partner is an exciting step. As we continue to grow our wholesale and direct-to-consumer footprint, our goal is to expand our tailoring offering, to have a more robust range of suiting and eveningwear, and to eventually open a studio where people could come and get fitted alongside our RTW collections. I have a wider vision of modern Americana that I am telling with the brand, and as our collections grow, I look forward to expanding into other product categories and mediums.

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Total Recall

Born in the Moroccan town of Tétouan and educated in Paris, Khattabi’s upbringing required him to make sense of how the different influences surrounding him could align. In turn, his designs explore the embedded codes and history of his bicultural background. Total Recall addresses this phenomon by including garments meant to reflect adaptation and transformation. Skirts made of tire covers and motorcyle tarpaulins refashioned into dresses are scattered across the collection, conveying notions of displacement. Blending these elements adds an industrial touch to the pieces while still keeping a sense of movement.

From sweatpants infused with polka dots to nostaglic slogans and banner display, the ensembles symbolize hidden identities and memories. Giving us a glimpse into his own memories, Khattabi's work evokes affection for the past. It's a nod to the interconnectedness of culture and how we interact with its complexitites creatively. View the collection below.