A FEW miles south of Lincoln Center, Steven Cox and Daniel Silver of cult menswear label Duckie Brown set up shop at Industria Studios in New York's West Village, forgoing the tents where they've shown for the past few seasons. Surrounded on three sides by spectators, they transformed the workspace into a cosy, makeshift thrust stage and it was there that the duo revealed the cunningly warped contents of their collective minds.
"I've been spending a lot of time in London, drinking in pubs," said Cox, who originally hails from England, backstage. "I've been thinking about the Bexleyheath boys," he continued, referring to the gritty, working-class youth culture that originates from the London suburb. From this initial seed came the first, more sombre part of the collection, comprised of masculine and moody interpretations of the athletic tracksuit, but in sleek, sexy nylon. The stark, minimalism of the opening looks may have been foreboding but they also allowed viewers to see the thoughtful adjustments in construction that the duo employ: armholes are moved forward on the shoulder creating a barbaric hunch, seams are gnarled and twisted, sometimes even elevated to artful design elements and technical fabrications create a sweeping, three-dimensional sense of motion. From there, the collection lightened, both in colour and in mood, when the designers introduced their suiting in blue window-paned tweeds, awkwardly stuck somewhere between adolescence and adulthood. But it was in the closing portion, filled with organza ensembles emblazoned with blown out, oversized florals in warm, rosy pinks and inky blues, where the expected masculine-feminine dichotomy that fans of the label were waiting for, finally appeared. One doesn't go to a Duckie Brown show for quotidian suits or dull streetwear.
"Real Bexleyheath boys would probably kick your ass," Cox said backstage, laughing. "This is about the idea of one." When pressed about where, exactly, the idea for the lush closing prints originated, the couple played coy. "The collection is always about a lot of things. We don't know where it all comes from. Sometimes it's just a feeling," said Silver before playfully adding, "Why, do you want us to make up some story about inspiration for you?"
No, lads, that'll be just fine.
SEE THE DUCKIE BROWN SHOW ARCHIVE