ABOVE AND BEYOND
We pull back the curtains and learn the extraordinary techniques that enrich Spring/Summer 2020.
Fendi
Alexander McQueen
A house signature, lace plays a major role in this season’s womenswear collection. Creative director Sarah Burton has produced a spectacular showcase of lace craftsmanship, which includes a collaboration with Ireland’s oldest and finest damask linen producer, Thomas Ferguson. The result: woven damask linen accentuated with ivory lacework depicting stripes and flax fields developed from life drawings and sketches. Of particular interest is a dress inspired by linen tablecloths, with embroidery based on sketches of dancing girls by master’s students at Central Saint Martins in London.
As its name suggests, the Men’s X-Lite Peekaboo has a slim back panel and one compartment (which fits a 16-inch MacBook Pro), making it lighter than the bigger two-compartment Peekaboo Regular with a thick partition. But it’s no lightweight in the savoir faire department, as you can see from the front panel.
First, artisans adapt the Fendi script design to the bag style. A leather panel is treated with resin on the back before it goes through high-speed laser-cutting machines that hollow out, engrave and cut the pattern into squares. The digitally automated technology etches out the motif without physical contact with the leather. A fabric lining with Pequin stripes is then placed on the inside to create the backdrop and accentuate the motif.
For this launch under the Mulberry Green initiative, the design team pushed the innovation envelope to produce a new durable and waterrepellent technical fabric that is at the heart of the M Collection. Starring a special blend of Econyl regenerated nylon and sustainable cotton, this lightweight jacquard is the latest demonstration of the British brand’s commitment to build a sustainable legacy. Adorned with the “M” initial rendered in an interlocking pattern evocative of Brutalist architecture and heritage textiles such as houndstooth, the unisex capsule line includes utilitarian outerwear as well as two new bag models, the M Satchel and the M Tote.