Stefano Pilati launched a capsule collection exclusively at Barneys New York on Monday June 8th. The Yves Saint Laurent designer’s collection was called New Vintage and consisted of 60 limited edition pieces including handbags and shoes. It sold out almost entirely a mere day after it was launched.
The pieces in the collection were made from a recycled cotton drill from the YSL archives. The fine cotton drill fabric was taken from excess fabrics from the past 10 years (starting with Pilati’s time working for then Yves Saint Laurent creative director Tom Ford). Pilati revealed that for him, the aim of New Vintage – a collection that he was encouraged to do by Julie Gilhart Barneys’ senior vice president and fashion director – was more about the challenge. “It was trying to give fashion a value that is a bit beyond the visual aspect or the consuming aspect,” he revealed to WWD.
The pieces in the collection ranged in price from $500 to $2,400 and each piece features a special New Vintage label and is numbered to highlight the fact that the piece is a special limited edition work.
Pilati further noted, “New Vintage is my way to reflect our social and economic state by capitalizing on existing resources to translate sustainable ‘values’ into ‘forms.’” Simon Doonan, Barneys’ creative director, said he thought the collection was a great example of thinking outside the box. The collection underscores how people still flock, despite the economy, to expertly crafted, interesting looks – especially when they bring to light a good cause.
Images courtesy of the Fashion Spot forums.