So the clothes: If I were to imagine the kind of person Levine had in mind when he was designing his Fall 2013 collection, I’d imagine a warrior who lives in a dark fantasy world populated by bats and skulls and giant fanged caterpillar ghosts and the only way he can battle these monsters is by rocking out. I can see why Formichetti, specifically, would have been drawn to Levine, but if I were to guess, the young designer’s ambition more likely tracks someone like Alexander McQueen or Rick Owens — the influence of both designers was felt.
After the show, audience members got a better look at the clothes and Levine himself had a chance to talk about the technological component of his collection. The label has partnered with Phone Halo to embed a Bluetooth chip in some of the premium pieces. The chip can pair with a smart phone and work as a tracking device so you’ll never, as Levine explained, lose your jacket “at the club.”
The thought of having tracking devices in all of my clothing is a little too #dystopicfuture for my taste and anyway, I don’t lose clothing often enough to feel like the situation warrants Bluetooth, but none of that matters. It’s not about the tracking device, it’s about the designer’s ambition — his willingness to throw stuff at the wall to see what sticks, to get people’s attention. I keep using the word “ambition” because in Levine’s case, it’s the relevant one.
Images via Fernanda Calfat/Getty Images for Asher Levine.
Related: Asher Levine Displays a New Look
(Pssst … check out more runway coverage at the TFS Fashion Week hub.)
