Yesterday, Berluti shared its Winter 2021 presentation “Living Apart Together.” Informed by the Russian Berlin-based artist Lev Khesin‘s paintings, the collection was seen through a performance art installation staged digitally in Paris and in-person in Shanghai. Awash in colors that fused together, popped from garments, and layered to mimic the artist’s silicone paint, new suits, shoes, coats, jackets, and more were transformed by artistic director Kris Van Assche for the artist in us all.
Courtesy of Berluti.
The video director Antoine Asseraf and the creative consultant Yoann Lemoine (a.k.a. Woodkid) worked with Assche to achieve a visual debut that felt tactile. The collection’s name draws back to the missed physical connections of the past year, as we all lived apart due to COVID-19, yet seemingly together under similar circumstances.
Courtesy of Berluti.
The scenography builds from the “social distancing” message seen on the floor—a very familiar graphic to us all by now; an illustration that communicates our current limitations. Above, choreographed models express freedom and mindful living as they were adorned in textures and abstract patterns that echoed Khesin’s works.
Courtesy of Berluti.
Adapted anew on new Berluti classics like suiting, satchels, and square-toed brogues, flashes of orange, pink, purple, and blue among the brand’s usual Earth tones. Suits embraced the relaxed-fit aesthetic, with matching virgin wool trousers and jacket paired with a silk shirt. Mohair hats that blend lavender and emerald hues are complemented below by knitwear in the same material and color.
Courtesy of Berluti.
Venezia leather bags—like the Geilo MM, the Luti Gulliver, and the Norwegian Narvik—are adorned with charms. Delicately dangling from the brand’s coveted leather pieces are mini fashion features like Berluti’s signature shoe tree and multi-colored pendants by the Spanish artist Jorge Penadés, who upcycles leather overstock into sophisticated solid objects.
