For his fall/winter 2015 collection, Yigal Azrouël found inspiration in Man Ray, Kazimir Malevich, and The Bauhaus, drawing on both visual and conceptual motifs familiar to the artists and school for his collection. Representing “a cognitive clash of individualism against a system,” a theme at the heart of the Dada and Surrealist movements to which Man Ray belonged, the show featured unique details and minimal, modernist silhouettes. The palette was a study in the grey-scale with stark black and white on either end of the spectrum, and subtle details in ochre, burgundy, and inky teal. Textures included supple leather, silky stripes, fluffy furs, and fractal-cut wool.
Lines and tailoring were dominant, and the influence of Malevich’s stark, geometric paintings and the clean, minimalist shapes of Bauhaus design were evident throughout. A favorite look featured a black pantsuit with pale grey, striated detailing drawn horizontally about the waist and perpendicularly down the right side of the jacket and right leg. Beneath it was worn a black and white turtleneck in a pattern of circles, squares, and triangles. It seemed a fusion in textiles of Malevich’s black-and-white paintings and Bauhaus photograms.
Blush pink cape and matching romper from Yigal Azrouël’s Resort 2016 collection. Photograph Courtesy of Yigal Azrouël.
