Today’s Zomer show began with a twist: the end. As in, the models emerged in finale procession to a recording of roaring applause (presumably for emphasis, not ego), and only after a screechy rewind sound effect did the lineup restart as expected. This was not the first time that a brand has performed a runway reversal (see Martin Margiela’s spring 1992 show), but what some might deem gimmicky can work for a more conceptual collection (not to mention providing a surprise overview). And given that designer Danial Aitouganov and stylist Imruh Asha set out to subvert the conventional ways we wear clothes, it meant we were primed to pay attention to their alternate placements and reconstructions. Worth noting: Some were designed this way, others cleverly styled—and the difficulty in determining one from the other was deliberate. To start (for real), there was a full denim look featuring both jacket and jeans executed backward without appearing too strange. Shirt collars replaced trouser cuffs. The bottle green dress that suggested a trench worn the wrong way around turned out quite neat.
Several designs were less about how to wear and more about how to layer, with tailored skirts slit up the front to reveal a men’s shirt lining, or another skirt in gray wool that suggested a jacket folded over itself in tiers. The pieces in collaboration with knitwear designer Cécile Feilchenfeldt existed outside this conceit, instead illustrating how colorful tubes, yarns, and plasticky ribbons could be transformed into body-contour dresses that bounced and swished playfully.
One of Zomer’s strengths is how the designer-stylist pairing leads to clever ideas bridging their expertise, which is probably how they arrived at the model placing her hands in the backward-facing pockets of a blouson dress. The risk is that some of the ideas end up clever to a fault—extreme collars that resulted in awkward volume and other forced placements.
But just as kids dressing themselves invariably put clothes on the wrong way around, the duo—still in their relative infancy as a brand—is tapping into this naivete. Also, amid global circumstances that seem ever more upside down, perhaps women—and now men, thanks to some new crossover looks—might lean into these Zomerisms as a good fit for the moment. “What’s happening in the world is kind of going backward; it’s insane,” said Aitouganov backstage. “Zomer is not a political brand, but I feel we are on the sidelines.” It’s always good and interesting to challenge the “right way” up to a point. Let’s see how this experiment leads Zomer forward.
