RUNWAY RUNDOWN: NYFWM 2.3.16-2.4.16

2.3.16/7:30pm: FEIT F/W16 Installation

On Wednesday night, Australian brothers Tull and Josh Price presented their FEIT F/W16 Installation, “Man vs. Machine,” to the art souls of NYC. Projected onto screens in the audio-visual installation, splicing two diverse worlds of leather shoe production. One bleak terrain is ruled by machines and is visually represented by mass production clips from the 1982 film “Koyaanisqats” (“Life Out of Balance”). In the crowd, a spray painted leather claims, “Abuse of power comes as no surprise,” as synthetics and machine-repetitions depress a world producing for the $190 billion shoe industry. Contrasting with the chrome rapidness of factory production is a slow motion, stark recording of a shoemaker hard at work. As the projection screens fall silent, the sound of steel being struck over and over again comes from the hand maker on the screen, now suddenly molding leather in the flesh. A part of the installation and now a part of all of us, the hand maker sits humanly among the shoes reaching for his workstation and tools. The craftsman pulls at threat and hammers holes, making indentations in the leather to mark his next move in front of all of us – something a machine could and would never do. A realization here in the crowd is how the natural human motion of working with out hands slows down and humanizes the production process, asking us to look again at the true inception behind why we’re even creating. And no, it’s not entirely for money. For F/W16, FEIT is game changing leather production as a low impact and sustainable company, giving us a reason to toast with champagne and excitingly hunt for the signed craftsman’s mark on each shoe.

2.4.16/10am: Gant F/W16 Collection

Morning hours spent with Gant F/W16 promises fashion’s own breakfast of champions – waffle textured cottons and cream pigmented linens. The sun shines as each showroom fans out their capsuled F/W16 threads for both men and women, including Gant Diamond G, Gant Originals, & Gant Rugger. Visually speaking, each offers an air of luxury-prep – a sportswear versatility that follows through from workday to workout. Honing in on the rooted belief, “Everything starts with a shirt,” the designs are simple to any naked eye, but experimenting beneath the stitching has gifted practical and desirable qualities to the universally timeless, button-up shirt. The new designs feature breathable, moisture wicking properties hidden beneath linen, suedes and canvas textures, impressing the lovers of an effortless style, which they don’t have to wrestle against in sweat all day. By expertly fusing classic silhouettes together like the oxford button-down and the rugby shirt, a comfortable modernity is achieved in the brand’s signature navy, white and red dyes. As always, we see Gant embodying the value of original American sportswear tailed to a fine European class.