Men in Uniform

Drawing inspiration from the historical shapes of French military jackets, Raimund Berthold explored how fabrics could be wrapped, folded and moulded around the body. The result was a series of lightweight, asymmetric designs with quirky details such as spare strands of material that hung off sleeveless tops. Ideas of volume where also conceived via 80’s style juxtapositions of long duster coats and short shorts. Elsewhere billowing sleeveless jackets were paired with wide leg trousers and layers of shorts, trousers, long tops and overcoats created an interesting interplay between the free movements of each piece. Throughout, there was an uncomplicated elegance to the collection that channeled utility as well as craftsmanship.

The Break Up

Central to the collection was a focus on fractured forms and broken images. This manifested itself in a futurist combination of shapes and colour, notably fine gauge oversized t-shirts that included contrast stripes and a white duster coat featuring a strong split block of black at the front. Monochrome was employed to great effect throughout the collection, with contrasting pieces in black and white paired together to re-enforce a sense of fragmentation. Similarly fabrics thoughtfully combined – outwear fabrics were put alongside natural woven cotton and suiting to enhance a sense of contrast.

The Kapoor Factor

Alongside the historical military influence were clear references to artist Anish Kapoor’s 2010 Ascension (Red) which was shown at The Guggenheim in New York. This was most manifest in a series of red designs. Here Berthold allowed the colour exist in a straightforward and unassuming way, folding it into the rest of the collection as opposed to promoting the designs as showpieces. The wide collared coat with understated black buttons stood out amongst these pieces, encapsulating a powerful energy in spite of the stripped back simplicity of the design.