On Saturday morning, March 4th, Duran Lantink marked his Paris Fashion Week debut with his Springsummerautumnwinter 2023 collection, created in his signature and entirely circular method.
As guests filed into the light-filled sky box of sustainable fashion hub’s La Caserne, they were greeted with the scent of burning sage and the soundtrack of a guided meditation, providing a sensorial cleanse to prepare for what followed. The 39 looks, created in a dialogue with stylist Jodie Barnes, utilises existing materials and dead stock in sculptural forms and exciting proportions, transforming the previously used and discarded into the new and evolved.
In a process that begins on the computer, Lantink is able to manipulate the shapes and silhouettes of an intended garment before sculpting them in-studio. A traditional trench coat becomes an exaggerated hourglass form; a ribbed knit becomes suddenly sloped and delightfully bulbous.
While inherently conceptual, the collection is designed with technical precision for more wearability. Many of the fabrics and fastenings were sourced from army surplus stores; backpack straps adorn hips on low-slung trousers and cinch dresses, disassembled corduroy and khaki pieces are reassembled alongside sharp cuts of metallic vinyl, repurposed from last season’s collection. Sheepskin, previously deemed unusable by a factory due to minor imperfections, was rescued, repaired and reimagined in the form of oversized and texturally indulgent coats and platform boots.
Lantink’s visual stream of reinvention prompts viewers to consider what’s available to them and how it can be made new. “I hope to play a role in the healing of the fashion industry, so I wanted to arrive in Paris with positive, clear energy for a fresh start,” says Lantink.
Casting: Julia Lange
PR: Lucien Pagès
Hair: Holli Smith
Make-up and skin: Daniel Sallstrom for MAC cosmetics
Sage performance: Lotte de Jager
