Sunday, February 15, 2009

new york autumn/winter 2009 - tse


its been eight years since hussein chalayan left tse, the house famous for its luxurious cashmere knits and since then the brand has seen a sharp decline in popularity. perhaps not having a recognizable name to helm the brand contributed to its dwindling reputation. the blame however could also be pointed at the decision of the powers that be to constantly change the creative director of the house. which apart from chalayan also included narcisso rodriguez and tess giberson. making the label unable to define a solid brand identity which during these times is paramount when more and more labels are popping up each season and a definitive signature is really the only thing that sets you apart from everyone else. to celebrate two decades in the business seems like the perfect time for the house to assert its presence once again. especially when there is this new renaissance in knitwear with new designers pushing the old craft to heights its never seen before. while the in-house team could've easily ventured into the avant garde territories of chalayan or new "it" knitwear designers louise goldin or mark fast, what they've managed to achieve is retain the practicality of the house but present it in a intellectual way that had references to chalayan's conceptualism mixed in perfectly with rodriguez's understanding of easy to separate american sportswear. each piece is able to stand on its own or used as building blocks that can easily integrate to an established wardrobe or be a cornerstone to build off. while these pieces are not your average staple basics, it was a smart move for the design team to take it back to where it needed to be. back to basics. hopefully, from here on, they can start to build on that and develop an identity for the house once again.


photo: style.com

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