Notes

From a bird's eye view, Steffie Christiaens muses on the contours and scars of the earth captivated by the anomalous formations of geography and our human attempts tp document them.
Her isolated hero is locked in quiet combat with the elements.


"Every man is an island."


For Spring Summer 2012 the Steffie Christiaens man plots a textural journey through volcanic plateaus, arid deserts and riverbeds in a slim, elegant silhouette accented by technical volumes.


His uniform is tectonic, cut in contours and faultlines. Outerwear and shirting is defined by a contrast breastplate, blocking the torso with a rigid from.
Jackets are slices in asymmetric lines, or fold back on their own lapels to create a floating plane, some with a cocooning effect. Trousers are slim and straight with the exeption of a structured style, extending in a stiff flare from the hip.


Reflecting the gravitational properties of the Earth's poles, concealed magnets are incorporated into many styles as a unique closing mechanismreplacing zippers or buttons for a clean finish. This detail is exemplified in a trim blouson, which transforms at the shoulders with an accordion effect.


Fabrics chart a cartographer's grid, as microstructures appear in striated linen, perforated cotton, tweed, blistered plastic, or gauze (overlaid with veins of rubber lace). Transparency is evident as
cotton mesh and an exclusive "memory fabric", embroidered in tufts of horsehair. Raised degrade characterises a laborious handknit, with a looped stitch aignifying threads of DNA.


The colour story is soaked in light, with foundations of sandstone and khaki lifted by sky blue and white. A series of digital printshve been constructed from botanical still lifes, continuing an element of networked chaos that begins in a story of honeycomb knitwear.


Crafted in collaboration with L'Artisan Fleuriste, bark millinery and neckpieces inject an element of the absurd, as does a knitted helmet. A lasercut leather sweater embodies the throughline of subversion and camouflage.