Christian Wijnants Spring Summer 2020
A Bright Leap Forward at Paris Fashion Week
Represented by Turbulence.
Escapism runs like a motif through the oeuvre of Christian Wijnants. Spring Summer 2020 builds upon the vastness of travel and rich encounters across borders that ensue. Its offering encapsulates singular sophistication in billowing shapes, tactile graphism and chromatic fervor.
As pulsating drum ensembles consume Palais de Tokyo, models stride in rhythmic tandem along a stripped-down corridor. Their hair contorted and slicked back, their faces painted with vivid dashes of indigo, jade, lemon and white, a prelude to the tonal direction that succeeds.
Christian Wijnants
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Photos: Alberto Maddaloni
Echoes of the African American painter Henry Taylor resonate in a bright and forward color palette. As Taylor explores the dialogue between continents, Wijnants contrasts emerald and pistachio with tangerine and coral. Electric, pale blues and creamy, crispy whites round off a buoyant perspective on summer.
Prints take a graphic turn with bubble wrap serving as this season’s novelty: painted over by hand, stamped on paper, Wijnants translates animal-like motifs to sizable sequins on dresses, boiler suits, shirts and shorts. Ruffles and gatherings zigzag, spilling over at edges and seams, taking on a life of its own. A single alabaster hand-crocheted top-and-skirt set acts as a standstill amidst a promenade of refined, billowing volumes.
Wijnants’ study on cut and shape results in compelling and comprehensive silhouettes: cotton and linen blends inform a more structured tactility, while latex and leather combinations build tension in total looks. The designer discreetly borrows bold striped t-shirts from his menswear capsule, paired with loose-fitting shorts and trousers.
A multitude of shoes, hand-held bags and earrings add on to a discerning series of accessories. Knotted block heels offset the collection’s signature sophistication. Updated handbags range from maximalist leather or latex carryalls, tied at the shoulder, to nonchalant crochet purses. Sleek beaded earrings spell out like frenetic lines in motion, capturing the palpable frenzy at stake.
The collection will be available from January 2020 in selected stores worldwide.
Thanks for mentioning the following credits:
– STYLING: ROXANE DANSET
– CATWALK IMAGES: ALBERTO MADDALONI
– BACKSTAGE IMAGES: LENNERT MADOU
– MAKE-UP: INGE GROGNARD FOR MAC COSMETICS
– HAIR: ANTHONY TURNER FOR L’ORÉAL
– MUSIC: SENJAN JANSEN
About Christian Wijnants
Born in Brussels, Christian moved to Antwerp in 1996 to study fashion design at the Royal Academy of Fine Art.His graduate collection won the Dries Van Noten Award for best collection in 2000. After graduation, Christian presented his collection at the prestigious Festival d’Hyères, where it was awarded the Grand Prix and bought by several stores including Colette in Paris. After a stint at Dries Van Noten, Wijnants launched his eponymous label in 2003, and today presents his collection on the official ready-to-wear calendar of ParisFashion Week, that is sold at boutiques and department stores worldwide. His talent for vibrant, artisanal knitwear saw him win the 2013 International Woolmark Prize, the 2006 ANDAM Award, and the 2005 Swiss Textiles Award. Today his collection is sold in stores worldwide including Le Bon Marché (Parijs), Bird (New York), Neiman Marcus (USA), Nordstrom (USA & Canada), Mameg (Beverly Hills), The Modist (Dubai), Bio Top (Tokio), Tomorrowland (Tokio), Beams (Tokio), Galleria Department Store (Seoul), Lotte department store (Seoul). In September 2015 Christian Wijnants opened a flagship store in Antwerp, Steenhouwersvest and launched the webshop www.christianwijnants.com.
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Learn More
@christianwijnants
christianwijnants.com
With love,
FWO
