What’s happened at SITUATIONIST backstage?
WHITE MILANO, supported by Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana, has chosen Situationist, which will tread the catwalks for the first time at Milan Fashion Week. The Georgian brand, founded by Irakli Rusadze, is also the special guest of the trade-fair, and on show from 25th to 27th February at WHITE, inside the location of Hotel Nhow in Tortona 35.
WHITE, constantly focused on international scouting, has always kept an eye on Eastern Europe’s fashion scene, thus dedicating a special exhibiting area to Made in Georgia designs. Besides the much-celebrated creativity of Demna Gvasalia and David Koma, the country is yielding a new generation of talented designers. In September 2016 the trade-fair invited seven talents, selected by Sofia Tchkonia, creative director of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Tbilisi. And now, for the 2017 February fashion week, the choice has fallen on Situationist, one of the most interesting names in today’s Georgian fashion scene, in which WHITE believes and promotes through this fashion show in CNMI’s calendar.
Founded by Irakli Rusadze in 2015, Situationist features underground aesthetics, offset by elegant and feminine shapes, and by the use of natural raw materials, like leather, wool and cotton. All is made in Georgia and Irakli follows the whole production process, from the conception to the cut, down to the whole planning and design of the apparel and footwear collections. The designer, now 25 years old, started learning the art of tailoring when he was only 13. His brand’s name draws inspiration from the Situationist movement, which involved politicians, artists and thinkers. The aesthetic vision is found in the movement’s guidebook “Cosmonauts of the future”, curated by Mikkel Bolt Rasmussen and Jakob Jakobsen, and in the volume “Situationist City”, by Simon Sadler. The brand’s name Situationist, though, also refers to the designer’s personal vision, where all garments stem from a given situations and move towards another, they are interconnected and interact in circumstances that transform them and that they, on their turn, can influence. Furthermore, the brand stands out owning to idea of adding a touch of national pride to its DNA, namely through the T-shirt sporting the print of the Georgian flag, which hit the Spring/Summer 2017 catwalks and immediately become a cult item in the community of international influencers, including top model Bella Hadid. The brand made headlines worldwide, when the top model chose to wear Situationist in the streets of Paris during January’s fashion week.
Regarding the inspiration for the collection, Irakli Rusadze, commented: «I grew up surrounded by Georgian women, who were facing the challenges of a post-soviet Georgia on a daily basis, so the concept of femininity is strictly connected to women’s inner strength. This is the reason why my clothes aren’t about the shape of the body, -it’s the shape of personality that I would like to show. The collection’s protagonist is Mother Georgia, a symbol of my land that shows herself in this collection and that is a tribute to all women».
The new Autumn/Winter 2017-18 collection on show in Milan features strong silhouettes, sharp shapes and clear- cut shoulders for a look endowed with an unconventional and subversive soul. Classic styles are enhanced with hand-made finishing touches, colours and inlays, so as to disrupt the archetypal harmony through something unexpected. Among the collection’s iconic items, several overalls styles in green leather, beige neoprene and fur- like wool, soaked in burgundy. This impactful look also encompasses long coats with decorations, double lapels and small chains. Short-sleeved capes and bombers alternate with shorts and long trousers. The footwear includes long pants-effect boots and curly heels in suede and leather. The collection’s black, blue and grey are brightened up by burgundy and green shades.
Photo credit: Adam Katz Sinding
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