RooMXMatez TM: A TRIBAL URBAN WHEEL RIDE

A TRIBAL URBAN WHEEL RIDE

By Unknown Sunday, January 24, 2016 Fashion Weeks

A group of bikers willing to begin a long journey. This is the main inspiration of Les Hommes’ Fall/Winter 2016 collection. Tom Notte and Bart Vandebosch present metropolitan inspired looks, which evolve into tribal-tasting stylistic solutions, when winking the eyes. An urban gang of friends. The destination is the African continent, filled with suggestions, inspirations and excitement. During their travel, the bikers elevate themselves, discover tribes and traditions and make their own and contribute in their personal way. This is the journey of Les Hommes for next year’s winter season. The icon outfits are the biker jackets, bombers and technical-fabrics pants, which slowly move away from the metropolitan strictness towards a graphic game played on voodoo-inspired fields.

©RooMXMatez TM 2015

Metallic is the fil rouge of the collection, in fact, a full stud-fall covers and embroiders shirts, suits and blousons. Anything with colours being white, black, grey and cobalt blue; while fabrics used in the collection are three-dimensional jacquard cloths, leather, cool wool, cotton poplins, technical fabrics and wool rags.

Accessories have a whole new meaning, whether they are gloves and bandanas all studs enriched, boots, laced shoes or zippered boots. Speaking of studs and metallic elements, Les Hommes was not the only one adopting this kind of material for his FW16 collection, but he surely opted to play with smaller and lighter elements, as micro-crystals to put all over the footwear.

A hard edge ran through Les Hommes’ FW16 collection, whether it was the studs and rivets, the padded leather pants or the graphic patterns seen on knits and jackets, the collection was tough and masculine, no flou flou here. Suiting was equally hard edged, with studs on the collar, and silhouettes trim and close to the body. The coats were oversized and had sloping shoulders while fabrics ranged from suede to fur to wools.

Following the path traced by their bikers, Creative Directors Tom Notte and Bart Vandebosch, bring to the runway a crescendo of exoticisms. Starting from a monochrome urban environment, to gradually move towards an essential yet permanent tribalism, the collection features great menswear classics inspired by the world of motorcycles.

And, as mentioned before, nearby white and black, there’s a lot of cobalt blue too. Models were even having little strokes of blue in their hair. Decisive and adventurous: Notte and Vandebosch’s Les Hommes are surely secure, brave and travellers men. The lines borrow lots of inspiration from the great motorcycle classics. The urban warrior aka biker, gathers his look from this strong universe, as seen in the ram fur blouson, which draws the silhouette of a strong and determined man, but which also lets himself be inspired by the essential and constant tribalism, in order to move away from the urban surrounding, monochrome.

Boredom is surely not allowed on the runway: bonded embroideries and inlayed jerseys have a preferential row. Creations are characterized by multicoloured three-dimensional geometries, enhanced by the iridescent and astonishing tactile brightness. A modern yet essential collection, as accessories are reduced to the minimum: no bags throughout this long journey.

Saturday January 16th Les Hommes’ show took place at Palazzo Serbelloni, in Corso Venezia, Milan. The frescos decorated and highly embellished rooms contrast this time with the minimalism and the essentiality of the travel-theme narrated by Les Hommes’ FW16 collection. The show’s finale, a boundary line to a more pop culture, is highly coloured and three-dimensional multimaterial geometries dense, with a touch of late couture inspiration. For the guests, silk purses with the same shades used during the show: white, black, grey and the, at this point famous, cobalt blue.

The creative duo has certainly studied each single little detail with artesian knowledge, for a contemporary and sophisticated man. This Les Hommes’ travel for the Fall/Winter 2016 season, has surely left a well traced mark.

Simone Bronzi

Creative Director of RooMXMatez TM