In the perpetual carousel of fashion, nostalgia often takes center stage, spinning a tale of reincarnation and revival of trends. Designers delve into the rich mine of historical archives, reissuing classics with a modern spin. Top models, such as Margot Robbie, are found adorning looks reminiscent of the “living Barbies” of yesteryears. Yet, amongst this cornucopia of retrospection, threeASFOUR Haute Couture Fall/Winter 2023 rises, an avant-garde beacon, ever ready to defy convention and embark on an uncharted journey.
This season, threeASFOUR probes the enigmatic corridors of an alternate universe, challenging the status quo of the fashion industry, an industry they’ve existed alongside for over two decades. Following the bold steps of an entirely digital collection in Fall/Winter 2022, Gabi Asfour reveals how the relentless yearning for physical garments led to an evolution. This time, the threeASFOUR Haute Couture Fall/Winter 2023 collection is a harmonious marriage of the digital and the physical, each piece existing in a binary state of tangibility and immateriality, partnered with the digital fashion group, Placebo.
Indeed, in the words of Adi Gil, the enchantment lies in the confusion of discerning the real from the unreal, as technology blurs the line between fantasy and reality. An organdy dress adorned with a web of luminescent tubes greets the viewers first, the piece’s digital twin a subject of delightful intrigue. Such is the trend in this collection, with pieces like Look 7 showcasing a fusion of fabric and 3D printed frills, brought to life through the collaboration with designer Alessandro Zomparelli and technology from Stratasys.
In this fascinating exploration, threeASFOUR Haute Couture Fall/Winter 2023 plunges into a discourse regarding the place of physical garments and designers in an age of rapid technological evolution. Yet, they answer their own question – their collection, while utilizing computer programs, is fundamentally the result of human creativity and craftsmanship. As Asfour aptly puts it, they are the drivers, not the driven.
threeASFOUR boldly strides into the realm of science fiction and space, jokingly hinting at a possible collaboration with NASA. The collection resonates with an echo of the universe, from aerodynamic designs symbolizing speed and agility to padded outfits symbolizing protection. Techniques such as piecing and quilting, executed by their New York studio members, have been utilized alongside a wide variety of materials, from synthetic ones to repurposed kimonos and obis.
Though the future seems to be the compass for threeASFOUR Haute Couture Fall/Winter 2023, it doesn’t shun the past, using it instead as a springboard for their innovative designs. Homages to Anglo-American Charles James, a pioneer in puffer design, are evident in Look 5’s silver jacket and the spiral-seamed topper in Look 10.
The finale of this extraordinary lookbook is marked by a sculptural, quilted coat and a “chicken pox”’ bodysuit with hand-applied silicone dots. Asfour refers to this extraordinary piece as a “human-sized ball”, a design befitting the parallel universe from which the collection draws inspiration. Ultimately, threeASFOUR’s latest collection defies the conventional dichotomy of “what is” and “what could be” opting instead to weave a narrative of “what is” in the “could be”. It’s a true testament to the power of innovation and the boundless potential of human creativity.
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