Off-White™ FW23: All the Details, From Sneakers to Studs
If anyone remembers Ib Kamara's Off-White™ debut for anything, it'll not just be one thing. Off-White™ Fall/Winter 2023, Kamara's first proper collection as artistic and image director, is packed with memorable moments, from the trypophobia-inducing riveted tailoring to beauty curator Isamaya Ffrench's wild metallic applique.
So let's go through it bit by bit, hm?
The title of Off-White™ Fall/Winter 2023, "Lunar Delivery," gives you an idea of the collection's vibe. It's not an ode to house founder Virgil Abloh, mind you, though it is rooted in his far-reaching influences.
Off-White™ more literally reinterpreted Abloh's legacy with its Spring/Summer 2023 collection, which Kamara directed but didn't design as much (the in-house team handled much of that), so view Fall/Winter 2023 as the first indication of the brand's future within Kamara's scope.
Future is a good word for it: there's an overarching air of space-age innovation affected through charmingly literal flair (like the metallic hardware fascinated to models' heads and apparel) but Ib Kamara also incorporated Afrofuturist motifs in the FW23 deigns, channeling inspiration from his personal heritage.
Kamara borrowed cues from the corrugated roofs, dusty sand, and indigenous garments of West Africa, accelerating the aesthetic through warp speed sci-fi. Hence the mélange of buckles, zippers, straps, studs, and pearlescent strings that sparkle across all manner of garment.
Cargo-pocketed bags outfit the traveler of tomorrow and leather snap-closed suiting is printed with actual imagery of people on the go, underscoring an atmosphere of nomadic restlessness. As Off-White™ itself attests in a press release, these clothes are creative but they are not costumes: they're meant to be worn.
Hence why they're styled with trek-ready boots that recall Virgil Abloh's own designs for Nike or Louis Vuitton, stacked leather shoes that do the same for Off-White™'s leather shoes, both in-house and collaborative.
Sunglasses are equal parts sleek and substantial, sometimes mutated with additional bulging lenses. Similarly, elements of formal tailoring are undermined in surprising ways: sometimes they're styled with technical anoraks, other times they sport built-in backpack straps.
Classic Virgil Abloh codes return, albeit subtly. His penchant for warped workwear, off-kilter blazers, and pleated skirts manifests in new forms for those garments, for instance.
But they're not here simply to pay homage to Abloh: these clothes reflect evolution of his work and of Off-White™ itself.
"The impetus for the collection is both humble and earnest," said Off-White™ in a press release. "The design philosophy is not elitist. It’s not a means to exclude and isn’t tainted by pessimism. Rather, we see a noble profession and reimagine it with a final outcome that is elegant, precise and attuned to the times."
