After a busy fall that included a packed runway show, an exhibition at the Jewish Museum, and a performance for Performa 13, Adi Gil, Gabriel Asfour, and Angela Donhauser — the three designers behind the label threeASFOUR — decided to take things down a notch. Always pushing boundaries, the trio decided to forgo a traditional runway show or presentation, opting instead to present their fall/winter 2014-15 collection through a film starring model Lily McMenamy. That way, they could have more control over the look of the virtual runway. They worked with animator Alex Czetwertynski on the animated set, and recruited Ratatat‘s Mike Stroud to do the sound. “We developed this specific environment, which is made from a 3D fractal,” explained Gil. The runway looked better than any actual show presented in New York, a perfect compliment to the clothes it showcased.
“The collection itself is inspired from topography,” Gil went on, pointing out the curved lines on the garments, for which the group hired a team of quilters to execute. The 17 looks from the collection were made in various hues of white, ranging from duvet-like sculptural coats and capes, to slick futuristic minidresses covered with topographic-like layers. It was a trip that Gil and Donhauser took to Iceland over New Year’s, where they found their cue. “There was one tourist spot and they had this topography map of the land, and we took pictures, and that was looking so much like that cape,” said Gil.
The patterns were influenced by not just topography, but other things as well; the inspiration board was filled with images of wood grain, finger prints, as well as a dancer’s body. On a blustery winter’s day where a big Nor’easter blanketed New York with a layer of white, the all-white collection, which evoked the notion of a super cool ice princess, seemed highly appropriate. If only it had been out this season, the fashion set who put up with the horrible weather of New York Fashion Week would have been all over it.
