By George Park
Eckhaus Latta is an exception in a week of showings largely detached from reality. Escapism and fantasy are now so rampantly available now they feel diluted by their own abundance. Zoe Latta and Mike Eckhaus speak in a language distinctly their own–unmasked, unsentimental, and delivered with rare authenticity. The show notes; ‘overheard this week’, read like a collective stream of consciousness: seemingly random bullet-pointed phrases acting as a curation of curiosity. Moments plucked from the pair’s daily lives are held up to the light examined and appreciated largely for the fleeting nature of lived experience, grounding the viewer in the notions of ‘real’ life.’
How then, does that relate to the collection itself? Recently, I read that stripes are the decoration of the ambivalent–the undecided, the neutral. Ambivalence to me reflects a worldly mindset. Latta, based in Los Angeles and Eckhaus in New York: exist in cities whose essences often oppose one another. Take the opening look; knit stripes–naive, almost, randomised–paired with tailored leather that is so assured in itself it borders on severity. Here, contradiction is used to signal intention–an understanding of material, of where to push and where to restrain to prove a point. Design that informs itself; like a Mark Rothko painting. Here, Zoe’s knowledge of knitwear offers a window for opportunity, one of disruption with the restraint of a craftsperson. “We wanted to do what we do best”. It reads as essentialism. The kind of un-wavering pragmatism that results in a collection of garments that are equal parts unorthodox and utilitarian.
Materials remain uncompromising, sometimes slicked and polished, sometimes raw and abrasive. Fastening details explored as design propositions in their own right.. Patterned fabrics made dynamic by their pattern cutting–Looks 9 and 10 offer stripes that ripple outward from the centre, creating a sense of gravity and direction, as do layered collars seen throughout. The slightly disheveled styling reaffirms the feeling of post-modern grunge. Draping silk, hung loosely from squared shoulders, held to the body by utilitarian straps that denote a distinctly Helmut Lang-ian edge. The low-slung bottoms on the precipice of falling off, slivers of skin revealed in ways that feel almost accidental. In a post-show interview the pair cited this ‘refined clumsiness’ as a key influence–a conscious removal from their comfort zone. Ultimately, this clumsiness captures the truth of wear, a reality defined by one’s own perception, rather than perfection.