Craig Green. Menswear Fall 2022
Craig Green, returning to the runway after two years, has shown, as seen with his Moncler collection, a renewed aspiration in maintaining his unique idealism of men's fashion. Which, as noted from the many reviews I have done over the years of his, mostly, London Fashion Week collections, holds a cultist fatalism within Green's nautical interests of the ocean void. As noted with the more avant-garde designers since the pandemic has abated, well, in all cynicism it hasn't really sans the newer mutations and the continuation of being vaccinated for a non seasonal virus. COVID-19 has indeed changed society, which includes the fashion industry. So, it is no wonder that designers are now reflecting these signs of our times, even the more prophetic ones such as Green, who is no stranger to the metaphysical of fashion design, could be developing an esoteric imprint onto the avant-garde as we, despite our society being of a secular impression, are still very much tuned to the institutionalized template of monotheistic rituals. Are we at the cusp of redefining other spiritual paths? And one could argue that the 21st Century, with its lack of defining a counter culture and rebutting of traditionalism any more or less than hashtag popularity. It is nature, as an indifferent entity to the human race, which is forcing change onto us.
Whatever the case, Green's play on the morbidity of life and some of its more darker elements, despite his collection offering tonal colors amongst the black, white and grays, returns with gusto for his Fall 2022 array. And it is Green's protective sheaths and stylized futurist concepts that have been the most enthralling over the years. Maintaining the outwear as an urban aesthetics, inspired by, as mentioned cult like dystopic monks, he has also drawn on the fetish of the medical world, displaying his latest collection as a compression of materials akin to, in his words, “an iron lung,” yet also crafting the styles with open elements and drapey ensembles. It certainly feels more experimental and rawer than previous collections, yet as observed with his prior showings, Green does offer the functional and in most cases, in lieu of his underlying themes, a survivalist aspect, even though there are elements of patchwork avant-garde styles. His enclosed, modernist laced, structured doomsday outfits remain.
The color palette keeps within Green's earthy hues with the achromatic of black, white and grays, but the overall collection feels too broad and slightly over stretched for 53 pieces, with what seems like an exhaustion of ideas. From cult like prophets, to insulated survivalist looks through to postmodern styles, Green in my opinion, works best when he is limited in his range or keeps the styles within its set theme, which so far, ironically or not, it is the doomsday fetish of a dystopia, broken down and stormy world.
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(A.Glass 2022)
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