S S 2 4 ‘R I P A R I U M’
R I P A R I U M
AN EXPLORATION OF LIGHT, MOVEMENT, THE PASSAGE OF TIME, AND TRANSFORMATION WITHIN CONSTRAINTS OF AN ENCLOSED ENVIRONMENT. THIS COLLECTION WAS METICULOUSLY CRAFTED IN AN INTIMATE SETTING, AND SERVES AS A TESTAMENT TO THE CREATIVE SPIRIT’S ABILITY TO THRIVE UNDER LIMITATIONS.
‘RIPARIUM’ IS DERIVED FROM THE ECOLOGICAL TERM FOR AN ARTIFICIAL HABITAT CULTIVATING AN INTERWOVEN CONNECTION BETWEEN LAND AND WATER, REPRESENTING THE FLUID AND DYNAMIC TRANSITION OF IDENTITY AND ENVIRONMENT.
THROUGH ‘RIPARIUM’ JORDAN ARTHUR SMITH INVITES WEARERS TO REFLECT ON THEIR PERSONAL EVOLUTION AND THE INTERACTION BETWEEN THEIR INTENSITIES, AND THE ENVIRONMENTS THEY INHABIT. THE COLLECTION CHALLENGES TRADITIONAL VIEWS ON FASHION, OFFERING GARMENTS THAT ADAPT AND MORPH, MUCH LIKE THE RIPARIAN ZONES THAT INSPIRED IT.
CONTAINING THE SELF IN ISOLATION AND ENCLOSURE LEAD SMITH TO EXPERIMENTATION WITH HIS SIGNATURE PATTERN MAKING TECHNIQUES. RECOMPOSING AND EXTRAPOLATING THE HUMAN FORM THROUGH THE USE OF FRACTURED SCULPTURES, SMITH CREATES GARMENTS IN SIMPLICITY TO EMPHASIZE FOCUS ON THE SEAMS THEMSELVES. BY REMOVING PANELS THAT DISTRACT FROM THE VISUAL IMPACT, SUCH AS ARMHOLES, AND INTEGRATING LONG PATH ZIPPERS INTO THE SEAMWORK, THE GARMENTS SEEM TO GROW AND ENVELOPE THE HUMAN FORM.
A SHIFT IN FOCUS ON FORMS THROUGH BIOMIMICRY, RESULT IN INTRICATE GARMENTS SUCH AS THE REVERSIBLE CALLA LILY FORMAL SHIRT. THIS PIECE NODS TO FEMININITY THROUGH THE REFERENCES OF A CALLA LILY IN BLOOM IN THE SHAPE OF THE CUFFS, CRAFTED FROM OVER FIVE YARDS OF DOUBLE-LAYERED SILK COTTON SHIRTING, THIS PIECE REMOVES TRADITIONAL ARMHOLES TO CREATE UNINTERRUPTED LINES, ADORNED WITH RAW HORN BUTTONS AND CURVED SLEEVE PLACKETS TRANSFORMING THE FLUID GARMENT INTO ARMOR.
PREVIOUS COLLECTIONS FOCUSED ON SIMPLIFYING DESIGN DOWN TO BUILDING BLOCKS AND COMBINING THOSE PIECES TO CREATE A FULL GARMENT. THIS CONCEPT GUIDED THE CREATION OF THE RHIZOME PUFFERS AND INSPIRED SMITH TO THINK OF MODULARITY, SPECIFICALLY BLURRING THE LINES BETWEEN GARMENT AND ACCESSORY. THIS LED TO THE IDEA OF A MODULAR BAG/ VEST, A HYBRID PIECE THAT IS COMPRISED OF TWO LEATHER BAGS EMBOSSED WITH WET FORMED LEATHER OVER CERAMIC SCULPTURE TO CREATE THE BRAND’S SIGNATURE ESTUARY MOTIF, AND NEWLY DESIGNED ZIPPER PULLS THAT HAVE BEEN MOLDED AND CONTOURED TO EMULATE SCULPTURE AND ERGONOMIC FORM. THE GARMENTS CAN BE WORN TOGETHER OR INDEPENDENTLY DEPENDING ON THE WEARER’S NEEDS THAT OFFER OPTIMAL FUNCTIONALITY AS BOTH A VEST, AND TWO SHOULDER BAGS.
IN THIS COLLECTION, SMITH INTEGRATES ELEMENTS SUCH AS HAND-PAINTED HARDWARE AND LOGOS DESIGNED TO ADORN EACH GARMENT IN FORMS REMINISCENT OF SHELLS AND BONES FOUND AMONG THE NATURAL WORLD THAT EMPHASIZE THE PASSAGE OF TIME, AND THE PERMANENCE OF TRANSFORMATION.
