https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6M8ECbc3RIM
Metaphorically informed by the Amen Break, a little-known 1969 drum solo that became a founding factor in hip-hop and jungle music and has been sampled thousands of times since, the Men’s Spring-Summer 2022 Collection explores the myth of ownership in contemporary creativity. The Amen Break exemplifies the arts’ instinct to sample and resample, which when applied to fashion, sees the staples of suits, tracksuits, shirts and t-shirts re-interpreted on a never-ending loop.
Featuring a broad cast of talent, Amen Break the film explores ideas of transmission: the act of passing on something from one person to another, activating waves of change across generations, and impacting the lives of others. An abstract interpretation of the story of artist Lupe Fiasco, the film depicts a father and son united by an unnamed loss, crossing a dream world to deliver a message to the other side. By employing martial arts as another way out for young people in the Southside of Chicago amid 1970s and 80s gang turbulence, Fiasco’s father impacted a generation with ideas of peace, understanding and empowerment.
A recurring motif in the collection, the genetics of rave serve as an example of the cross-cultural gene pool found in the makeup of many of the subcultures fashion draws on today. An icon of rave dressing, the tracksuit is loaded with social preconceptions. Juxtaposed with the tailored suit, Virgil Abloh at once activates and neutralizes the unconscious biases connected to both wardrobe staples. Addressing the gender-related archetypes tied to certain garments, the collection focuses on elongated lines as a purely human approach to dressing.
The All Looks
