Copenhagen Fashion Week's The Daily has said that Barbara I Gongini is the "Queen of Avant-Garde" and her Autumn Winter collection definitely has us in agreement. We previously profiled the burgeoning career of the queen and are thrilled with her latest collection. Staying true to her aesthetic, this collection is pretty much all black everything with drops of grey and white typography on a few of the pieces, except the final pieces to walk down the runway. While the colour palette is very muted, Barbara I Gongini makes a statement through the use of layers and draping, mixing silks with knits with furs and touches of leather thrown in for good measure. The style also runs the gamut from biker-chic to urban streetwear to the awe-inspriring artistic ballerina pieces (which closed the show), all while maintaining her agender, androgynous appeal. There were sophisticated gothic overtones throughout the collection, with the use of oversized, draped trench coats, leather jumpsuits and cowl necks. During Paris Fashion Week, we got the chance to see the collection first-hand! First, we stopped by the party hosted by Barbara I Gongini with SpringSioux where we got to see some of the amazing statement pieces up close where they are even more impressive than in pictures. For example, we saw one of the structured white pieces in the final pictures below and found that it was made from recycled felt. We even go the chance to meet the Queen herself at the party (and would like to note that she is an absolutely lovely woman!). The following day, we stopped by to see the rest of the collection at Marcona 3 Showroom, where she was in the company of the likes of Jeremy Scott and Cinzia Araia. We chatted with one of the reps from her brand and found out that all of the animal skins and furs used throughout the collection are all byproducts of the food industry. We got to feel one of the leather pieces, which is one of the softest leathers we had ever felt, to find that it is made of pigskin! Enjoy the shots below and if you can find a store stocking Barbara I Gongini near you, we recommend you go check it out!
Here a video posted to YouTube of the entire show