In the midst of what’s been an extremely commercial fashion week, it was a treat to see something conceptual, wacky even, from Area.
Designers Piotrek Panszczyk and Beckett Fogg have spent the last nine months working on their collection, presented at the Frick Madison and available now.
“We wanted to show what we’ve been doing and how we’ve been evolving,” said Panszczyk, adding that it was important for the duo to show versatility beyond the crystals that have made them a pop star favorite, and given them commercial success with bedazzled denim.
For their runway show they thought more architectural, riffing on the pyramids and turning them into folded motifs on elegant column gowns and bodysuits, in addition to the more fetish-y spike assemblages. They also worked with bows that hugged the body in a metal minidress, soldering and airbrushing to create the polished effect. “You can see industrial and furniture design on what we do,” he said.
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The result was energizing, putting Area back in the spotlight as the rare New York brand doing really radical craft.
Area just inked a deal to collaborate with Sergio Rossi on shoes, and the designers now have a studio in Milan, where they have been broadening their supply chain and international reach. “We want to travel around the world,” Panszczyk said of the brand’s future runway plans. “It was exciting to have people get to experience these things moving and in 3D.”