“A week before the show, I went on a nighttime distribution to help [homeless] people. The next day, I told [the team] I wasn’t worried about the clothes anymore, I know what the goal is,” said Bas Timmer at the Sheltersuit presentation in the Palais de Tokyo.
For those who are garment-focused nonetheless, the Sheltersuit ready-to-wear picked up where it had left off in its Chloé guest appearance, expanding on the weather-proof parkas into a colorful lineup. Hardy textile choices were offset by ripped-poster prints, a profusion of pockets or deconstructed panels. They didn’t distract from Timmer’s deft cuts, especially visible in showpiece coats that looked stately and magnified his eye for practical yet cool details.
Decomposed to individual items, the standouts were smart, streetwise options like cropped blousons and puffers; a burnt-ochre suit with its overwide proportions; another with a double-breasted fitted jacket and slimline-trousers, and of course, the coats.
For those less daring, the designer had promised “a bit of funk on the inside,” delivered in the form of a khaki raincoat could be flipped over and worn with its skyscape lining outside, or easy-enough denim pieces.
The Dutch designer took the microphone to express his belief that having a brand would give the Sheltersuit foundation greater financial independence, helping it “have much more impact and use fashion to do good.” He once again invited all designers and brands to collaborate with the label and the foundation behind it. “The better the designs, the more people we can help,” he said.
More immediate help was already here. Backpacks that can be transformed into weatherproof wearables served as decor. Timmer said these would be distributed to rough sleepers in Paris. Another 500, currently in transit toward Paris, would be sent to Ukraine to support populations displaced by the ongoing conflict.
Source: WWD