the geometrician

Surprise. Time for another blog-post's worth moment of enlightenment. Take it in good will- as a break from the last post's notion of narcissism and a humorous segue into serious stuff, as shown by my initial lame attempt at inventing a new word in the title. You see, I attempted "the geometricist" before having a duh moment and arriving at the headline above (how journalistic of me)....perhaps we should leave Scott Schuman to the creative word forming, huh?

 In keeping with my point, I seem to recall moments last month during one of my many days of personal fashion week briefings where I found myself dangerously hunched over my computer screen at the wee hours of midnight in full research mode. I'll leave you to form that mental image. You see, these moments of concentration and creepy contortion usually happen when I'm so intrigued by a designer's work that mental stability is no longer a priority. Or sleep for that matter. Let me tell you, I've come close to having my eyes singed off by severe laptop screen light rays. It takes dedication to be that dedicated. But back to my bewilderment at unexplored design talent. The talent in question? Akris. Granted, Akris is a legitimately established brand in the market but I had never taken it upon myself to look further under the veil of online advertisements that popped up on my web excursions through style.com every now and then and gave me a split seconds worth of information about the Swiss label. Well, let the debriefing commence. Those already briefed may skim to your fancy...

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As with most European luxury brands, Akris holds a substantial history to its name, coming to fruition in 1927 at the hand of Alice Kriemler-Schoch- hence "Akris," a clever portmanteau of the founder's name. Fast-forward through sixty and some odd years of family inheritances, and the company falls at the hand of the last in lineage, brothers Albert and Peter Kriemler. With a sound design education under his belt, Albert rapidly rose to the seat of the brand as creative director. His brother Peter, a law and economics guru, followed suit by joining Akris in 1987 as its finance head. The former and latter boasting completely different senses of expertise, it was only logical that the responsibilities under the Akris stake be promptly divided between the two. Exactly a quarter of a century later, Akris stands as a prominent womenswear label in a highly competitive league of European greats, no doubt forging its own individual path through the crowded lot. 

(albert kriemler)

History lesson aside, I felt the most compelled to comment on the aesthetic of this unique brand. I promise that there's a far more interesting purpose to my coining this post as "the geometrician" and it is not some uneducated stab at sounding intellectual. In risk of losing your trust, I won't belabor the point. Coming off the most recent Fall 2012 presentations, it became evident that Albert Kriemler's strong-suit surpasses that of the simple feminine form. He is an ideal craftsman in the strongest sense of the word, literally crafting the clothes in forward-thinking ways that rework the way we view structure. 

For Fall 2012, for example, Kriemler referenced American abstract painter Franz Kline in his extensive interpretation of art's vivacity. What seems so unique about Kriemler's attention to structure is that it is as equally translated into the treatment of fabric as it is the shape of the entire look. A slew of printed jackets and trousers featuring what appeared to be a cubist take on graphic brush strokes set the structural tone for the show, which only became reinforced by the actual tailoring. In this sense, it is safe to say that Kriemler offers a refreshing take on geometrics- one only beset by fellow innovators like Dries Van Noten. Case in point, "the geometrician," a master manipulator of architectural shape, if you will. Ahh, the point emerges. I never break a promise. 

fall 2012

Traveling further back down the Akris rabbit hole (Spring 2012, to be exact), I was even more intrigued by Kriemler's innovative hand, which reaches to territories past the boundaries of apparel. Consider not just an asymmetrically paneled leather shift dress or a hooded and zippered mesh shawl sweatshirt, but a leather harness flight vest and those platform wedges as sartorial testaments to the designer's workmanship. Quite avant-garde, but with a balance of practicality that's always ensured by sportswear. One particular three-dimensional graphic featuring a collection of men spectating on top of a yellow paneled square is a nod to Kriemler's gusto in experimenting fearlessly with silhouette. Akris may be a ready-to-wear label, but it stands far from the safe zone. 

spring 2012

(photo cred: vogue.com)

Here's hoping that my attempt at not sounding obtuse in this post worked out out flawlessly. Perhaps another episode of hunchbacked research will yield surer results for next time. Or maybe a good dancing jig. I'll spare you of having to see photographed proof of either situation.

-The Style Inquisitor-

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