Haider Ackermann to Launch Menswear

[Squizree]

This is so good to know. The website looks really good! Up until now I thought only womenswear sites existed. Yay, now I can actually use my money on decent clothing that won't rip after 5 wears.

 

[afterrhours]

wow i can't wait for june! i'm excited to see his ideas.

 

[girlalamode]

This is SUCH good news!

 

[Flashbang]

When the internet received news that Haider Ackermann would, after eight years of making women yearn for his seductive and challenging fantasies, turn his hand to menswear, too, a male poster on The Fashion Spot cried out: “The heavens have opened up and sent us a miracle.” Indeed, Ackermann’s no minor deity among worshippers of true old-fashioned fashion. His reputation as an independent thinker is unsoiled by fast-fashion collaborations or big label ambitions, and the only celebrity he bows to is film - not movie! - goddess, Tilda Swinton. Dazed sat down and spoke with fashion’s independent in Toronto, where he sojourned for two days before first escaping to “get lost in the mountains for two weeks", then prepping for Pitti Uomo in Florence. He’ll show there June 16, guys. Miracles happen.

Dazed Digital: Many womenswear designers have begun designing for men, which is almost more interesting. So much has done for women, but for men, so much is left to do.
Haider Ackermann: There is so much you can’t do on a man. You don’t want your man to look too fashionable.

DD: Why not?
Haider Ackermann: Man is about attitude, about gesture. You don’t want him to be trendy or too much of anything.

DD: Same for women too, though.
Haider Ackermann: For women it’s different. There’s a sensuality I don’t see in men. It’s a new exercise which is difficult. But I enjoyed it. I’m always thinking, who is the man behind the woman I’m designing for? Who is the lover? Where is he coming from? What does he do?

DD: Of course, there are some women who can stand alone.
Haider Ackermann: Yes, there are. And that’s why I make them clothes, because they don’t have the arms around them.

DD: Did you think of that just now, or were you writing down one-liners on the plane here?
Haider Ackermann: Just now! I never prepare interviews.

DD: You’re obviously not a believer in androgyny, then, which is what you see a lot of designers doing now. Or they make basically the same thing in a version for men and for women.
Haider Ackermann: Yeah. No. I mean, my woman has always been attracted by men's clothes. A woman wearing a man’s clothes has a sensuality about it, when she wears a shirt or a blazer, you think like, where was she last night? Did she run away from her lover? Did she have to take his jacket? There’s always a story. I love the idea that she might have those lovers.

DD: And when a woman wears a man’s clothes, usually, it creates a space between body and clothes.
Haider Ackermann: Yes, it can be very sensual.

DD: The bodycon thing—yes, we love it, but it got so boring.
Haider Ackermann: It’s the same thing for men. In the 60s and 70s a lot of rockstars wore everything so tight. I mean, look at David Bowie, what he wore in the 60s and 70s. It was very feminine, but there was an elegance coming out of it. Still, it’s very—it was always very borderline.

DD: Do you have a certain man in mind? Do you design for yourself, then, when you’re designing menswear?
Haider Ackermann: No. And no, I don’t have a certain man in mind. Of course it’s a man who's not 16. My man had a life, whatever it is. He had a past. He’s been living, and he’s coming to peace now. But he had a highly coloured life. That’s how I’m imagining it.

DD: And you’re not talking about yourself. You’re sure?
Haider Ackermann: [laughing] I can’t say.

dazeddigital.com

 

[TREVOFASHIONISTO]

i love his interviews and
@ mikeijames you're famous!

 

[tricotineacetat]

Sounds like a pretty conservative male imagery he's got in mind... well, we'll get to see for ourselves tomorrow!

 

[Street_a_Licious]

LOL

after 7 years on TFS i still can't believe people from the Industry know and read our posts

i tend to like Haider's collections, they're all very strong, borrowing from Men's wear but in a very sensual way, it's never all out androgynous.

when he uses menswear elements for women and knows how to perfect them, what could he possibly serve up for men?

i'm surely intrigued.

 

[Scott]

all we need now is for boudicca to do menswear or introduce mens options in their main collection.

 

[Deleted member 7575]

Sounds like a pretty conservative male imagery he's got in mind... well, we'll get to see for ourselves tomorrow!

I'm expecting something not too different from Rick Owens: draped leather jackets, sheer knit basics, slouchy shorts and trousers... Quite conservative actually.

 

[tricotineacetat]

I'm expecting something not too different from Rick Owens: draped leather jackets, sheer knit basics, slouchy shorts and trousers... Quite conservative actually.

Indeed, that is also what I was thinking when I look at how he personally dresses (and keeping in mind the audience Haider is speaking to, which is naturally close to Ann and Rick in terms of aesthetics) - I'm afraid this path is somewhat oversaturated at this point, and his' raison d'être would probably be the authority of his name only, next to all these smaller designers doing a similar style.

 

[Laritournelle]

oh, this sound so exciting and i haven't yet made my christmas wishlist so..

 

[ErnstLudwig]

There is so much you can’t do on a man. You don’t want your man to look too fashionable

he's sooo right right, great interview

 

[Deleted member 7575]

Indeed, that is also what I was thinking when I look at how he personally dresses (and keeping in mind the audience Haider is speaking to, which is naturally close to Ann and Rick in terms of aesthetics) - I'm afraid this path is somewhat oversaturated at this point, and his' raison d'être would probably be the authority of his name only, next to all these smaller designers doing a similar style.

Totally agree, but maybe he'll surprise us.

Bruno Pieter's menswear was quite incredible, but then he was different beast.

 

[tricotineacetat]

I hope you didn't get to see Pieters' menswear up close, the fabrics and quality was simply not there to justify it as being proper menswear... (I think it was actually even made in the same place as his womenswear line)

 

[ettebe]

Awesome news

Really great designer. I fell in love with his work about a year or two ago.

 

[mikeijames]

LOL

after 7 years on TFS i still can't believe people from the Industry know and read our posts

it is quite startling when you think about it!!!

 

[hautechild]

Haider Ackermann to Quit Men's Line

Haider Ackermann followers looking to get their hands on his debut men’s collection for spring should act fast — the buzzed-about designer won’t continue the line beyond its first season.

The decision is a disappointment to retailers — they were notified two weeks ago — that ordered the line and were investing in what they considered to be a business with potential. The collection was picked up in the U.S. by Barneys New York and the independent boutique Atelier New York, as well as a small group of stores internationally. Jay Bell, Barneys’ vice president and divisional merchandise manager for men’s designer collections and contemporary sportswear, said his discussions with Ackermann had led him to believe the men’s label would continue beyond a single season.

However, Ackermann’s business partner said the collection, which received critical plaudits after being unveiled in June during a coed runway show at Pitti W in Florence, was not meant as a full-fledged men’s launch.

“The decision to present a one-season collection was a creative decision,” said Anne Chapelle, chief executive officer and owner of BVBA 32, the Antwerp, Belgium-based company that operates and produces the Haider Ackermann and Ann Demeulemeester labels, in partnership with those designers. “Haider wanted to underline the image he made for his women’s line with the man at her side.

“The men’s collection will be added again at the time Haider wants to and it will not be linked to a season,” Chapelle said. “Creativity cannot be forced into a time frame. It is the emotion of the moment being translated to a collection, which is presented and sold to retailers who believe in creativity as such.”

Ackermann declined to comment.

The move comes as the Colombia-born Ackermann generates considerable heat among fashion insiders for his sultry-yet-sculptural designs that often incorporate leathers and complex draping. Karl Lagerfeld, for one, is a fan and made waves in a recent interview with Numéro magazine when he said he would like Ackermann to succeed him at Chanel when the time comes. “I have a contract for life so it all depends on who I would like to hand it to,” Lagerfeld said. “At the moment, I’d say Haider Ackermann.”

Ackermann and BVBA 32 may have abandoned men’s to focus resources on building the women’s business as it gains momentum.

“Haider may have taken on more than what’s manageable, as women’s is going to take up so much energy,” said Bell of Barneys.

Barneys will feature Ackermann on the cover of its spring men’s catalogue and will carry the men’s line in its New York and Beverly Hills flagships. The label will be merchandised adjacent to Dries Van Noten, Rick Owens and Ann Demeulemeester.

“We have a sizeable spring order,” Bell said. “We are getting behind it because Haider is a true talent.”

Karlo Steel, owner of Atelier New York, also believed the men’s line would be an active business.

“We must respect the designer’s decision to do what is best for his creativity and company,” he said. “Obviously, I would have loved to see the story continue but since this will not be the case, it will make this ‘one-off’ much more special.”

From wwd
http://www.wwd.com/menswear-news/haider-ackermann-to-quit-mens-line-3394111?module=today

 

[Squizree]

^ Kinda discouraging. But it's better than a willy-nilly menswear line.

 

[hautechild]

^ It's a shame because I think his womenswear and general aesthetic lends itself to being able to be translated into menswear really well. Like Rick Owens or Ann Demeulemeester, where you can particularly see consistency across the mens- and womenswear. But if his heart isn't in making men's clothes then it makes sense for him to focus on women's. I kind of like how it's more of a creative than a business decision.

 

[Squizree]

^ Well that's what the article says. I think we should all be at the point where we know that all decisions within this industry are always partially financially related. It's like when Givenchy announced that they were no longer presenting Haute Couture runway shows, saying that it was no longer necessary and had "nothing to do with money".

It even says "Ackermann and BVBA 32 may have abandoned men’s to focus resources on building the women’s business as it gains momentum"