Arte Povera Lux

A growing trend in men's fashion is the emergence of high end design that fits along the 'Arte Povera' aesthetic. In other words, it is clothing that epitomizes the phrase 'diamond in the rough.' Painstakingly crafted through artisanal craftsmanship and innovative treatment of fabrics, this school of design challenges the way we look at our relationship with clothing. It is a form of luxury, but rejects stereotypical notions that are associated with ostentatious displays of consumption without thought.

Today's entry will profile one of the pioneers of the movement - Carol Christian Poell

An Austrian designer who has redefined the boundaries of what is constituted as wearable clothing, his work continues to fascinate as his pieces are not a jacket or a pair of trousers you can just slip on and then forget. Breaking conceptual norms, what appears to be a simple button down shirt reveals tailoring of a more indescribably complex nature once worn, as you realize that you cannot quite move your arms about flexibly. Or a pair of boots which impede the speed of walking through the sheer weight of the sole; it's as if the clothes have added another dimension of gravity. Taken into a more abstract interpretation, one can say that Carol's clothes communicate the unbearable and suffocating constraints of the world we live in today. On a lighter note, he has pioneered in the area of fabric treatments, using the method of object dying in many of his garments and shoes. The technique of object dying will render a piece of clothing so stiff, it cannot be molded, let alone worn. Carol then beats and washes the piece until it is in a state of wearability. The result is a unique piece which tells a story, reflecting a worn and weary world view. Other interesting elements include the use of pedestrian stationery such as duct tape or glue in order to connect the seams of the pieces. The ideas of bondage, restraint and confinement are recurring themes in his work, elevating the grotesque, deformed and unusual into a meditation of how clothes can go beyond function into philosophy. Fragile, scarred and impenetrable at once, they are tough clothes for tough people.

Stockists include L'Eclaireur in Paris and Tokyo, Atelier in New York, Maxfield in Los Angeles, and Lift Ecru/Lift Etage in the Daikanyama district of Tokyo.











(PHOTOS COURTESY OF ATELIER NYC)