“There could only ever be one Virgil. He was constantly innovating and thinking ahead, and he left us a brand that can reinvent itself, grow, and stand the test of time. I feel the responsibility for him and everyone who has worked, loved, worn, and believed in Off-White™,” says Ibrahim Kamara, Virgil Abloh’s successor at Off-White. Where last season, after the sudden death of Virgil Abloh, was about the path yet to be defined, Kamara indeed has found his direction for Off-White this season. Discover everything you need to know about the Off-White fall/winter 2023 collection.
Cover photo: courtesy of Off-White
Off-White fall/winter 2023
A collection named “LUNAR DELIVERY” has to reach beyond the stars. “Working on this collection, I found myself and my point of view in a universe that is true to me. It’s punk, sexy, romantic, and inspired by our modern lives,” says Ibrahim Kamara post-show. The expectations are high when you have to keep up with a multi-hyphenate predecessor like Virgil Abloh. Kamara delivered, nevertheless. With contemporary culture being the first reference point, Kamara sets a new mood for the fashion house. Abloh heavily focused on his architectural past, creating references to the world’s industrialization. Kamara clearly has a different background guiding his creative decisions; besides his job as creative and image director at Off-White, he still is at the helm of DAZED Magazine. “His collection was fantastic,” says Camdebe, a famous fashion critic on TikTok, “It was Dune, meets Mad Max, meets Xena Warrior Princess, meets Craig Green, meets Ricardo Tisci’s Givenchy era. […] It was an incredible debut, and it had me thinking: can he take the brand to higher heights than before?” Well, his first collection for the house seems to prove the latter.
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Ib Kamara, as friends refer to him, combines his personal journey with his heritage (displayed in the African fabrics) with the house’s signature (referring to industrial elements). Altogether, these elements took the guests to a new universe, hence the collection’s name. “LUNAR DELIVERY” featured the unpaved roads across West Africa in the sand at the show venue and in many looks. Naomi Campbell’s tire-neck dress felt like a logical next phase as the models entered the runway. Nowadays, Kamara lives in London, and even his current hometown is trimmed in the Off-White fall/winter 2023 collection. We saw pleated skirts and the punk grunge aesthetic that’s indisputably London. Ultimately, the mood changed, and the looks became more space-inspired. A lunar delivery it was – and guests were left feeling over the moon.
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Also, read: Fashion Week schedule 2023 – an overview of all necessary information
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All images courtesy of Off-White.
