This is not the first analogy to be drawn between the designer’s studio and a scientist’s laboratory. That it is not the first, however, makes it no less apposite; no less true.
For the designer’s sophomore collection as part of the Fashion East billing, Olly Shinder doubles down on the fundamental elements of his namesake brand’s lexicon. Drawing upon his own wardrobe, the aesthetic vernaculars of protective workwear, uniform and casual tailoring — familiar to the point of banality — are displaced, subverted and refined.
Seen through Shinder’s intrinsically autobiographical design perspective, staid references are queered – middle managerial shirting is thrown off kilter with the tweak of a collar; rubberised gauntlets shield limbs from splashes — chemical, carnal or otherwise. Signature optical frames by MYKITA strike a curious balance between sight glasses and protective visors, handmade at the MYKITA HAUS in Berlin. Hi-top boots – the brand’s first footwear offering, the product of a collaboration with protective footwear specialist Magnum – draw inspiration from industrial toe guards. Corroded, puckered surfaces are offset by vulnerable swathes of skin. Bodies are concealed by corrugated outerwear and laid bare at unexpected interstices in garments typically assumed to protect.
Art directed by London-based interdisciplinary artist Novacaine, Shinder’s nuanced interrogation of the sartorial codes of masculinity is pushed to hold new extents, exposing a curious common ground where the sartorial dialects of club and work wear commingle – the thread binding them being a fetish for craft. Models walked to a mix by Wolfgang Tillmans, centred on the artist’s track ‘Source’ – (Roman Flügel 909 Mix), an up-tempo beat layered with staccato vocal samples and melancholic piano chords. The cast – a continued collaboration with Madde Østlie – draws upon Shinder’s close creative and personal community, spanning nightlife, music and fine art. Representatives of London’s most progressive cultural niches, they embody the worlds of which the Olly Shinder brand is a product and celebration.
— Mahoro Seward
Olly Shinder founded his namesake brand in 2022, immediately after graduating from Central Saint Martins’ prestigious BA programme. From the outset, his work has simultaneously studied and subversion of hypermasculine dress codes, reframing perceptions or archetypal garments through innovative cuts, fabric choices and painstaking attention to detail. Based in London, his work is a product of the cultural networks that thrive at the intersection of the city’s fashion establishment, art institutions and queer night spaces. Further key touchstones for the brand include the aesthetic vernaculars of workwear and military clothing. Since his first season, Olly Shinder has been part of the Dover Street Market Paris, Dover Street Market’s incubator for emerging fashion talent. In 2023, the brand became a Fashion East recipient, showing its first runway collection with the platform for SS24.
@olly.shinder
Art direction: Novacaine | Hair: Mark Hampton | Make up: Romero Jennings and the MAC pro team | Casting: Madeleine Østlie / Aamo Casting | Movement Direction: Joe Grey Adams | Music: Wolfgang Tillmans | Words: Mahoro Seward | BTS: Wera Nowak | Footwear: Olly Shinder x Magnum
WITH SPECIAL THANKS TO:
Fashion East- Lulu Kennedy, Raphaelle Moore, Nike London – Madison Hahn, Truman Brewery, Raven PR, The Fashion East panel, Mac Cosmetics, Mark Hampton, Stavros Karelis, Jesse Hudnutt, Calvin Holmes, Adrian Joffe, Augustin Maunier, Remo Hallauer, Pernilla Winberg, Anna Foresman, Dickon Bowden, Jenny Ji and everyone at Dover Street Market and Dover Street Market Paris. Nick Landon – right hand man and everything, Youngbin Kim, Kyveli Fourli, Max Hutton, Kun Luo, Karim, Sunni Elder Wolfgang, Nova, Mahoro, Madde, Mum, Dad, Rukiah, Jebi, Yaz
