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How to enter: 10 months after taking the reins of Berluti, Kris Van Assche presented his first collection for the luxury brand Friday against the sumptuous decor of the Palais Garnier in Paris, in front of an audience chaired by Bernard Arnault.
To say that the stakes were high is a euphemism. Van Assche was the only designer of the musical chairs game of LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, which had not yet presented his creations on the track, after Kim Jones at Dior, Virgil Abloh at Louis Vuitton and Hedi Slimane at Celine.
Those who followed his career, including his recent 11-year tenure as Creative Director of Dior Homme, were surprised. Recognized for opening his shows with an iconic black suit, Van Assche instead praised Berluti's roots in shoes by tilting with a brown leather suit dyed by hand to reflect the patinas of the luxury brand.
These dyes have also infiltrated the color palette of the collection, with models rising up the grand staircase of nineteenth century opera, decked with flamboyant reds, pinks, yellows, blues and greens.
"If my previous work has always started with a black suit, I can definitely say that everything starts here with shoes," said Van Assche at a glance.
The designer is inspired by the marble tables of the house's ultramodern "manifattura" in Ferrara, Italy, where artisans dye the shoes, leaving behind rings of colors that merge with the veins of the rock in delicate patterns. A photo of the work surface has been reproduced in print form on oversized silk shirts and coats.
Precise and methodical designer, Van Assche has confidently crossed his comfort zone. He demonstrated a sure hand with tonal silhouettes, combining a red firefighter costume with a powdery pink fuchsia calfskin coat and a shiny kangaroo fur coat with a chocolate leather hood and pants.
He also showed on women, sending models including Adut Akech in short-sleeved jackets and coats for him and him, with slightly prominent shoulders, some paired with leather motocross pants. (The house refused to say if the outfits would retail in smaller sizes.)
It was a sportswear, but not as we know it. The fabrics were refined, such as on a ribbed sweater knitted in a multicolored leather string of 1,000 meters, or a duffle coat in black leather and reversible fur. The white sneakers were long and pointed, their shape being inspired by its reinterpretation of Berluti's clbadic moccasin Alessandro – all its angular borders and its metallic material.
The brand's long-standing customers do not have to worry: Van Assche also made sure to include some great costumes and coats, which he presented on young, ripe models. He proved to be the ideal cast for his declaration of freedom – confirming that good things are worth the wait.
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