threeASFOUR Fall/Winter 2016

Sophie Fay Shaw, Staff Writer

threeASFOUR designers Gabi Asfour, Angela Donhauser and Adi Gil create more than just inventive clothes, they put together productions that are a spectacle. Their Fall/Winter 2016 collection, titled Biomimicry, opened with a modern dancer clad in a skintight black bodysuit with geometric detailing and an angled kabuto headdress. The dancer led the models in a performance of musical chairs, which highlighted threeASFOUR’s strength in creating a graphic and intriguing atmosphere.

Biomimicry is a science based around the imitation of nature, which this collection captured in its organic, yet structured silhouettes. Modern and alluding to extraterrestrial, the futuristic brand collaborated with Travis Fitch to create 3D printed textiles that brought their designs to life. Texture and line were accentuated by the Fibonacci spirals and honeycomb tilings that gave shape to the garments. Reminiscent of a beetle’s shell, each model was armored in their own black exoskeleton, complete with a endothermic kabuto headdress and spats.

The designers have established a signature look that is based around the curvature of their clothes. No harsh-angled silhouettes are found in their collection. The focus is on the construction of the sculptural aspect of the clothing. One dress was made up of different triangular pieces that fit together like a tangram puzzle. Another was composed of a honeycomb textile that stood up to form an asymmetrical funnel collar. The structural dresses were clearly the stars of the collection, although the outerwear and separates, which were just as molded, still held their own.
The collection exuded strength and power, even as the models were picked off the runway by the fate of losing their chairs. The threeASFOUR collaboration produced yet another innovative runway that showcased the designers’ experimental approach to ready to wear.

Email Sophie Fay Shaw at [email protected].