Catching Up with Peter Do: Platform Boots, Leather and ECCO.kollektive
The designer and creative director of Helmut Lang catches up with SHOWstudio ahead of his latest collection as part of the ECCO.Kollektive project.
The designer and creative director of Helmut Lang catches up with SHOWstudio ahead of his latest collection as part of the ECCO.Kollektive project.
Joining the ECCO.kollektive line-up last June, designer Peter Do has been having fun experimenting. The project provides the means for the kind of creative freedom designers crave. Guest names like Natacha Ramsay-Levi, Craig Green and Do are given free rein to create a covetable capsule of luxury clothing, accessories and footwear by working exclusively in parent company ECCO Leather's materials.
First unveiled in January during Paris Fashion Week, Do's unisex capsule is now available to shop. Note the platform Hybrid Highknee boots in a crinkled paper leather effect, with the Hybrid style's armour-like patent overlay. Created using lightweight dyneema bonded™ leather, the fabric treatment inspired by crinkled packaging paper, reminds Do of worn in garments. The Hybrid footwear family grows this season with the Tall Boot, loafer and ballerina styles in black and off- white. Do's signature clean, strong design lines also feed into the Dia wallet and Lydia bag, realised in patent oxblood, off white or black leathers, finished with a silver ellipse detail.
Hetty Mahlich: Tell me about the crinkle effect ('paper leather') you've introduced on the hybrid footwear designs - those platform boots! How did you work with the team to discover and implement this technique through a Peter Do lens?
Peter Do: Just like our first season, we started out exploring different ways to push innnovation and leather development. The incredible team at ECCO and ECCO.kollektive worked on a permanent crinkle leather that mimics well loved and lived-in garments. I'm always attracted to well-made garments that would last and we want these PD x ECCO.kollektive objects to be just that. I'm really pleased with the results.
HM: How did your approach to this collection develop from your first ECCO.kollektive collection?
PD: It's a continuation of the same dialogue and thought process. We created a foundation that would allow us to build upon and expand to more shapes and styles using the same base. Everything from the first collection was carried over.
HM: What can the industry learn from the ECCO.kollektive approach to collaboration?
PD: I feel completely free during the process. I'm so grateful to Panos Mytaros (CEO) and the team at ECCO.kollektive for their generosity and passion and being open minded with all of our ideas. We felt right at home during the process. We tried and pushed many creative techniques.
HM: What does 'modern archetype' mean to you?
PD: Maybe something hybrid. I want to know where things come from but I always want to move forward.
