Rei Kawakubo Takes On LOVERBOY Once Again
Charles Jeffrey is tasked with remixing his rage in a special range for LOVERBOY to celebrate the launch of Dover Street Market Paris this spring.
Charles Jeffrey is tasked with remixing his rage in a special range for LOVERBOY to celebrate the launch of Dover Street Market Paris this spring.
When Rei Kawakubo asks, just say yes to the dress. In this instance Kawakubo extended a personal invite to designer Charles Jeffrey that reinterprets items from the LOVERBOY treasure chest. This collaboration helps to christen the April opening of Dover Street Market Paris through ‘Rei Kawakubo Curates,’ a special retail section of assorted designer wares she likes. And since Kawakubo has liked Jeffrey for nearly one decade, what we get is another ‘Tantrum.’
‘Tantrum’ titled the pivotal LOVERBOY A/W 18 show. A roiling mix stirred anger, expectations, Faris-freaking-Badwan and the propulsion impulse provided Scottish realness to elevate Charles Jeffrey from a clever club vibe to world builder. When everything you love weaponizes against everything you loathe, it is no surprise why Jeffrey chose ‘Tantrum’ to look back to toast forward.
‘Rei Kawakubo Curates’ has LOVERBOY updating the rage and rigour from suiting looks 1 and 11. Navy look 1 is a direct reissue in British wool with blistered canvas. The tartan number veers into Comme des Garçons territory with stark alabaster patches. Think of the black polka dot windows from Play shop in shops at CdG Trading Museums or that Play installation inside Dover Street Market New York, one year before they stocked LOVERBOY. This is a collaboration of parallel stories.
Images detail a jewelry assortment LOVERBOY includes in this range. Peeking at the model — who kinda looks like new wave Jacob Ellordi — we see a wire broach on Scottish kilt pins. We notice ‘Tantrum’ large scale safety pins returning too. All this finery were collective one-offs to help represent Charles Jeffrey’s new vision for the collection. Rage gives way to renewal, it seems.
Before shopping LOVERBOY for ‘Rei Kawakubo Curates’ inside Dover Street Market Paris this April, check out SHOWstudio’s fashion film for the ‘Tantrum’ presentation.
