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Guram Gvasalia, alongside his brother Demna, has spent the last half-decade establishing himself as a man at the epicentre of contemporary fashion. So when he began teasing a new, clandestine project from his cult label Vetements, the internet duly sat up and took notice. An enthralled audience of more than 110,000 followers tuned in this evening at 7:30PM Paris time, when the project was finally unveiled via the slightly kitsch (intentionally of course) Instagram moniker @vetements_secret_project.
Those who had been paying attention (Gvasalia had hardly been subtle about it) wouldn’t have been surprised by the big reveal: Guram Gvasalia was launching an entirely new fashion brand. Named VTMNTS, the brand’s debut collection—a hefty 100 look spring offering—was revealed through an invite-only digital portal, a collection that veered toward the ‘haute sci-fi’ aesthetic that defined his Vetements look, while also carving its own distinct visual identity.
There were, for example, voluminous puffer jackets, Matrix-style leather duster coats, and luxury takes on satiny sportswear staples like tracksuit bottoms and striped parkas. And there were also not-so-subtle shout-outs to cultural movements: leather derbys emblazoned with the phrase ‘Fuck you’, and boxy T-shirts with pronouns—‘She/Her, ‘They/Them’—splashed across the front.
But there was also a notable focus on streamlined tailoring and wearability. Varsity jackets and rugby polos were cut to regular proportions and finished in smart colour palettes—navy and yellow, cornflower blue and white. Most of the looks featured sensible cotton slacks, and heavy leather brogues. Elongated sleeves were few and far between, and while there was the occasional (and welcome) burst of lilac and neon green, the collection was largely comprised of a neutral-heavy palette of browns, navys, blacks, and whites.
The brand is reported to be an exclusively menswear offering—though many of the pieces would be more closely defined as ‘genderless’. The project will also include philanthropic enterprises. Marketed as being supported by the ‘Gvasalia Family Foundation’, High Snobiety reports that VTMNTS will “expand its purview beyond mere fashion collaborations to include mentorships, financial aid, and other inclusive efforts”.
The collection certainly garnered an engaged response online—though some were left wondering precisely why the brand has been launched, and why now. Many of the pieces could have easily folded into Vetements’ seasonal menswear line, and while final pricepoints haven’t been revealed, there is nothing to suggest the line will be a more accessibly-priced ‘diffusion line’. Guram Gvasalia prefers to let his clothes do the talking, and is, at the time of writing, yet to give an in-depth rationale about VTMNTS’ future. But the collection—which is, as with everything the Georgian brothers do, filled with beautifully made, intelligently designed clothing—is a welcome injection of interest and intrigue after a trying year for the fashion industry. We’ll keenly await what happens next.
