CMMN SWDN, presented the autumn-winter 2019/20 collection in Paris.For this season creators Emma and Saif Bakir examine our world of increasing digital complexity. In a postmodern society focusing on services and purchases, we don’t make with our hands anymore, and as a result, goods have lost their real value and are easily replaced.

The cult of speed can feel increasingly overwhelming. The collection serves as a reaction against the ‘rushing standstill’, a term coined by French philosopher Paul Virilio to describe our accelerated present day. With this in mind, CMMN SWDN take a slower approach to the design process, with AW19 playing a necessary extension of SS19’s dialogue of promoting conscious design.

CMMN SWDN look at the importance of being comfortable in one’s own skin. Pre-loved garments continue to serve as a focal point of inspiration – the well-worn fabrics evoking feelings of nostalgia and familiarity that offer an insight into the biography of the wearer.

The collection serves as a celebration of imperfections by highlighting the landscape of damage to a garment. Treasured hand me downs are reimagined through tailoring in knowingly awkward proportions and elongated lengths. This collision of unexpected pairings provides CMMN SWDN’s signature aesthetic for AW19.

As finalists for the International Woolmark Prize 2019, knitwear has become a natural focal point as unravelled knits are mapped out over tailoring and monofilament knitted vests float over shirting.

Tactility is key to the collection, evoking the feel of a lived-in wardrobe played out through crumpled viscose, creased effect wool denim, cracked leather, raw edge seams and frayed knits.

Continuing on from SS19, a boxy fit dominates the silhouette with sharp shoulders emphasised by cinched waists. Hand tie-dyed latex functions as a second skin layer under heavy wools and romantic shirting appears in generous crushed silk velvets and distressed devoré.

Saved studio offcuts from fabrics used in the collection appear in patchwork leather trousers and provide colourful decorative insulation for a quilted overshirt.

With a palette inspired by the desaturated tones of decay and deterioration, moss greens, khakis and blacks are infused with acid yellow and caramel tones finished with black rubber military surplus stock overboots providing protective footwear.

An industrial backdrop of scrap metal sourced from the venue itself mirrors CMMN SWDN’s AW19 vision and sets an environment of raw hand built human design.

Photos: CMMN SWDN