The latest collection, with the theme of “Human Abstraction,” featured a slew of structural pieces.
For those who don’t consider fashion an art, one question when looking at the Viktor & Rolf Fall Winter 2024 couture collection might be: Is anyone going to seriously wear that?
Elle Goulding at Viktor & Rolf show.
Courtesy of Viktor & Rolf
Among the attendees at Wednesday’s show were Ellie Goulding, Coco Rocha, Jordyn Woods, Araya Hargate, Emma Brooks and Yusra Mardini.
Founders Viktor Horsting and Rolf Snoeren are known for their avant-garde luxury fashion, along with attaching deeper meanings to collections. The pair have put out collections of up-side-down gowns and bathing suits with worded messages, and the new collection is no different. In its essence, the collection is about expressing absurdism.
The duo’s absurdism intentionally knows no bounds, as the collection notes explain “take the silhouette to the maximum.” Going back into their archives for inspiration from their “Atomic Bomb” collection from Fall Winter 1998, both Viktor and Rolf noted how the human form has evolved over the last 26 years.
“The human body intersects with three-dimensional, abstract geometric shapes like cubes, triangles and spheres — building blocks drawn from the realms of constructivism and cubism, as well as from a child’s block set,” the designers’ notes state.
In the show, models emerged onto the runway in colorful looks with boxed shoulders and geometric shapes that featured shoulder pads, collars, panniers, noticeable necklines and uneven silhouettes, making for a very angular and kinesthetic runway. The show’s lighting was fluttered, almost panic-like, accompanied by a monosyllable human voice soundtrack.
The fashion house collaborated with Christian Louboutin for the finished custom heels in the color satin, and with Falke for the polka dot tights, which added another layer to the abstract nature of the collaboration.